Florida OKs AP precalculus course after delay that worried educators

| 5/4/2023

Florida OKs AP precalculus course after delay that worried educators

Florida’s public high schools can offer a new Advanced Placement math course next school year, the Florida Department of Education told the College Board late Wednesday, a delayed decision that had concerned some educators. High schools across Florida planned to offer the new AP precalculus course in the 2023-24 school year, with campuses from Altamonte Springs to Sarasota, Weston to Tallahassee listing the class in their curriculum guides for the coming academic year. But the State Board of Education earlier this month approved Florida’s course code directory for the 2023-24 school year, and AP precalculus was not in it. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida college campuses hit with multiple ‘swatting’ calls

Across the state on Tuesday, law enforcement agencies responded to false reports of active shooters, or ‘swatting’ calls, at many college and university campuses. At least four South Florida schools of higher learning — in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and West Palm Beach — were disrupted Tuesday morning by false reports of shooting threats on campus. Across the state, the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus also was hit with a “swatting” call around 11:30 a.m. In South Florida, the stress started about 2 1/2 hours earlier. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Florida pays teachers $3K for completing civics training. How it compares to other states

The first 20,000 K-12 Florida teachers to successfully complete a new state-run civics professional development course qualify for a $3,000 stipend. It comes at a time of renewed national interest in the subject after states disinvested in civics and social studies in the 1990s and 2000s. Democratic President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024, for instance, includes $73 million to support American history and civics education programs nationwide, the highest such civics budget since at least the 1980s. [Source: ED Week]

Best public high schools in Florida

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Florida using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead. [Source: WFLA]

Florida Lottery surpasses $44 billion in contributions to education

The Florida Lottery announced Monday it has surpassed $44 billion in contributions to education since its inception in 1988. “We are proud of the impact our contributions make on schools, teachers, and students, and for the invaluable resources these funds provide to enable our state to improve education,” said Florida Lottery Secretary, John F. Davis. “As we look forward to the future, we remain committed to providing the best possible experience for our players while also making a positive impact on our communities.” [Source: WINK]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› A Florida principal who was fired after showing students 'David' is welcomed in Italy [NPR]
Hope Carrasquilla, a Florida principal who was asked to resign in March after sixth-grade students were taught about and shown a picture of Michelangelo's David statue, traveled to Florence, Italy to see the sculpture in real life. "David was magnificent in person," Carrasquilla told NPR. "All students should study the Renaissance, not only the art but the history as well."

› The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences to build new campus [Jacksonville Daily Record]
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences plans to build a new campus at 1 News Place in St. Augustine. The university sold the former St. Augustine Record building for $8 million on April 24 to ESJ Capital Partners, a real estate investment firm from Aventura. ESJ Capital Partners will oversee the construction of the campus and lease it to the school. The two have partnered to finance the estimated $74 million project.

› Brevard school board chooses Mark Rendell as new superintendent [Florida Today]
The two-month-long search for a new Brevard Public Schools superintendent ended about an hour and a half into Tuesday morning’s board meeting: Local candidate Mark Rendell will lead the district. The board initially voted at 10:17 a.m., with the motion passing in a 3-2 vote. Board Chair Matt Susin, Megan Wright and Gene Trent voted in favor of Rendell, with Katye Campbell and Jennifer Jenkins voting against him. Multiple factors went into the vote for Rendell, with Susin, Wright and Trent specifically citing community support.

› A Pinellas school regains its name, and Black history, after 55 years [Tampa Bay Times]
The fight to desegregate Pinellas County schools came with a painful sacrifice on Palmetto Street in Clearwater. Following a federal court order in 1965, the school district began transferring students from the all-Black Pinellas High into classrooms of their white peers. But no white students were sent to the institution so beloved that its song began with: “Dear old Pinellas High School, you’re the world to me.” Instead, the district closed Pinellas High in 1968.

Tags: Education eNews

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