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APR - JUN 2004 |
Palm Beach Post http://www.palmbeachpost.com
Rely on course grades, not the Bushes' grades 6/13/04 EDITORIAL Congratulations, parents. With the annual release on Tuesday of FCAT-based school grades, you will possess a trove of information about how your child is doing.
State seeks faith-based groups for tutoring 6/10/04 Pressure from Washington to have religious groups participate in the No Child Left Behind education act is so great, Florida had to reopen its application process this spring when only one faith-based organization made an initial cut to provide tutoring to struggling students.
A blow to Martin schools 6/5/04 EDITORIAL Last week, the Martin County School Board finally ended 10 months of negotiations with teachers. If the Martin County Education Association approves the contract in a vote on June 21-22, teachers will receive their $1.8 million raise retroactively, with checks distributed after school is already out for the summer. If they reject the contract, the board will impose it on them
News Press http://www.news-press.com
We aren’t helping students with FCAT waivers 6/11/04 EDITORIAL Emile Durkheim, an early French sociologist, commented that a breakdown of norms would disrupt the overall stability of any society. While Durkheim’s work may be outdated, this concept rings true even today. A prime example would be the Florida Legislature’s recent decision to grant diplomas to students failing to pass the FCAT in total. (See May 19, “10 snag diploma despite FCAT.”)
The Lakeland Ledger http://www.theledger.com
Polk's FCAT Practices in Question 6/13/04 The Florida Department of Education wants to investigate the Polk County School District for possibly trying to boost school grades on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test by transferring poorly performing students out of graded schools.
State Asks Schools for Plans to Teach Languages 6/9/04 Florida school districts have been asked to submit plans by the end of June to launch foreign language instruction in elementary schools, even as many children struggle to read and write in English.
Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com
Accountability standards have helped our schools 6/12/04 As a high school teacher, I always taught one important lesson: Follow your heart. Choose your life's work for love of the work because that is the only sure path to quality. If you do quality work, whether it's cabinetry or calculus, opportunities will come.
Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel..com
Teachers will join diversity seminar 6/14/04 When teacher Betty Collar sees her special-needs children at Lake Hills School, she just sees kids.
Virtual school clicks for teens 6/14/04 About 7 a.m., Kelsey Tainsh urges her fellow triplets out of bed so they can get their online geometry lessons finished and she can practice for a wakeboarding competition.
Spanish lessons to expand 6/13/04 Volusia County youngsters will say "¡hola!" to Spanish classes in 2005 if the local School Board says "sí" to a plan to begin teaching foreign language at 15 elementary schools by 2010.
Perks boost teacher salaries 6/12/04 The average teacher in Florida earned a salary of $39,601 last year, and benefits and extra pay pushed the average income to nearly $50,000, a legislative study released Friday reported.
Classes a lesson for real world 6/12/04 Reading, writing and arithmetic: The three R's have long been considered the cornerstone of education.
Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/mld
1st charter school set to open 6/13/04 The first charter school in Hollywood hopes to open its doors Aug. 16.
Specter of school choice raises fears in S. Fla. 6/13/04 Hundreds of thousands of South Florida students will likely have unprecedented power to choose which school they attend next year, which could wreak havoc on overcrowding, school staffing and district administration.
Reading workshop's fun for parents, kids 6/12/04 Kids were enjoying games, moms and dads applauded a ''giant'' on stilts, and a 3-year-old boy did an impromptu dance on the stage
Red tape may leave kids behind 6/9/04 The federal government's No Child Left Behind act has the potential to bring sweeping changes to Broward's low-income schools, but most parents seem likely to ignore the possibilities it offers
Sun Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
FCAT failings stress deeper problems 6/14/04 It's neither coincidence nor bad luck that not one of 15 fifth-graders at Lakeside Academy in Belle Glade passed the reading portion of the FCAT.
Executive Order Is Needed 6/14/04 EDITORAIL BOARD Gov. Jeb Bush's mind is made up. He doesn't believe an executive order is warranted to improve standards of two big school-voucher programs.
