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This story from Collier County made the Naples Daily News yesterday and detentionslip.org today - a sure sign that it's nationally embarrassing. All in all, 10 middle school students were given 1-day, in-school suspensions. We couldn't help but think of yesterday's development in the Islam-is-of-the-devil story in Alachua.
Just stupid pranks in Collier? Or something deeper and more troubling?
Message today from Patricia Levesque, executive director of Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future. Some excerpts:
As we gather with family and friends this week to give thanksgiving and usher in the 2009 holiday season, let us take a moment to thank the educators who make a difference in the lives of Florida’s children each and every day ...
In 2001, barely half of elementary students could read on grade level, now 72 percent can. The results are just as impressive in mathematics. Eight years ago, just 52 percent could get by in math, now 72 percent of elementary students are demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level. Moreover, there are nearly 100,000 more Hispanic students and more than 50,000 more African-American students reading and doing math on grade level than a decade ago.
Our progress in raising student achievement is outpacing national averages across the board. More students are learning, more students are excelling in rigorous coursework and more students are attending college. Most importantly, Florida is one of the only states in the nation to narrow the achievement gap.
Ten years of extraordinary progress in our schools prove teachers change lives.
For the past few years, state representatives John Legg and Will Weatherford have spent one afternoon sharing their thoughts about education policy with Pasco County principals, and asking for opinions to bring back to Tallahassee.
This year, the two lawmakers -- each of whom chairs a key education committee -- are bringing Florida education commissioner Eric J. Smith (shown) to town for the conversation.
Their goal is to connect the state level discussion to the people who actually make school happen every day, so whatever decisions emerge are more grounded in reality. Weatherford and Legg also have spoken of putting together focus groups of teachers and parents to guide their effort.
Smith will be in town to talk to principals on Dec. 3 at Sunlake High School in Land O'Lakes. Is there something you think he needs to address? Call a Pasco principal, or post a comment here. The folks at FDOE do read the Gradebook, we've heard.
A revised draft of the Pinellas school district's 2010 legislative agenda includes a few interesting changes - all suggested by school board members at last week's workshop.
It now begins with an excerpt from Article IX of the Florida Constitution - the excerpt that says it's a "paramount duty" of the state to make "adequate provision" for "high quality" schools. That's the same language that opened the door to this new lawsuit.
It now notes in the first section that the school board has been "unable to provide pay increases for any employee groups in the past three years." (It continues to say that the board's goal is to increase teacher salaries to the national average and that the Legislature should "build a budget that allows that to happen.")
It no longer says the Legislature should consider a proposal for a constitutional revision that would make the class-size amendment more flexible, but continues to ask for "as much statutory flexibility as possible."
The board will consider the revised draft on Jan. 12.
The ACLU has filed a federal suit in favor of allowing kids to wear T-shirts with anti-Islam messages to school. It's about freedom of speech, the group says, and not about disrupting school, as the Alachua district claims.
Earlier this year, some children attending Alachua public schools were told to change their T-shirts, which read "Islam is of the devil," or to leave. Their parents pulled them from school.
While the ACLU does not support the shirts' message, Florida executive director Howard Simon told the Gainesville Sun, it backs their right to say it.
A district spokeswoman said the district stands by its decision to enforce its dress code "to prevent students from wearing items that are distracting or disruptive to the learning environment."
(Photo from the Gainesville Sun)
Florida is one of only 11 states that have all the right pieces in place to track student progress from kindergarten through college, the Data Quality Campaign says in a new report.
EARLY START: Palm Beach schools will take advantage of their high-performing status to begin classes a week earlier than otherwise allowed in 2010-11, the Sun-Sentinel reports. (Image from bubblecalendar.com)
FORGET IT: Angry Brevard parents say they'll never accept the district's plans to rezone their children to different schools, Florida Today reports.
STOLEN MEMORIES: Miami Palmetto Senior High's yearbook staff returns from a conference to find all its work for the 2010 book gone (along with lots of equipment), the Miami Herald reports.
