BIG DAY!!! 2017 School Grades Are Out And There Is Reason For Some Celebration!

Grades are in!! Have you seen the results of Florida schools?  Where did your school land? Overall Florida, and South Florida in particular, made some real progress.  New testing standards for common core brought some hiccups in the last few years, so everyone has been anticipating the outcome of the 2017 tests. I don’t think anyone expected these results! Kudos to the hard […]

Continue Reading

Will Your Child Feel The Changes Of 2017 Schools?

It is done! The big education budget decisions are made and will now be put in motion. Some of us are happy, and some…not so much. Florida’s teaching profession will continue to suffer because salary raises are not going to happen this year. But families who have been locked in failing schools have new hope to break free from chronic underperformance.  Charter […]

Continue Reading

Yeah, I’m Calling Out One-Sided Reactions on Top 10 High School Rankings Today!

I’m so mad I could spit nails. Today US News and World Report released the 2017 Ranking on Top Public High Schools. And all of a sudden every one is all aglow about charters dominating the list. Listen, I’m all for charter schools.  I’m all for ANY quality school that meets my child’s needs and believes they can […]

Continue Reading

Opting Out Of Third-Grade Test Is Bad, Passing Third Graders Who Can’t Read Is Worse

by Lane Wright, editor at Education Post, a nonprofit fostering better conversation for better education. If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on in the case of the Opt-Out moms versus the state of Florida, it’s that Michelle Rhea’s daughter can read just fine. Last year, Florida education officials said she needed to be […]

Continue Reading

Parents And Kids Are Counting On Florida To Be Brave!

The first round of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plans have been submitted to the feds. Florida is not one of them, opting to wait until the fall along with more than 30 other states. So far, every state’s plan looks different due to the new choice-buffet for student performance measurement. And, honestly, it’s making me crazy-anxious. Education Week covers […]

Continue Reading

Florida’s Vanishing Students and the Graduation Rate Scam

Last Wednesday, the Florida commissioner of education announced a statewide investigation. Some schools are allegedly manipulating their graduation rates by pushing struggling students, many in their senior year, to switch to alternative schools so they don’t drag down the school’s graduation statistics. If you don’t know, alternative schools exist to help students with behavioral issues, […]

Continue Reading