U.S. may require even some A and B schools to offer transfers 6/14/04 Thousands of Florida students could be offered transfers to different public schools this fall as the federal government's controversial education reform law tightens its grip on school districts where all children can't read or do math.
Newer schools open to transfers 6/13/04 Many of Palm Beach County's newer, western schools would start the year with more children than expected if students from the county's poorest neighborhoods decide to change schools.
22 schools to benefit from `Reading First' program 6/7/04 Twenty-two Palm Beach County elementary schools will start the fall with new reading coaches, extra library materials and a lot more testing.
Pedestrian lessons weighed 6/6/04 Miramar schoolchildren may start the next school year with extra lessons in pedestrian safety taught by police.
More voucher oversight urged 6/5/04 Four Democratic state legislators Friday said Gov. Jeb Bush should issue an executive order tightening oversight of Florida's two largest voucher programs.
TCPalm.com
Teaching foreign languages earlier on horizon 6/13/04 More Treasure Coast youngsters could soon be learning a foreign language while they're still learning to write their names.
Lessons on poverty to enrich schools 6/12/04 Interrupting when a teacher is talking is against the rules in school.
Programs fill children's time, tummies during summer 6/11/04 Gifford resident John May knows that bored children can get into trouble really easily.
Stuart News editorial: Failing our children 6/9/04 Despite the theme parks, the beaches and the ballfields, Florida remains a lousy place for children.
Miscellaneous
Florida sees jump in home-schooled children 6/13/04 Esther Brunnig practiced for this year's Volusia County Spelling Bee, where she took second place, while rolling around her living room atop an exercise ball.
One yardstick to measure learning gains 6/11/04 As an educator, I have had the honor and privilege of working with many outstanding teachers, staff members, students, parents and community leaders.
Foreign language coming to elementary schools Highlands County District Schools Director of Curriculum Dr. Anne Lindsay confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Highlands and the other districts that make up the Heartland Education Consortium are exploring the possibility of putting foreign language instruction in elementary schools.
New Group Dedicated To Children 6/10/04 David Lawrence Jr., an advocate for children, stood before Fairfax County politicians and business leaders and asked for some answers
DARE Program to spend a week on Marco 6/10/04 The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is a unique drug education program structured to give children the best possible preparation to resist drugs and violence as they enter adolescence. The program has proven so successful that it is now taught in every state and several foreign countries. The U.S. Department of Defense has authorized the D.A.R.E. program to be taught on military bases worldwide for dependents of service personnel.
Exit exams cover comparatively easy math, reading, study says 6/09/04 The exit exams that a growing number of states require before students can graduate measure math skills that kids in other developed countries learn in middle school, a study released Wednesday concludes.
Three-week summer school starts for Lee students 6/8/04 Educators say time, not necessarily ability or age, is the difference between learning or not learning school material.
Two Polk school board seats highly competitive 6/6/04 Potential candidates for November's Polk County School Board election still have a little more than a month to enter the race, but they'll find some competition waiting for them.
Fun Time gets national accreditation, name change 6/5/04 A longtime child care center that has served underprivileged children in River Park for decades has earned academic accreditation from a national education association.
Graduation 2004: Step by Step graduates 11 children 6/5/04 Those first lines of song marked the beginning of the 2004 pre-kindergarten graduation ceremony Friday at the Step by Step Early Childhood Education and Therapy Center in Naples.
State of youth 6/4/04 Florida has held steady -- ranking at or near 34th over the past five years among 50 states and the District of Columbia in the national Kids Count survey issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. But the 2004 ranking of 10 major indicators of child well-being is based on data collected from 1996-2001, and holding steady during a period of economic strength is nothing to brag about.
Bradenton Herald http://www.bradenton.com
Palm Beach Post http://www.palmbeachpost.com
Charters for troubled students won't get graded 6/1/04 Hundreds of charter and alternative schools that cater to struggling students will escape the state's grading system again this year because officials can't figure out a way to measure their performance.