OFF THE AIR: A Collier School Board subcommittee delays plans to televise its meetings, the Naples Daily News reports.
LABOR NEWS: Polk State College trustees approve employee bonuses instead of raises for the third straight year, the Lakeland Ledger reports. • Contract negotiations fail in Monroe, the Keynoter reports.
THE COST OF SUNSHINE: Santa Rosa district officials ask a judge to let them off the hook in a public records request regarding a recent prayer lawsuit, saying the cost to prepare it would be too high, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
The United School Employees of Pasco has just reported that its membership has approved contracts for 2009-10.
In voting Thursday, 66 percent of members cast ballots. Of those, 88 percent of teachers and 93 percent of SRPs voted in support of the agreement, which provides one-time supplements to all employees, as well as fully-paid health insurance benefits.
"The results show acceptance of the settlement, but don't mistake acceptance for satisfaction or endorsement," USEP president Lynne Webb said in a memo to members. "Unfortunately, the economic situation for next year won't be much better unless our elected officials find ways to raise additional revenue, so let's focus our attention on the legislature, which has failed to adequately fund education, and urge the District to start realigning their priorities now to ensure a better outcome next year."
The Pasco County School Board approved the contract terms last week.
Florida Attorney General (and Republican gubernatorial candidate) Bill McCollum issued this statement a few minutes ago about the high-quality schools lawsuit:
These lawsuits appear to be driven by political and financial motives with little or no regard to educating our children. Florida's focus must be on making progress with our children's education, not on fighting baseless legal battles. Our office will provide quality legal representation on behalf of our clients, and I look forward to bringing this matter to a quick resolution.
That's according to the Center for Education Reform, a group that likes charter schools a whole bunch and keeps good tabs on the numbers.
According to its latest stats, released today, Florida has 413 charters and they enroll 131,183 students - which is about 5 percent of all students.
Florida ranks No. 3 in both number of charters and enrollment, CEP figures show.
The initial list of candidates to replace longtime FSU president T.K. Wetherell is in, and the 17 people range from a middle school teacher to a few high-ranking professors and college deans at FSU. The earch committee is slated to start looking at the candidates' files Tuesday, with the aim of conducting interviews next week and sending recommended finalists to FSU trustees by Dec. 4.
The deadline to submit applications is Dec. 1 -- and Florida open records laws mean a few strong candidates are likely to file right before the cutoff. That way their universities don't know too soon that they're looking elsewhere.
Here's the list:
Continue reading "Middle school teacher, FSU Law dean among president applicants" »
As if buying classroom supplies wasn't burden enough, a fair number of teachers say they occassionally buy food for students who don't get enough to eat at home, according to a national report released this morning.
Sixty-two percent of teachers surveyed said some students routinely come to school hungry, says the report from Save Our Strength, a group committed to ending childhood hunger. And of those teachers, 49 percent said they buy food for hungry students either every week or a few times a month.
On average, the report says, elementary school teachers spend $27.40 buying food for students while middle school teachers spend about $38.10.
More data. More questions.
On Friday night, the state released more FCAT-based data rating the effectiveness of Florida's teacher preparation program - and it shows that it was in fact a good idea to take a grain of salt with the first batch of numbers that came out Thursday.
The Friday numbers, based on 2008-09 FCAT scores, shows that 82 percent of rookie teachers from the University of South Florida had 50 percent or more of their students make learning gains - putting it in a 3-way tie at No. 4 (with UF and UCF) among the 10 state university ed schools. In 2007-08, 76 percent of USF's rookie grads reached that bar, putting USF at No. 9 of 10.
On a related measure, USF slid a little. In 2007-08, 15 percent of its rookie graduates were deemed "high performing," because of especially large FCAT gains by their students. That put it at No. 6. In 2008-09, 13 percent earned that designation, putting USF in a tie (with UWF) at No. 8.
Continue reading "More data linking education colleges to FCAT scores" »
Maybe a week off is a bit excessive — especially considering that a two-week winter break comes less than a month afterward.
