Recent Posts

Click to View and Comment

Education Issues Blog

To Educate and Inform on Issues Relating to Public Education

Introduction

Our blog is a tool box. Make it work for you. Here you will find data, studies, and perspectives that inform the discussion about school choice. Send stories of events in your state. Tell us about studies that clarify issues. Do your own studies. Use the information you find here to advocate for League positions.

CONTACT us by email to send posts.

COMMENT by pressing the ‘Continue Reading’ button and scroll to the space provided.

CLICK THE PICTURES on the banner to see the FEATURE STORY. LEGISLATION, and LAWSUITS.

VISIT THE COMMITTEES. You will see the latest on national school reform issues. Learn about school and teacher ACCOUNTABILITY, CURRICULUM, LAWS, MANAGEMENT, FACILITY issues, and VOUCHER concerns. We will post questions of the week about the hot topics. Participate through our contact icon.

STUDY THE RESOURCES. Here you will find sources of information. They will grow with your help. Use the Search bar to locate categories of resources. Write articles and make fact sheets for your own groups. Send what you create to share with others.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG TO RECEIVE EMAIL NOTICES OF NEW POSTS.

New:

Free Speech? Not in Florida

Posted on by

ProPublica details the latest denial of free speech in Florida. This time the target is the League of Women Voters. You need to read this article; it will make your hair curl.

ProPublica states: “The league revealed that it had been denied permission by the Florida Department of Management Services to hold an outdoor rally on the steps of the Old Capitol in Tallahassee under a new DeSantis administration rule requiring groups to first get sponsorship from a sympathetic state agency”.

The League is not easily deterred. Read the article to find out what the League did with a roll of red tape. It is classic. Three cheers to the League.

TAKE ACTION: Oppose For-Profit Charter Schools

Posted on by

During the debate over reforms to clean up the federal Charter Schools Program, the National Alliance for Public Charters (NAPCS) loudly aired their grievances. The U.S. DOE tweaked the regulations in response to NAPCS demands.

NAPCS was politically savvy enough not to object to the new regulations that would make charters run by for-profits unable to get grants or force them to reveal their business dealings during the comment process.

Clearly, NAPCS thought they could make all the regulations go away. That did not happen.

Now NAPCS is quietly pulling out all the stops to kill the final regulations. Tim Scott in the Senate and John Moolenaar in the House are pushing a joint resolution to overturn the reforms to the CSP regulations.

We need to stop them. We need you to act today. Our action campaign will allow you to email, tweet and call your members of Congress.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Please share this important campaign with this link: https://p2a.co/8acwqds
Thank you for all you do,

Carol Burris

NPE Action
Executive Director

From the Heart: Certainty

Posted on by

Jill Lewis-Spector is on the Board of Directors of the Florida League of Women Voters. She shares her thoughts on the value of public education.

One of the advantages of public schools is CERTAINTY:

  • There is certainty that a public school open one year will still be open the next. Public schools don’t close as many charters and private schools do, displacing all the children who attended them and causing anxiety for parents. Public schools are graded. If one is failing students, it has to develop an improvement plan.
  • There is certainty that students attending public schools who need extra help with some skills, e.g. reading, there are programs in place to give them that help.
  • There is certainty that the curriculum is based on high standards, unlike private schools that aren’t required to adhere to standards.
  • There is certainty that teachers meet at least the minimum criteria for teaching children and are routinely evaluated, unlike many charters and private schools that often rely on uncertified teachers and not held to high quality teaching requirements.
  • There is certainty that the children in the school share a common bond as neighbors; they can play together after school if they wish; they will see each other in the park or at the supermarket, unlike many charters and private school students who may come from far distances.
  • There is certainty that those with oversight for the school live in the community, unlike many charters and private schools that are managed by individuals who may not even live in the state, let alone the community.
  • There is certainty that tax dollars going to the public schools are being used for the public schools; there is a budget and there is oversight of that budget, unlike many charters and private schools whose accounting procedures are questionable and lack transparency.
  • There is certainty that tax dollars going to public schools are used for public schools; there is a budget and oversight unlike at many charter and private schools.

Separation of Church and State

Posted on by

The Florida League of Women Voters Lunch and Learn panel invited key education law professionals from the Southern Poverty Law Center and Ed Law plus some League members…including me…to share their views on the status of the separation of church and state in education. The Florida Constitution is clear. There are to be no funds from the state treasury given to private, religious schools. Florida, however, has the largest voucher program in the country. How can this be?

The panel presentation lasts an hour. My thoughts are presented first. The legal opinions follow. The Q & A has some good information as well. Watch the panel here .

JavaScript

Categories

Previous Posts

January 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,046 other subscribers

Follow Us!

Follow me on Twitter