Newest voucher scandal: No check on child abuse 6/1/04 EDITORIAL Where does the Legislature's extreme tolerance of voucher scandals end? Does it end, perhaps, when child abuse becomes an issue? Apparently, it doesn't.
Spotty past no deterrent to voucher school hire 5/25/04 The Duval County School Board shut down Michael D. Stanfield's charter school for financial mismanagement in 2000 and Duval sheriff's deputies arrested him on charges of felony child abuse of a 7-year-old relative in 2001.
St. Petersburg Times http://www.sptimes.com
So many years, so little change 6/4/04 As one of the first black students to attend Gainesville High School in 1964, he remembered how segregationists spat in his face, kicked him down the stairs and gave him failing grades he didn't deserve
The Lakeland Ledger http://www.theledger.com
School Grades to Be Posted on Web Site 6/3/04 Parents will have a new report card to review this year as the state Department of Education pulls together ratings of each Florida school and posts them online, Education Commissioner Jim Horne announced Wednesday.
Failing Schools Forced to Develop Alternatives 6/1/04 Jefferson Elementary School didn't ask to be in the vanguard of the nation's education reform efforts.
Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com
Group decries No Child Left Behind Act 6/3/04 Denying it is out to hurt President Bush in a battleground state but refusing to disclose its campaign finances, a newly formed group Wednesday began an advertising campaign attacking the school-grading methods of Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel..com
Educators make case for K-8 schools 6/2/04 After decades of packing young adolescents into middle schools, some educators now think these hormonal, mercurial creatures would learn more in the sort of school their great-grandparents likely attended.
New FCAT to include multiple-choice writing questions 6/2/04 A new version of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will measure students' writing abilities through multiple-choice questions.
Cable TV airs students' safe-sex film 6/1/04 With its heavy breathing and frank talk, a safe-sex film written by students of Jones High School in Orlando was considered too racy for viewing at local schools.
Friday Forum: Tastes vary when it comes to school food 5/28/04 I'm the children's medical resource manager for the Health Central Foundation School Nurse Program. Health Central, in partnership with Orange County Public Schools, has placed registered nurses in 30 elementary, middle and high schools in west Orange County.
Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/mld
DCF, private agency at $1 million impasse 6/4/04 Four months before state child-welfare authorities are scheduled to hand off the management of foster care services in Miami-Dade County to a private agency, the directors of Our Kids Inc. are threatening to break off negotiations over a $1 million impasse.
Teachers-backed group airs ads criticizing president's plan 6/2/04 A newly formed group backed by the National Education Association began airing television ads in four key election states Wednesday criticizing President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Website opens up Internet to black students 6/1/04 Karnita Dumas and Christopher Emile laughed in delight at the animation that appeared on the website: black and brown children reading books, dancing and painting -- the same things they like to do.
Sun Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
Working vacation 6/4/04 Palm Beach Community College psychology professor, Michael Miles, 67, will embark this summer on a professional and personal adventure of a lifetime when he travels to Lithuania on his first sabbatical.
Davie school has Spring Fling for students with autism, attention deficit disorder 6/4/04 Pulling on safety goggles, taking hold of a sledge hammer and whacking away at an old junked car was just one of many activities at a recent Spring Fling celebration at the Kentwood Preparatory School in Davie.
Miscellaneous
Families find new allies in homeschooling 6/3/04 For hundreds of Florida families, schoolwork is homework, parents are teachers and dining rooms double as classrooms. Homeschooling, once an insular undertaking, is now made easier by established Christian schools and informal alliances which offer support and encouragement.
Brevard explores ways to fund new schools 6/2/04 Nestled on the western shore of Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee is Bellalago, with more than 2,000 homes rising out of green, pristine Florida pastureland.