But don't forget to keep your kids at home all week, Pinellas and Hillsborough parents. No classes for your kids until next Monday. (Sorry Pasco and Hernando boys and girls. You've still got Monday and Tuesday to deal with.)
Question of the day: If you've got to work, what are you doing with your children until the holiday comes for you? Was it easy to find an alternative, particularly for Hillsborough families, who didn't get word that they had a whole week off until weeks into the school year? Let's hear it.
SCHOOL ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATION: Parents charge the high-performing Sanibel School in Lee of turning away low-performing students, the Naples Daily News reports.
CLASS-SIZE THOUGHTS: Brevard schools find compliance with Florida's class-size amendment vexing and look for alternatives, Florida Today reports. • The Florida Senate is looking at options to hold off the final stage of the amendment, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.
JUST KEEP WORKING: Post-construction woes at one of Lee's prototype schools will keep crews busy over winter break, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
SHOW THEM THE MONEY: The Palm Beach district sues a former high school basketball coach for its share of the money he made in a sports camp run on school property, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
FOR THE SMILES: Ninety-five-year-old Genevieve Russo keeps on volunteering at Pathways Elementary in Volusia, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
SPREADING THE WORD: Nilda Soto, a former migrant farm worker, works to get migrant families into school, the Lakeland Ledger reports.
UPSET WITH D: Families and community leaders in Royal Palm are upset with the reputation a D grade brings to their local high school, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Monday-Friday: Thanksgiving break, Hillsborough and Pinellas schools
Wednesday-Friday: Thanksgiving break, Hernando and Pasco schools
Dec. 1: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.
Dec. 2: Commission for Independent Education, 10 a.m., Howey-in-the-Hills
Dec. 3: USF Board of Trustees
Dec. 3-4: The State Advisory Committee for the Education of Exceptional Students, Tallahassee
Dec. 8: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m. • Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.
Dec. 9: Charter School Appeal Commission, 10 a.m., Tallahassee
Dec. 10: Florida Board of Governors, conference call, time TBD
Dec. 15: Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.
Dec. 21 - Jan 4: Pinellas, Hillsborough winter break
Dec. 23 - Jan. 7: Pasco winter break
Dec. 24 - Jan. 8: Hernando winter break
'WE ARE HUDSON': Hudson High in Pasco has endured its share of detractors, but the school's reality differs quite a bit from the rumors. (Times photo, Keri Wiginton)
A SECOND CHANCE? Hernando should offer teacher Michael Provost another opportunity to teach at the STAR Center, the Times editorializes.
PUNISHING THE WRONG PEOPLE: An attorney for three Polk educators in trouble for accessing student records says his clients did nothing wrong, the Polk County Democrat reports.
A 'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED CROCK': The lawsuit against Florida's school adequacy makes a good point about funding, but goes too far in its accusations, Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas writes.
SO LONG: Longtime Manatee families bid farewell to historic Manatee High, which is slated to be demolished and replaced, the Bradenton Herald reports.
MOVING SEATS: Broward considers consolidating schools as it works to meet class size requirements with some of its existing 33,000 empty seats, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • Collier schools will need to rezone or add portables to meet the class size amendment, the Naples Daily News reports.
ALL ABOUT RACE: The debate about Palm Beach's curriculum turns on the achievement gap among the races, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
GOING INTERNATIONAL: Florida Gulf Coast University sees an increase in the number of international students attending, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT? A Keys high school class uses used kitchen oil to make biodiesel and hopes to fuel a bus with it, the Miami Herald reports.
ACCESS APPROVED: St. Johns River Community College strikes a deal with Embry-Riddle to guarantee students access to specific four-year degree programs, the St. Augustine Record reports.
On Wednesday, a group of parents and parents advocacy groups filed suit against the state, charging that it had not lived up to a constitutional mandate to provide high quality schools. On Tuesday, several members of the group and several of their attorneys met with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board. The following are excerpts from the interview.
