LATEST NEWS

State: Volusia’s new superintendent of schools: Ronald ‘Scott’ Fritz
Ronald “Scott” Fritz is the next superintendent of Volusia County Schools. The decision Tuesday night was unanimous. Board members agreed they want a leader who can change the culture in Volusia County and Fritz is the one who convinced them he could do it.
Each one mentioned a different aspect of his experience and skill set that they were impressed by.
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Congratulations to longtime FASA member, Scott Fritz! We are so thrilled for you and know you will shine as a superintendent! 

State: To Curb The Teacher Shortage, We Need To Think Bigger About The Problem
For as much we talk about the negatives of a one-size-fits-all classroom model for students, we rarely cover how stressful and dissatisfying it is to teach within one. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that most teachers are like Jennifer: They enter the profession to make a difference. When we force educators to teach toward uniformity, we sap them of the motivation, passion and personal connection they need to drive strong learning experiences.
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Nation: Experts Worry Active Shooter Drills In Schools Could Be Traumatic For Students
A regular drumbeat of mass shootings in the U.S., both inside schools and out, has ramped up pressure on education and law enforcement officials to do all they can to prevent the next attack. Close to all public schools in the U.S. conducted some kind of lockdown drill in 2015-2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last year, 57% of teens told researchers they worry about a shooting happening at their school. A slightly higher percentage of parents of teenagers, 63%, fear a shooting at their child's school, the Pew Research Center found. But many experts and parents are asking if the drills, some complete with simulated gunfire, are doing more harm than good.
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Nation: An experiment to find teachers who perform better and stay longer shows promising results
After helping to write a paper about performance pay for teachers in Minnesota in 2014, Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, started talking with an administrator at Minneapolis Public Schools about their shared interest in improving school districts, with a focus on teacher talent.
They wondered whether hiring managers could go a step beyond their usual assessments of resumes and online applications to predict performance and turnover risk.
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