Florida session comes in for ‘landing' after deal reached

Hours after a special session about education and economic development seemed on the verge of falling apart, legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott struck a last-minute agreement salvaging their priorities but setting off renewed criticism over backroom dealing. Read more>>

Gov. Henry McMaster has vetoed a bill that would consolidate Orangeburg County’s three school districts into one, saying that he could not sign a bill with such clear-cut constitutional violations. The bill sets up a transition committee to help guide the schools through the merger. Read more>>

A finding of discrimination against a high school immigrant student is the latest strike against a St. Paul Public Schools equity initiative that pushed English-learning students into mainstream classes without language assistance. Read more>>

DA Special Report: TechXcellence

DA Schools of TechXcellence honorees demonstrate the impact of innovative technology in the classroom. Read how our Math and Makerspace honorees use technology to improve student outcomes. Read more>>

While the idea of schools giving an athletic scholarship for playing a video game may seem completely foreign to most, it’s something universities have been offering since 2014, when Robert Morris University began scholarships for esports. Recently, an ohio senior received a full athletic scholarship from Lourdes University to play on its varsity esports team. Read more>>

A team of lawyers will investigate allegations of illegal activity raised but will not look into grading issues that surfaced several months ago. Instead, they will examine a letter that alleges wrongdoing within the school system, including financial impropriety and workplace harassment. Read more>>

After a recent local report about the purchase of semi-automatic firearms, many parents learned for the first time that the Shawnee Mission district keeps these weapons at all. The news angered some who were unnerved by the presence of assault weapons on campuses. Others viewed the investment as excessive. Read more>>

Appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said that she sees no connection between school funding and school performance. Spending more in troubled schools won't automatically lead to better student outcomes. But, when the dollars are spent wisely and consistently, research suggests, they can have a profound effect in the classroom. Read more>>

For many students in the U.S., the importance of being kind trails behind other cultural values. It matters that the young learn to be kind because a caring outlook is linked to positive life outcomes across multiple domains. For free societies to function, citizens need to look beyond narrow self-interest and consider the public good. Read more>>

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of New Orleans teachers were summarily dismissed after the Louisiana Legislature voted to turn over nearly all of the city’s schools to the Recovery School District. This decision upended a profession that launched thousands of black New Orleanians into the middle class. Read more>>

A new Spanish-language mobile app has been launched to reduce the word gap among Hispanic children and promote bilingualism. The app, Háblame Bebé (or Talk to Me, Baby), helps parents track and improve their child's vocabulary growth with 20 daily routines, a daily talk time tool and more. Read more>>

Gwinnett County Public Schools has completed an initial pilot of a tablet-based cognitive vocabulary learning app, built on IBM and Sesame Workshop's intelligent play and learning platform. The new platform, powered by IBM Cloud, features Sesame Street characters alongside educational videos and word games to enhance vocabulary development. Read more>>

AccuCampus has been upgraded to offer educational institutions beacon technology for data collection and engagement assessment. Small beacons equipped with Bluetooth capabilities are placed in a physical location. When students enter the area, the beacon connects with an app on their phone and marks them as present or solicits more information from students. Read more>>