Cell phone restrictions led to improved scores, behavior in Florida schools

A new study finds that Florida test scores rose and attendance improved after a school cellphone ban, although short-term disciplinary problems also arose in the state. The study, conducted by two researchers from the University of Rochester and RAND, a nonprofit research organization, found the positive benefits from a cellphone ban don’t emerge until the second year the policy is enacted. By Year 2, student test scores ticked up, and a significant reduction occurred in unexcused absences. But in the first year, schools saw problems. More from The Hill and Central Florida Public Media.

Rapid expansion of voucher program leaves public, private schools underpaid

The rapid expansion of the state’s School Choice scholarship program burrowed a $47 million hole in the Florida Department of Education’s budget and left public and private schools complaining they aren’t getting properly paid. Money problems that arose during the 2024-2025 school year can largely be attributed to the mobility that students enjoy to shift from public to private or to home education freely, said Adam Emerson, director of the Department of Education Office of School Choice. [Source: Florida Phoenix]

Florida public universities top nation in affordability, new report reveals

Despite a growing national conversation about the value of higher education, a new report shows college graduates still are achieving a positive return on their investment. Florida public universities are ranked top in the nation for their affordability, according to the report from the Strada Education Foundation. According to the report, 69% of Florida graduates are receiving a positive ROI on their education within 10 years. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

Florida Head Start programs feeling the effects of federal shutdown

As the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week, some education services in Florida and around the nation are feeling the effects. Federally funded Head Start preschool programs are warning that they will close by the end of the week if Congress doesn’t adopt a federal budget. The program in Tallahassee has done all it can to stay open, interim CEO Nina Self said. But it’s drawn down its resources, and expects fund to run dry by the end of the week, Self said. More from the Tampa Bay Times and WUSF.

State gives millions to workforce education programs across Florida

The state is investing $40 million dollars to expand workforce education programs across more than three dozen school districts and colleges. Since 2023, the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program — also known as Workforce CAP — has invested $240 million to help develop and sharpen the skills of Florida’s future workforce. The technology, medicine and mechanical industries are some of the program's targets. [Source: WLRN]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Moez Limayem approved as next USF president after trustee vote [Tampa Bay Times]
Moez Limayem sat in front of the University of South Florida’s board of trustees Tuesday morning wearing a burgundy tie. When he returned after the board’s vote, he had swapped it for a green one. USF trustees unanimously approved Limayem, the president of the University of North Florida and a previous dean of USF’s Muma College of Business, as the university’s next president in a special meeting. His next and final hurdle: Florida’s Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s university system and is expected to vote on him in early November.

› JU President Tim Cost leaving role in 2026, adding to local colleges' changes [Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville University President Tim Cost is leaving the school’s top job in 2026, creating uncertainty about its future as University of North Florida officials also mull choosing a new leader. Cost said he’ll become JU’s chancellor on July 1, focusing on external relationships in a long-vacant position held 31 years ago by his onetime mentor, the late President Frances Bartlett Kinne.

› With Lift Orlando, OCPS poised to convert elementary school to a charter [Orlando Sentinel]
The Orange County School Board will vote next week on whether to convert one of its elementary school campuses into a K-8 charter school, a move that some school leaders say would expand resources for children living in the surrounding low-income neighborhoods. Orange Center Elementary School’s conversion to a charter school would be in partnership with Lift Orlando, a nonprofit working to revitalize the neighborhoods near Camping World Stadium.

› Across Tampa Bay high schools, wellness rooms are the new trend [Tampa Beacon]
Creating an on-campus room that doesn’t feel like it belongs in a school may seem counterproductive –– but that’s exactly what school leaders hope to accomplish. The new spaces, known as wellness rooms, are popping up across Tampa Bay high schools in an effort to improve mental health care access among teenagers. Behind the movement is Tampa Bay Thrives, a coalition founded in 2019 to address mental health challenges in the region.

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