School Choice Plan Doesn't Help Everyone 6/2/04 Kimberly Vann and her three young children live in rural Jefferson County. The county's elementary school has consistently ranked at the bottom of Florida's school grading system.
Tougher federal standards may mean consequences for Collier schools 6/2/04 Thousands of parents not satisfied with a Collier County school could transfer their children elsewhere — at district expense.
Editorial: Education 6/2/04 Charter schools are public schools.
Orange County Schools Hold Safety Summit 5/27/04 Orange County school officials joined local law enforcement Thursday for a safety summit to better serve and protect Central Florida's children.
Bradenton Herald http://www.bradenton.com
Report:
1 in 10 schoolchildren too heavy 5/12/04 One in ten of the world's schoolchildren is overweight, and about
45 million of them have an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease
and other illnesses before they leave their teens, according to the first global
assessment of child obesity.
Palm Beach Post http://www.palmbeachpost.com
Schools
flouting voucher rules might still get paid 5/14/04 State
officials pledged to tighten standards for Florida's school voucher programs,
but a new proposal actually makes new voucher rules voluntary and assures
schools they will continue to receive tax dollars even if they don't follow
them.
St. Petersburg Times http://www.sptimes.com
Experts:
Retaining disabled students can breed failure 5/9/04
Third-graders with disabilities fail the state's standardized reading test at
twice the rate of their nondisabled peers.
Area
school districts may be pre-K test sites 5/7/04 If
Gov. Jeb Bush accepts the Legislature's controversial plan for universal
prekindergarten, the Hillsborough and Pasco school districts soon will be
functioning as guinea pigs.
F
for oversight 5/6/04 The theft
and fraud connected to Florida's school voucher program have produced at least
five criminal and administrative investigations to date. But don't bother asking
lawmakers to answer for the mess. They left the Capitol last week without doing
a thing.
Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com
Legislature
leaves with leftovers 5/2/04 The clock ran out 'round midnight Friday on the 2004 legislative
session, but leftover and new issues are already crowding lawmakers' calendars.
Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com
Younger
students do best on FCAT 5/11/04 Florida's younger students improved their reading
scores again this year, but teens continued to struggle with the state's
standardized tests, scores released Monday show.
Schools
change, but slowly 5/9/04 Syryal Kinsler remembers the stony stares, angry
insults and stray beer bottles hurled his way as he walked to Memorial Junior
High School in Orlando
Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/mld
Crew
wants to lead Dade's schools 5/13/04
Rudolph ''Rudy'' Crew, the former New York City schools chancellor being wooed
to run the
Miami-Dade district, told The Herald and several School Board members
Wednesday he plans to accept the job.
Dade
students lift scores but still trail in Florida 5/11/04 Student
test scores in Miami-Dade County again trailed all of Florida's major urban
centers this year, but they continued to show gradual improvement in reading and
math and slightly closed the gap with other counties, according to Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test results released Monday.
Broward's
math, reading results mostly positive 5/11/04 Most Florida students made
steady progress on the 2004 FCAT, but the
performance of 10th-grade students on the reading test declined for the
fourth consecutive year, perplexing educators who don't know
why gains in
elementary school aren't continuing in high school.
Greenfield
Day honors its top students 5/6/04 On March 30, students from the Greenfield Day School who
made the Citizenship Honor Roll were rewarded with a breakfast. These students
live by the Jewish values they study in school and are role models for their
peers.
Herald Tribune http://www.heraldtribune.com
Local
student gets 1600 on SAT Lakewood Ranch senior 5/14/04 Caroline Hovanec
didn't want anyone to know.
Grads
from migrant families recognized 5/14/04 Ricardo Ruiz still can't believe he's graduating.
Sun Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
Windfall
to boost building of schools 5/12/04 Soaring property tax bills will benefit children with up to eight new
schools, dozens more classroom additions and even more school renovations
proposed for the next five years.
Military
charter school opening faces delay 5/12/04 Costly
safety requirements have squashed plans for South Florida's first military
charter high school, set to open in Plantation this fall.
