Tag Archives: education

The Daily Beast reports: When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis floated the possibility of eliminating Advanced Placement classes from his state’s curriculum, he conveniently left out an important fact. DeSantis was once the “AP US History student of the year,” according to his high school yearbook, pages of which were obtained by The Daily Beast. Before turning on AP classes in …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to outline a path away from the College Board’s products in the wake of a dispute over an African American Studies Advanced Placement course proposal. “I don’t think anyone should be concerned about our high school students not having opportunity for that. They absolutely will. And it’s just a matter of what’s the …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Tens of thousands of Florida high school students take Advanced Placement courses every year to have a competitive edge heading into college. Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to reevaluate the state’s relationship with the College Board, the private company that administers those courses and the SAT exam. And that has some high school …

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds unveiled a sweeping education bill Thursday that would set new standards for what students can and can’t learn. The bill would require each school district to publish online all materials used in all classes throughout the district and a detailed process for parents to request any material be removed. Any book …

NBC News reports: A book about late Afro-Puerto Rican MLB legend Roberto Clemente can’t be found in the shelves of public school libraries in Florida’s Duval County these days. “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” by Jonah Winter and Raúl Colón — and other books about Latino figures such as the late Afro-Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz and Justice …

The Washington Post reports: Florida’s education department had been privately complaining to the College Board for months about a new Advanced Placement African American Studies course before the board released revisions that critics saw as caving to political pressure, according to a timeline released by the state. The complaints, outlined in a letter this week to the College Board, feed …

CNN reports: At an emergency meeting Thursday, the Florida High School Athletic Association approved a proposal to remove all questions about menstrual cycles from medical forms required to participate in high school sports in the state. The emergency meeting was held after the FHSAA faced months of criticism for a proposed change in policy that would require athletes to report …

Fox News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday slammed College Board CEO David Coleman as a “puppet of Ron DeSantis” after the Board revised an AP African American studies course by removing much of the content the Republican governor had criticized. In response to a New York Times report on the College Board stripping down its Advancement Placement Curriculum …

Cleveland’s Fox affiliate reports: After months of planning, a local school district abruptly canceled its musical, claiming it was “vulgar.” In a statement, the Cardinal Local Schools superintendent Jack Cunningham said, “The Cardinal Local School District has decided that its spring musical production will not be ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ Its dialogue and song lyrics contain vulgarity …

Florida Politics reports: New College of Florida President Patricia Okker was fired today without cause at a Board of Trustees meeting. “I understand that there is a new mandate for this college,” Okker said. At the trustee meeting, Okker slammed the new direction being pushed for the college. “I’m going to say publicly. I do not believe that students are …

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports: Eddie Speir, a Christian school founder appointed by DeSantis to the New College of Florida board clashed with legal counsel David Smolker over his request to open the board meeting with prayer. He said Smolker initially denied the request, but in his latest Substack said that decision was reversed and an opening prayer will be allowed. …

Tampa’s ABC affiliate reports: Faculty and staff at New College of Florida got their first glimpse Wednesday at what the future of the liberal arts college may look like. Two newly appointed — and politically conservative — members of the school’s board of trustees met with faculty for the first time for two question-and-answer sessions that were, at times, contentious. …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Valencia College has canceled optional faculty development courses on diversity-related topics, another casualty of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to rid campuses of what he calls “woke indoctrination.” College leaders determined eight courses planned for the spring semester might violate House Bill 7, which Republicans dubbed the “Stop WOKE” law, prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory …

NBC News reports: The Newport News School Board on Wednesday voted to replace its embattled superintendent amid the continuing fallout from a 6-year-old boy shooting his first-grade teacher this month. The board voted 5-1 to remove George Parker III as the head of the district of about 26,500 students. His separation is effective Feb. 1, School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law …

The Associated Press reports: A Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student during class will sue the school district, the teacher’s attorney announced Wednesday. Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Abigail Zwerner, said Wednesday that on the day of the shooting, concerned teachers and employees warned administrators three times that the boy had a gun on him and was …

Media Matters has the transcript: JESSE WATTERS (CO-HOST): The next thing you know CRT is everywhere. And you have to look out as a parent for code words — if they have a “wellness officer” at the school. They don’t use things like CRT if they say, “A class is about belonging.” That’s what you got to look out for. …

Popular Information reports: Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other “unvetted” book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing …

The Washington Post reports: The Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student repeatedly asked administrators for help with the boy but officials downplayed educators’ warnings about his behavior, including dismissing his threat to light a teacher on fire and watch her die, according to messages from teachers obtained by The Washington Post. The previously unreported incidents raise fresh …

Florida Politics reports: Parents of a K-12 public school-age child in Florida would be eligible to receive a voucher to send their student to a private school next year under a bill filed in the Florida House. The bill (HB 1) is a top priority for House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, who touted the measure at a …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Yovanna Pineda, hired more than a decade ago to teach Latin American history at the University of Central Florida, rebranded one of her signature courses last fall. Striking references to “dictatorships” and “human rights” from the title, she decided to simply call her class “History of South America.” Pineda said many of her colleagues are making …