Florida sees the nation’s largest decline in postsecondary education enrollment

Compared to last fall, postsecondary enrollment has decreased this year by more than 231,000 students, according to new research from the non-profit organization National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center. In terms of enrollment based on individual states, Florida saw the largest decline with a loss of 52,328 students. More from Diverse Education, the Florida Phoenix, and see the report here.

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» Fewer students are going to college. Here's why that matters

Florida grand jury slams ‘systemic’ school safety issues

A scathing Florida grand jury report released Wednesday said the blatant violation of state laws passed in response to the Parkland shooting is so rampant that local school officials need to be deterred by tougher penalties. “School district noncompliance with state-level laws has been a persistent problem,” the report stated. “It is clear to us that, once our terms end and the threat of public shaming or indictment is no longer on the table, compliance will never be satisfactory.” More from the Tampa Bay Times, the AP, and the Daytona Beach News Journal.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Digital teacher evaluation software from The University of West Florida

The University of West Florida’s Haas Center has developed and sold a software system for the electronic evaluation of Santa Rosa County School District teachers. The Professional Educator Assessment and Results System, or PEARS, was developed by UWF’s faculty, IT professionals and UWF students. The school district paid $125,000 for the software. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida House revives controversial bill on college surveys

A controversial proposal that would require state colleges and universities to survey students and faculty members about their viewpoints was approved by a House panel Thursday, just months after the Senate rejected the idea. During the final hours of the 2019 legislative session, Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, warned senators the so-called intellectual freedom survey would “keep coming up again” and urged the Senate to block it from passing every time. [Source: WUSF News]

Florida State College of Medicine draws warning from accreditation organization

Florida State University’s medical school has received a warning from the organization responsible for accrediting medical schools across the United States and Canada. The warning means the FSU College of Medicine failed to meet standards that, if not corrected within the next one to two years, could “seriously compromise the ability of the school to conduct the educational program.” [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› 23,089 borrowers in Florida filed for student loan forgiveness in 2nd quarter [The Center Square]
Borrowers in Florida who sought forgiveness of their student loans in the second quarter of 2019 numbered 23,089, according to a new state-by-state analysis by the U.S. Department of Education. The department reported that it approved 3,230 student-loan discharge applications from Florida residents during the second quarter, with 18,585 applications still pending.

› Broward teachers union declares impasse with school district over contract negotiations [WLRN]
The Broward Teachers Union, unhappy with the response from the Broward County School District, declared an impasse over contract negotiations. Teachers have been negotiating for pay increases for the current school year. The negotiations began on Sept. 25. The Broward Teachers Union, or BTU, negotiations team had asked for pay raises between 3.5 and 5 percent.

› College of Central Florida in running for $1 million prize, national recognition [Citrus County Chronicle]
For the fourth time, the College of Central Florida is in the top 15% of two-year colleges to contend for national recognition in education and a $1 million prize. Officials with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program in early November named CF, which has campuses in Ocala and Lecanto, as one of its 150 community colleges out of roughly 1,000 to vie for its 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

› Bill could place more control over Florida teacher discipline in commissioner’s hands [Tampa Bay Times]
Ever since taking over as Florida education commissioner, Richard Corcoran has worked to give his office and the board he serves more authority in overseeing local schools. They have over time repeatedly raised the specter of penalizing school boards, superintendents and school districts for things that in the past the systems were trusted to accomplish. Such threats have come up when reviewing whether schools are providing lessons required in law, for instance.