Group
provides help for college-bound students from low-income families 5/12/04 Erica
Richardson of Fort Lauderdale knew in sixth grade she wanted to go to college,
so she and her grandmother started exploring her options.
A
better future by learning about the past 5/11/04 For
Fernando Wright, the road from high school to incarceration was short and swift.
It seemed as though one day he was a ninth-grader suspended for fighting, and
the next he was a burglar and drug dealer in and out of jail.
FCAT
scores continue to climb in Broward, state 5/11/04 Florida's
youngest children continue to show steady progress on state tests, but some
older students are stagnating or slipping, according to the largest batch of
FCAT scores released so far this year.
In
multicultural S. Florida, schools puzzle over how to define diversity
5/11/04 South Florida outgrew Brown
vs. Board of Education a long time ago.
TCPalm.com
Books
bind children and parents 5/9/04 With
its gnawed corners and grubby pages, there's no doubt the chunky board book is
14-month-old Andrew Thompson's favorite
Miscellaneous
City
seeking solutions to family problems 5/11/04 The City is bringing dozens of its most effective community groups
together in a campaign to offer comprehensive solutions to family problems.
The pilot program is a collaborative effort among the City, the State
Department of Children and Families and business consulting firm Franklin Covey.
Using a DCF grant, the Jacksonville Network for Strengthening Families seeks to
train community groups in Covey’s 7 Habits of Successful Families. That
training will be passed along to an initial class of 200 Jacksonville residents.
Q&A
with Ben Marlin: A focus on reading 5/9/04 Ben
Marlin marks his first anniversary as superintendent of Collier County Public
Schools by responding to questions from the Daily News editorial board about
third-grade reading.
Enrollment
on Rise Causes FCATs to Suffer 5/6/04 This year, Deerwood Elementary School went
from being a primary school with a first and a second grade to offering up to
grade five, a reflection of the solid population growth in Poinciana.
Bradenton
Herald http://www.bradenton.com
Preventing
teen pregnancy 5/1/04 Eight
12-year-old girls are currently enrolled in the Teenage Parenting Program (TAPP)
provided for teen moms by the Manatee County school system. That means they have
either given birth or are about to have babies.
MCC's
youngest graduate, 16, planning career in medicine 4/29/04 Lakewood Ranch resident Katie Ketter will become the first
16-year-old in recent memory to earn a diploma from Manatee Community College
next month.
House
OKs bill to cut grants for foreign students 4/27/04 Money
that goes to help foreign students afford college in Florida would instead go to
boost the number of Florida students who can get financial aid under a bill
passed Monday
St.
Petersburg Times http://www.sptimes.com
Help
foster kids succeed 4/29/04 EDITORIAL Your
caseworker has just moved you to yet another foster home, this one way across
town. You'll be out of school for at least a week. When you do go back, it will
be to a different school - the third one this year. You'll do your best, but you
know from experience that catching up won't be easy.
Tallahassee
Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com
Kids
rack up miles, yak about broccoli 5/3/04 In
the history of elementary-school P.E. classes, it is safe to say the words
"run" and "fun" have rarely been used in proximity. Running
laps is work. It takes discipline. It is even, sometimes, punishment.
Low-income
kids deserve choices 4/30/04 EDITORIAL Children
from low-income families should have the same opportunities to attend schools
that can best meet their educational needs as children from wealthier families.
News Press http://www.news-press.com
Teacher,
new cable TV host has traveled a long way 4/31/04 Bonita Springs Elementary School teacher
Alicia Reyes holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a specialist’s
degree, leadership positions on district-level advisory and academic groups, a
mention in “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” and nominations for various
awards.
Florida
Times-Union http://www.jacksonville.com
Final
decision on Normandy Elementary could come tonight 5/4/04 The Duval County School Board will discuss tonight whether to
approve the closing of Normandy Elementary School at the end of this school
year.
