Why is Florida suddenly bullish on teacher pay? Big business is on board.

Why is Florida suddenly bullish on teacher pay? Big business is on board.

The push to give Florida teachers raises — to the tune of $500 million or more — has gained steam in unusual places this year. The backers include big business and leading Republicans. Business leaders say the proposal simply makes sense, because schools need to pay educators well if they hope to keep them. And a strong education system is key to a vibrant economy. Some cynics, though, see election-year politics at play. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Times-Union, and USA Today.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Online platform Genius Plaza helps Florida students teach each other

Entrepreneur Ana Roca Castro founded online platform Genius Plaza to give students around the world a forum to create eBooks, games, videos and other media to teach each other. The company, she explains, turns teachers into facilitators and conveyers of learning -- they bring the initial knowledge, and students then use the Genius Plaza platform to teach the course material to each other. [Source: Florida Trend]

Radical proposal would fold Florida Poly into UF, merge New College with FSU

A plan put forward by the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee would hand the keys to Florida’s two smallest public universities over to the state’s flagship institutions. The proposal (PCB EDC 20-03) would fold Florida Polytechnic University into the University of Florida while New College of Florida would become a satellite campus of Florida State University. More from Florida Politics and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

UF seeks high school student applicants for science summer program

This summer, Florida high school students have the opportunity to experience college life at the University of Florida while learning how the agricultural, natural resource and life sciences impact their families and communities around the world. Rising high school juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply for the Florida Youth Institute (FYI), a week-long summer program sponsored by the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and The World Food Prize Foundation. [Source: Florida Next]

FGCU deploying 'algae sniffers' to research health impacts on people

Researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University are teaming up with scientists from across the state to study the impacts of blue-green algae on human health. The team deployed four “algae sniffers” across south Florida last week in hopes of collecting samples to determine what happens when humans are exposed to toxins associated with the algae. Researchers have already discovered that algae dust can travel more than a mile from its bloom and get into human lungs. More from WTSP and WGCU.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› USFSM MBA graduates help the planet with a new app [Florida Times-Union]
One look at global seashores and bays clotted with quilts of plastic garbage, coupled with predictions by the likes of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that the seas will contain more plastic than fish by 2050 at current trend levels, and the odds for reversing course seem impossible. Nevertheless, three University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee MBA students contemplating their capstone project for graduation in December needed a sustainability challenge.

› UF/IFAS ranked the No. 1 public institution for agricultural sciences [The Alligator]
Students and faculty working for the improvement of Florida’s agriculture, sustainability and quality of life have achieved top positions in Niche’s 2020 Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences in America. UF is the best public university for agricultural sciences in America, according to Niche. The university is ranked No. 2 overall, behind Cornell University, in a list of over 100 public and private agricultural science colleges.

› What's next for B.E.S.T., Florida's new education standard [WTSP]
Florida students will soon have new education standards for both English and math. According to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Common Core is out, and the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking, or B.E.S.T., will be replacing it. The transition will be gradual, but teachers and schools are already preparing for the change.

› FSU among nation's top-producing institutions of U.S. Fulbright scholars, students [FSU News]
Florida State University is one of the nation’s top research institutions for producing Fulbright U.S. Scholars and students, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education , which publishes an annual list of top producers by type of institution. Notably, Florida State is one of only 20 in the country to be named a top producer for both the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar programs.

Tags: Education eNews

Previous Education Updates:

• College crime surging back to pre-COVID levels. Here's the crime at Florida colleges, universities
• Florida student aid requests plunge. How many will delay or skip college?
• Florida schools have a teacher shortage. Why are they cutting jobs?
• Florida schools need more nurses. Can they compete with employers who pay more?
• Florida's MBA programs: Mastering the cyber industry
• Florida settles lawsuit over LGBT education bill
• $117.5 billion state budget pumps up education spending
• Florida lawmakers continue debate over school red tape, education spending and more
• Too many Florida kids are skipping school. What's being done about it?