The plaintiffs group included Kathleen Oropeza and Linda Kobert from the Orlando-based group Fund Education Now; Mark McGriff, executive director of the Gainesville-based Citizens for Strong Schools; co-counsel Jon Mills, a former Florida House speaker; and co-counsel Jodi Siegel and Neil Chonin, both with Southern Legal Counsel, a Gainesville public interest law firm. (Orlando Sentinel photo shows, from left, FEN co-founders Christine Bramuchi, Kobert and Oropeza.)
Jon Mills: The capsule is 10 years ago, the people of Florida passed a constitutional amendment with 71 percent that says we are entitled to a free, public school system that’s high quality and that’s a paramount duty of the state and a fundamental value of the state. There were two of us involved in introducing that amendment. Bobby Brochin, some of you may remember … is fired up about this too. He’s in Miami. We worked for years trying to figure out the best way to do this. And sort of the best way to do this came to us.
The citizens groups – Mark’s group in Gainesville had done some work already on local financial support for the school system. We talked to them. … And we talked to Fund Education Now. And they were enthusiastic about becoming part of this. And there really is a statewide reach to both of those organizations. And it is a citizen driven lawsuit.
WHO SAYS CAREER ACADEMIES ARE NEW? The Veterinary Sciences Academy at Tarpon Springs High has been around since 1995, this year serving 220 students. (Times photo, Demorris Lee)
CONGRATS: Parrott Middle School ESE paraprofessional Yvette Hart is Hernando's school-related employee of the year.
FREE DEGREE: UF offers some Pinellas math and science teachers a free master's degree in exchange for making a five-year commitment to their schools.
A GRUELING BATTLE: The latest lawsuit against Florida's schooling system will take a long time to get through, and shouldn't be the only effort to improve the system, the Times editorializes.
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO: A St. Lucie charter school files suit against the school district to stay open, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.
DELAYED: The court case of ousted Broward board member Beverly Gallagher is postponed to give her time to cut a deal, the Miami Herald reports.
PRANKSTER IN CHIEF: The principal of Duval's Lee High loves a good practical joke as much as the next person, the Florida Times-Union reports.
ON THE MOVE: Some Merritt Island students are getting a real-life education as they walk to Tallahassee, 10 miles at a time, Florida Today reports.
EVEN TEACHERS MUST FOLLOW FERPA: Some Polk educators are in hot water for inappropriately accessing student records, the Lakeland Ledger reports.
LABOR NEWS: A Pinellas lawyer is telling Monroe teachers that their district doesn't respect their rights, the Keynoter reports.
Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with the plaintiffs and lawyers in the latest lawsuit over Florida's school adequacy.
When psychologist Steven Kanakis had trouble finding child care for his son with autism, he pushed for a seat on the Pasco-Hernando Early Learning Coalition to help improve the choices for families like his.
His son now attends third grade at Longleaf Elementary School, and Kanakis has seen things in the special education system he thinks need fixing. So he's cast his name into the increasingly crowded field for Pasco School Board District 4.
"I feel like disabled kids need a voice on the School Board," Kanakis, 46, said.
Kanakis would run against pastor John Tracy, retired court reporter Billie Kaleel and medical supplies firm owner Christopher Cooley for the seat, which Kathryn Starkey plans to resign in July in order to run for State House District 45. The nonpartisan race would take place in fall 2010 unless Starkey changes direction; the seat otherwise is not slated to come open until 2012.
 Get inside the world of Florida education with St. Petersburg Times staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek and the rest of the Times education reporting team. We'll bring you up-to-date information about the latest education trends, fads and news and dig deep into Tampa Bay area school issues.
E-mail me:
solochek@sptimes.com
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| Shannon Colavecchio covers education issues in the Florida Legislature. E-mail her: scolavecchio@sptimes.com. |
| Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@sptimes.com. |
| Tom Marshall covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail him: tmarshall@sptimes.com. |
| Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools and state education. E-mail him: matus@sptimes.com. |
| Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco schools. E-mail him: solochek@sptimes.com. |
| Thomas C. Tobin covers Pinellas schools. E-mail him: tobin@sptimes.com. |
| Rick Danielson covers the University of South Florida. E-mail him: rdanielson@sptimes.com. |
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