School
for teen parents struggles for relevance 5/4/04 Big
Bird and other cheerful faces smiled down from the walls of the nursery where
Delores Warren laid her infant daughter, Heaven, in a crib.
Young
students get awards for their academic work 5/1/04 Family
Support Services of North Florida and the Northeast Florida Adoptive/Foster
Parent Association recently held the fourth annual "Stars of Tomorrow"
Academic Award Ceremony at New Bethel AME Church on Tyler Street.
Orlando
Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com
Boys
find teddy-bear project a stitch 5/3/04 Six boys, along with their teacher and teacher's assistant,
recently rolled up their sleeves to make 250 teddy bears, putting in 19 days and
about 35 hours in all, for needy children worldwide.
Bus
stop 5/2/04 It's early. The stars are still out and the cops are suspicious. As
15-year-old Brandon Samuels trudges down a deserted street in his northwest
Orlando neighborhood, a patrolman in a passing cruiser gives him a quick
once-over with his spotlight, just to be sure
Lawyers'
expense worries district 5/2/04 The
Osceola County School District may ask Kissimmee to reimburse it for almost
$101,000 in legal bills since charges of failing to report suspected child
molestation by a teacher have been thrown out.
College
Crunch 5/1/04 Mia
Rommel believed -- or at least strongly hoped -- she had everything Georgetown
University wanted.
Board
picks Polk's next schools chief 4/29/04 When Polk County students head back to class in August, the county
will have 24 charter schools -- more than the entire state of Illinois, home
state of Gail McKinzie, the School Board's finalist to be Polk's first appointed
superintendent.
House
spurns Senate plan for universal pre-K 4/29/04 The Florida House late Wednesday rejected a Senate plan to set up
universal pre-kindergarten classes, likely dooming the voter-mandated initiative
for this year.
English,
sí, but let's leave the politics out 4/28/04 A hundred years ago, immigrants stopped speaking their native
language and -- presto! -- they became fluent in English. That's the myth
driving today's resistance to bilingual education.
Senators
say parents should get to see FCAT 4/28/04 If third- and 10th-graders fail Florida's high-stakes FCAT, their
parents deserve the right to review the exam and the answers, the Florida Senate
said Tuesday.
Lawmakers
try to slow fast track out of high school 4/28/04 When Casey Gerena heard about a new state law that would let him
graduate from high school in three years instead of four, he eagerly signed up.
The Ledger http://www.theledger.com
County
Schools Get More From Florida 4/29/04 Polk County schools will get more money this year -- not just to
cover the 2,000 new students expected this fall, but an additional $3 million to
begin reducing the gap between mid-sized Polk and Florida's more populous
counties.
Polk School Still Fails After Dramatic Gains
4/28/04 At
many schools, the principal is a gigantic, distant figure, and when she enters a
classroom, little children leap to their feet and recite, "Good morning,
Ms. mumblemumble."
Bush:
Pass Pre-K Measures Only if Meaningful 4/28/04 If lawmakers cannot agree on a meaningful prekindergarten measure
for 4year-olds in the waning days of this year's session, Gov. Jeb Bush said
Tuesday he'd prefer to shelve the effort for this year and seek a better measure
in 2005.
Class
Has Young, Not So Young 4/27/04 The
class run by teacher Meri Darby is not exactly dual enrollment -- it's more like
double enrollment with both preschoolers and high school students learning
different things together.
Palm Beach
Post http://www.palmbeachpost.com
Testing isn't learning 4/24/04 EDITORIAL Gov. Bush says his education plan is working because FCAT scores
are rising. But a closer look at what has happened with the governor's children
shows that the governor's victory lap is premature
Billions more budgeted for schools 4/30/04 Lawmakers
will vote this evening on the sole bill they must approve each year -- the
state's budget for the coming year. They are expected to pass a $58 billion
budget, up $4.5 billion from the previous year.
Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/mld
Dade's
school superintendent pick has a high price 5/4/04 Former
New York City chancellor Rudolph ''Rudy'' Crew will be offered around $350,000 a
year to be the next Miami-Dade school superintendent, The Herald has learned --
roughly $140,000 more than the man he would replace
A moving display of the battle to end racism
in our schools
4/30/04 A
traveling exhibit
celebrating ''50 years of progress'' since Brown vs. Board of Education, the
landmark 1954 ruling that outlawed ''separate but equal'' schools, stopped at
three Broward public schools Thursday.
Herald
Tribune http://www.heraldtribune.com
Board
approves freshmen centers 5/4/04 School
officials are setting up three freshmen learning centers, which are designed to
make the transition into high school easier for students.
Educational
programs may be cut 5/2/04 To
meet guidelines set by the No Child Left Behind Act, the school district may
have to scale back educational programs for poor children.
New Journal http://wwww.news-journalonline.com
Flunking math 4/23/04 How
long before Florida's school children are bar-coded and priced per pound?
Sun Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
New chief of schools is chosen 4/27/04 The
son of a New York jazz musician who rose to manage the country's largest school
system was chosen Monday to run the Miami-Dade district in a near-unanimous vote
of the School Board
Broward's
first free military charter school to open this fall
4/27/04 Broward
County's first free military charter high school, billed as an elite prep school
with a highly structured component, enrolled its first students on Monday.
Teaching
English to Puerto Ricans is put to test
4/26/04 The sign on the
classroom door sums up things neatly: "Our English is on."
TCPalm.com
Food
industry tries to address childhood obesity 5/4/04 When
not one but three reports came out recently blaming everything from advertising
to restaurant menus for childhood obesity, officials at H.J. Heinz Co. could
take some satisfaction in knowing the company had already acted on the issue.
Star Banner http://www.starbanner.com
'Potty
humor' books have kids reading 4/30/04 Glenn
Murray blushes a hearty shade of red when a cashier at a Chicago deli recognizes
him: "Heyyyyyy!" the young man shouts gleefully - and loudly.
"You're the fart-man!"
Miscellaneous
Pre-K, parental notice, tax breaks pass as
legislative session ends 5/1/04 A
universal pre-kindergarten program and ballot measure to require parental
notification when minor girls seek abortions passed before the Florida
Legislature adjourned late Friday.
Day
care funding change expected to affect dozens of families
4/25/04 More than 140
school-age children will lose state-subsidized day care this year so the St.
Johns County School Readiness Coalition can afford to educate younger,
pre-school children.
Bradenton
Herald http://www.bradenton.com
State
sees gradual rise in FCAT scores, but some students face scramble 4/20/04 Elementary
school students showed gradual improvement this year on the oft-maligned Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test, while 14,000 high school seniors haven't yet
passed the critical exam and face a desperate scramble to obtain their diplomas,
state officials said Monday.
Minorities
rewarded for good grades
St.
Petersburg Times http;//www.sptimes.com
Despite
small reading gains, many may repeat third grade 4/20/04 More
than 1,800 Pinellas students face the prospect of having to repeat third grade
this fall, part of Florida's continuing insistence that children learn to read
before they are promoted.
Wanted:
Teachers and more teachers
Star
Banner http://www.starbanner.com
A
call to action 4/16/04 As
Florida's first lady, Columba Bush said she often
puts aside her fear of public speaking to discuss issues that are important to
her.
Sun
Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
Legislative
negotiators pass buck on school spending to leaders 4/19/04 House
and Senate budget negotiators said Sunday they've decided not to deal with two
sticky issues in education, leaving questions about how school money is divided
among counties for the chambers' leadership to answer.
Miscellaneous
Judge
throws out case against 2 school officials 4/22/04 Osceola
County Judge Jon Morgan Tuesday dismissed the charges against two Osceola County
School District employees accused of failing to report child abuse in a timely
manner
Bradenton
Herald http://www.bradenton.com
Principal
blasts No Child Left Behind program 4/7/04 Rowlett
Elementary Principal Brian Flynn said Tuesday that he expects his school will
lose $70,000 in federal funding next year as a result of President Bush's No
Child Left Behind Act.
