Today's news

THE SPOTLIGHT'S GLARE: A spate of teacher sex scandals has turned attention to the Tampa Bay area and its educators. (For an example, see this Newsweek article.) While the focus is discomforting, some experts say it helps people realize that sexual abuse by teachers is a real problem that needs to be dealt with.

ONE BOOK, ONE SCHOOL: Lakewood High has all its students read Benjamin Ajak's book, "They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky," to get kids to read more and think more deeply about their reading. Ajak then spoke at the Pinellas school to drive the point home.

PEOPLE JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND: Woodlawn Elementary principal Kathleen Proper says that most people have no idea what goes on in schools these day, or how hard it is to overcome the achievement gap, columnist Bill Maxwell writes.

"HEARTBREAKING" DECISIONS: Volusia superintendent Margaret Smith explains her district's move to close seven small elementary schools in an op-ed piece for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

OPPOSITION TO TAX PLAN EMERGES: Florida's powerful business lobby seeks to stop a tax proposal that would, among other things, change the way the state funds education, the Sun-Sentinel reports. South Florida education leaders also worry that the proposal would take too much money away from already strapped schools, the Miami Herald reports.

NO SWEAT: Many Florida elementary schools aren't really getting students' heartbeats up in response to the state's new mandate of 30 minutes of daily physical activity, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS: When J. David Armstrong made the move from community college chancellor to president of Broward Community College, he didn't necessarily expect everything that came his way, the Miami Herald reports.

GET YOUR SHOTS: The Board of Governors requires all new freshmen and transfer students to get a meningitis vaccination, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

EASY TO CHEAT: New technologies make it simpler than ever for kids to cheat on school work. But the underlying motivation to do it hasn't changed much over time, the LA Times reports.