Florida school districts grapple with AP course confusion

| 8/10/2023

Florida school districts grapple with AP course confusion

School district leaders across the state are taking a patchwork of approaches to a college-credit psychology course, as many high-school students head back to class this week amid a dustup between Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and the College Board. Confusion over the College Board’s Advanced Placement psychology course is rooted in a controversial Florida law and a state regulation that restrict instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. More from the News Service of Florida and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Department of Education ensnared in federal investigation

A federal grand jury is investigating allegations of bid-rigging involving Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Education, charter school operators and the control of a small North Florida school district. Federal authorities issued a subpoena to the Jefferson County School District in June seeking communications between district officials, charter school lobbyists and former top officials in DeSantis’ education department. More from Politico and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida teachers implementing changes to how slavery is taught

As students and teachers head back to the classroom, there are some big changes to how history is being taught when it comes to slavery. Students will now learn how slaves developed skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. This is part of new guidelines that the Florida Department of Education has passed down. These changes have been met with mixed feelings. The National Education Association calls it, “a blow to our students and nation." [Source: Bay News 9]

Preparing Florida's youth for ever evolving 21st century

Thousands of high school students across Florida will embark on artificial intelligence coursework this coming school year, strengthening efforts by Florida public school officials and the University of Florida to equip the state’s youth with the essential skills required for an AI-enabled workforce. [Source: UF News]

Does for-profit Florida Career College have a chance to stay open?

The U.S. Department of Education caused a stir in April when it declared it would bar a major for-profit college in Florida from participating in federal financial aid programs. The Education Department accused Florida Career College, or FCC, of helping students with answers on a test that allows them to qualify for federal student aid, as well as allowing them to break exam rules. [Source: Higher Ed Dive]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Fort Clarke Middle School creates "calm room" to help students decompress [Gainesville Sun]
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning at Fort Clarke Middle School in Alachua County to initiate the opening of a "calm room" in the school’s library. Its purpose: To give students an environment to cope with their emotions, no matter the cause. The new safe space is one of 20 school calm rooms funded with a grant from the Cook Center for Human Connection, a national non-profit focused on mental health and suicide prevention.

› Jacksonville will be "living laboratory" for UF architecture degrees [Florida Times-Union]
The Cathedral House at the St. Johns Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Jacksonville wouldn't look out of place on the main campus of the University of Florida or any other university where the Gothic Revival style radiates a vibe of academia. The third floor of the four-story building is unused space. But over the coming year, a $350,000 renovation of the floor will turn it into City-Lab Jacksonville, joining Orlando as the second satellite location in the state where the University of Florida offers graduate-level classes for working students in the field of architecture.

› Hillsborough schools cut back on Shakespeare, citing new Florida rules [Tampa Bay Times]
English teachers in Hillsborough County are preparing lessons for the new school year with only excerpts from William Shakespeare’s works. School district officials said they redesigned their instructional guides for teachers because of revised state teaching standards and a new set of state exams that cover a vast array of books and writing styles.

› Florida's education system benefits from Mega Millions lottery win [WEAR]
Tuesday night's Mega Millions winner isn't the only one benefitting from the lottery. The education system in Florida is the second largest recipient in the lottery. More than 24% of Florida Lottery funding goes to education. "What's nice is just from that particular jackpot alone, which started rolling in April, we were able to generate over $73.4 million to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund," Florida Lottery Senior District Manager Anna Keeney said.

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