By Alex Bonus | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Lawmakers are forcing failed reforms on failing schools, hoping two wrongs makes a passing grade.
The Student Success Act, signed by Gov. Rick Scott on March 24, ties teacher salaries to student achievement. Starting July 1, professional evaluators will rank teachers on a four-part scale to determine their eligibility for bonuses, pay raises and promotions.
By Kelly Gibbs | gargoyle@flagler.edu
When I moved to St. Augustine from Gainesville two years ago, I never dreamed I’d one day sit on a sidewalk shooting the breeze with two older black men taking pictures of a former slave cabin and sharing neighborhood gossip.
I was excited to find my own cheap apartment down the street from campus in Lincolnville in August 2009. I was told I was moving into a “mixed neighborhood” by my landlady, but didn’t understand the phrase.
By Caroline Young | gargoyle@flagler.edu
We heard one gun shot. Sounds of sirens ricocheted from buildings in downtown DeLand, a small Florida town.
“Dead-Land,” we called it.
By Mari Pothier | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Florida’s done it again, shooting itself in the foot when it comes to public education.
The state already struggles in this department, but Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the Student Success Act that will make standardized tests like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test the basis for teacher evaluations and pay. Also with the act, new teachers coming into the system will not be able to receive tenure.
By Angela Daidone | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Related Story: Alligator Farm reptile charmers accept risky job
By Caroline Young | cyoung1@flagler.edu
St. John’s County superintendent Joseph Joyner said it is near impossible to compare the U.S.’s educational success with the rest of the world.
The Globe
“We have different tests and assessments than other countries,” he said.