Lawmakers
making little progress with obesity bills 4/7/04 Finding
ways to battle an obesity epidemic among the state's youth was touted as one of
the most important issues Florida lawmakers planned to tackle in this year's
legi
School
Bills Being Considered 4/8/04 A look at some of the lesser-known education issues
lawmakers are dealing with during the current legislative session, which is
scheduled to end April 30:
Web
site lets kids rate their teachers 4/12/04 Middle-
and high-school students across the country are turning the tables on teachers,
grading them through a controversial Web site that has been banned on hundreds
of campuses and in entire school districts.
Parents
find flexibility, authority in home schools 4/12/04 Unlike
parents who rush to get their kids ready for school, Debbie Witte starts her
weekdays by taking a calming walk.
The
Ledger http://www.theledger.com
Education-Aid
Plan Should Be Pruned
4/12/04 The
state of Georgia cut back its landmark HOPE scholarship program last week. Can
Florida's Bright Futures be far behind? The problem in both states is money. The
programs' generous benefits have begun to outstrip the ability of the two states
to pay for them.
Innovative
class aids the children of inmates
4/11/04 While
doubling as a pastor, Howard Gunn noticed that prisoners perked up whenever he
spoke of their families - the sons and daughters who were left behind.
Plan
addresses schools' spate of sex offences
3/25/04 Marion
County Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey released a five-step plan Monday to
address the problem of sexual activity among students before it becomes an
unsettling trend.
St.
Petersburg Times http;//www.sptimes.com
Family
fuels passion for schools
4/5/04 Small
reminders dot the world of Clayton M. Wilcox, the Iowa-born administrator who
hopes to be Pinellas County's next school superintendent.
Orlando
Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com
Governor
recognizes tutor's aid to students
4/12/04 Linda
Mobley, 54, always knew her daughter was special.
High
schoolers make time for unlikely new friends
4/9/04 Within
minutes Thursday, Marcos Ocasio, 17, realized he was looking at a smaller
version of himself.
Crist
pursues bus-bias probe
4/8/04 Florida
Attorney General Charlie Crist is continuing his investigation into allegations
that a Umatilla Elementary School bus driver discriminated against black
students by making them sit in the back of the bus while white students rode up
front.
Let
strongest teachers help poorest kids 4/4/04 My
daughter Carly started pre-K this year in Mrs. Gonzalez's class.
Miami
Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/mld
Perspectives
On Consideration Of Universal Pre-K Legislation EDITORIALS 4/12/04 If
the education committees of the Florida House and Senate have their way, the
state will pay for baby-sitting of large numbers of children. This is not what
almost 60 percent of Florida's voters demanded when they passed a state
constitutional amendment mandating high-quality pre-kindergarten
Herald
Tribune http://www.heraldtribune.com
Schools
lure parents back to school
4/4/04 As
Port Charlotte High teachers Bob Johnson and Eric Bishop dole out advice about
getting into college, Nancy Pinter scribbles notes on the back of a yellow
checklist.
Sun
Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
Schools
chief in Palm Beach County gets 3-year extension on contract
4/13/04 Schools
Superintendent Art Johnson will be Palm Beach County's top educator until at
least the summer of 2007 under a contract extension granted Monday by a School
Board pleased with his performance.
Staking
a claim in diversity education
4/11/04 Paola
Urrea wants to make sure her experience counts.
Worries
raised over Florida's pre-K plan
4/9/04 Florida
is poised to create a universal pre-kindergarten system that could amount to
little more than a glorified baby-sitting service, said a roomful of educators,
parents, child-care providers and politicians Thursday.
Citigroup to aid financial education 4/8/04 The world's largest financial services company, Citigroup, on Wednesday announced a $200 million, 10-year initiative to boost financial education around the globe, complete with programs to hel
