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A District-by-District Accounting of the $6.2 Billion the U.S. Department of Education Has Held Back

By Zahava Stadler and Jordan Abbott On July 1, American public school districts were expecting a payment: money from several federal grant programs, appropriated by Congress and transferred annually to school systems for use in paying educators and staff, running programs, and buying... Continue Reading

Osceola leaders approve $400K for youth vaping prevention in schools, community outreach

BY Jordan Mead Osceola County is receiving $400,000 in JUUL settlement dollars stemming from a statewide $79 million settlement with JUUL Labs, Inc. to resolve litigation over the company’s past marketing of its flavored vape products. Osceola County commissioners said they’re... Continue Reading

Youngest students see big reading gains post-COVID on DIBELS assessment

By Kara Arundel Young students are showing notable improvements in their early reading skills since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows. About 68% of K-2 students are on track to learn to read, according to end-of-school-year assessment data from DIBELS, the Dynamic... Continue Reading

PCPS and Polk State College Launch Teacher Apprenticeship Program

We are so delighted to partner with Polk State College for our new Teacher Apprenticeship Program!Seven PCPS paraeducators are taking advantage of this unique opportunity to earn their degrees from Polk State and become certified teachers. As they work toward their degrees, they'll spend two years... Continue Reading

Duval County Public Schools earns historic ‘A’ grade from state

By Michelle Vecerina Duval County Public Schools has achieved its first-ever “A” grade from the state, marking what district leaders are calling a “transformative year of academic achievement” with 99% of its schools now rated A, B, or C, according to state data. The... Continue Reading

Leon County Schools prepares to face cuts of over $12 million for upcoming school budget

By: Maya Sargent Leon County Schools is preparing to lose over $12 million in the budget for the upcoming school year. Superintendent Rocky Hanna shared the news with the School Board at Tuesday's meeting. The potential cuts follow decisions made by both the federal and state... Continue Reading

Martin County School Board considers mass-action lawsuit against Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube

By Colleen Wixon Joining a successful "mass-action" national lawsuit against social media companies could help pay for mental health programs and get students away from social media such as TikTok and Snapchat, School Board members argued at its July 8 workshop. Other School Board members were... Continue Reading

Corporal punishment in Florida: New law gives parents the choice

By Emma Heaton Florida is changing its approach to corporal punishment in schools. Starting this year, parents must approve before school districts can administer corporal punishment. According to the National Education Association, 17 states, including Florida, permit corporal punishment.... Continue Reading

DeSantis touts improvement in Florida school grades, with no districts earning a D or F

By Danielle Prieur Schools out for summer, and Florida's school grades are in for 2024-25. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced the grades, which track individual schools and districts and showed a marked improvement from last year. The grades take into consideration how well a school or... Continue Reading

Fla. programs at risk under Trump's K-12 funding hold

By Avery Lotz, Yacob Reyes Florida could lose roughly $347 million in federal education funding that was expected to be accessible on July 1 but has yet to be released by the Trump administration.Why it matters: The funds support teacher training, enrichment courses, summer and after-school... Continue Reading

Permanent school supply tax holiday to take place in August

By Danielle Prieur Starting this year, the whole month of August will permanently become a sales tax holiday for school supplies in the state of Florida – giving families tax breaks on some clothing, school supplies, learning aids, and computers. During Governor Ron DeSantis' two terms... Continue Reading

Survey: 60% of Teachers Used AI This Year and Saved up to 6 Hours of Work a Week

By Lauren Wagner Nearly two-thirds of teachers utilized artificial intelligence this past school year, and weekly users saved almost six hours of work per week, according to a recently released Gallup survey. But 28% of teachers still oppose AI tools in the classroom. The poll, published by... Continue Reading