Policy Research

For over two decades, the GradNation Campaign worked to raise the national high school graduation rate by narrowing achievement gaps and increasing the overall percentage of America’s youth that earn a high school diploma. After 15 years of steady increases, the national high school graduation for the class of 2019 reached an all time high of 85.8%. That year, Florida schools had a slightly higher rate of 86.9%. Even more significant is that the progress of Black, Hispanic and low income students has outpaced the improvement in the overall graduation rate. 

However, there is still work to be done as many subgroups still lag behind the state and national average. Students of Asian descent had the highest Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) at 95.6% followed by white students (90.2%), students of two or more races (88.2%), Native Hawain or Pacific Island heritage (86.7%), Hispanic/Latino students (85.9%), Black or African American students (81.5%) and Native American students (77.5%). 

Since the class of 2019, Florida’s graduation requirements have been adjusted or suspended as a consideration of Covid-19. During that time, there have been modest gains for each subgroup with the overall rate rising to 90.1% for the class of 2021 compared to a slight drop nationally to 85.3%. 

However, some student achievement data trends signal that extra support and focus will be needed to maintain these high levels for students whose schooling was disrupted by the pandemic. On the 2021 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the first national assessment given since the start of the pandemic, there is evidence that school disruptions have impacted student learning. While Florida’s fourth-grade readers scored exactly the same as three years ago with 39% of readers being rated as proficient– math scores for this group dropped by 5 points. For eighth grade students, only 23% of students were rated as proficient with the reading scores only slightly better at a 29% proficiency rating. Although drops in performance occurred in every state, it remains clear that a generation of students are going to need support to reach the milestone of high school graduation.

The lack of a high school diploma has a lasting impact on individuals, families and society at large. On average, high school graduates earn $8,000 more each year than peers without a diploma and $26,500 less than peers with a college diploma. Students from low income families are six times as likely to drop out as their peers from upper income families, creating a cycle of generational financial struggle.

Sources:

Behrmann, Emma. “Florida Standards Assessments’ Replacement Increases Testing Time.” WUFT News, 5 Oct. 2022, https://www.wuft.org/news/2022/10/05/florida-standards-assessments-replacement-increases-testing-time/. 

Board, Tampa Bay Times Editorial. “Florida Schools’ Report Card? Needs Improvement: Editorial.” Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 26 Oct. 2022, https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/10/26/florida-schools-report-card-needs-improvement-editorial/. 

Corcoran, Richard &; Florida State Board of Education (n.d.). State Board of Education Richard Corcoran commissioner of education … FLDOE Guidance to School Districts Regarding Covid 19. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/FDOE-COVID-QAl.pdf

DePaoli, Jennifer L., et al. “Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates. Annual Update 2018.” Civic Enterprises, Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED585524. 

“Public High School Graduation Rates.” National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 25, 2022. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp. and https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=805 

Solodev. “NAEP Results.” Florida Department of Education Home, https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/national-international-assessments/naep/results/. 

“The Graduation Effect.” The Graduation Effect, Alliance for Excellent Education, http://impact.all4ed.org/. 

WFSU | By News Service of Florida. “Florida Will Dump Standardized Tests in Favor of Progress Monitoring in Public Schools.” WFSU News, 16 Mar. 2022, https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2022-03-16/florida-will-dump-standardized-tests-in-favor-of-progress-monitoring-in-public-schools.

For the first time ever, more than half of the K-12 public school student population consists of students of color and students living in economically disadvantaged households. These statistics are enormously important to consider when examining data related to student achievement

Although the overall rate of student achievement has been rising, an educational achievement gap exists between students of differing racial and ethnic groups and those of different socioeconomic groups. This achievement gap is influenced by many factors including lack of access to high quality, early childhood education programs, family financial instability contributing to high mobility rates, societal influences like discriminatory practices and policies as well as institutional influences such as low-expectations in the classroom and the tracking of students into low-level coursework.

Florida Department of Education’s strategic plan acknowledges the gap and notes that, by 2025, they hope to eliminate the gap between white students and other subgroups. However, as Florida’s political leaders praised the state’s fourth grade students’ scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) when “adjusted for demographics”, the news for the first NAEP administered since the start of Covid-19 is not good. The overall achievement rate remained flat for this group compared to other states.

The most important element to examine is “adjusted for demographics”. This means filtering out the reality that Florida has more students of color and more students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households than many other states. This “adjusting for demographics” has never been used by state leaders when examining student achievement, most notably in the grading of schools as a reflection of standardized test scores. 

Historically, education think tanks and civil-rights groups have advocated for differentiating data by demographic subgroups.The tracking of subgroups was specifically designed to help close the achievement gap by ensuring the achievement of underrepresented groups was as important to school success as that of more traditionally high achieving students.  By abandoning a focus on students of color, English language learners, students with disabilities and those from lower socio-econmic backgrounds and “adjusting for demographics”– Florida’s leadership is signaling that the success of all students is no longer a priority.

Sources:

Cota, Adam. “Florida’s School Grades under a Microscope.” LinkedIn, 13 July 2019, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/floridas-school-grades-under-microscope-adam-cota/. 

“Florida’s State Board of Education Strategic Plan 2021.” (2021). Florida Department of Education. Retrieved November 2022. https://www.fldoe.org/policy/state-board-of-edu/strategic-plan.stml

Hyslop, Anne. “We Measure What Matters, Which Is Why Subgroups in ESSA Accountability Systems Are Important.” The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/we-measure-what-matters-which-why-subgroups-essa-accountability-systems-are. 

Layton, Lyndsey. “Majority of U.S. Public School Students Are in Poverty.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Jan. 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/majority-of-us-public-school-students-are-in-poverty/2015/01/15/df7171d0-9ce9-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html. 

LDF Urges Implementation of ESSA for Students’ Privilege. https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/ldf-urges-robust-implementation-every-student-succeeds-act-essa-close-achievement-gaps-promote-student-success/. 

State Board of Education Richard Corcoran Commissioner of Education … Florida Department of Education, https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/FDOE-COVID-QAl.pdf.

Research shows that the use of suspensions for school discipline has steadily climbed since the 1970s. A majority of suspensions are for minor and nonviolent incidents of misbehavior. Students regularly losing instruction time for any reason, including suspensions, are less likely to achieve academic success and are more likely to drop out of school.

Furthermore, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) data indicates that students of color are disproportionately disciplined and more likely to be suspended. For example, black students without disabilities represented 35 percent of students suspended once, 44 percent of those suspended more than once, and 36 percent of students expelled – but make up only 15 percent of total students in the OCR’s Civil Rights Data Collection. Over 50 percent of students involved in school-related arrests or referred to law enforcement are Black or Latino.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, educators and parents have worried that children who do not receive proper counseling to deal with emotional and mental health challenges, many exacerbated by the pandemic, will present behavioral issues in schools and become subject to punitive discipline. This has proven true with both students and teachers noting that behavior issues are an ever growing barrier to classroom learning. A record shortage of school psychologists, months long waits to receive mental health counseling, and a double digit jump in youth suicide rates combined with the effects of social isolation and family instability from the pandemic has made school discipline a growing concern for those who work in and attend school. Many states are addressing this mental health crisis head on with inventive solutions such as providing mental and behavioral health services virtually on school campuses and billing Medicaid or private insurance. With a record amount of national spending on K-12 public schools during the pandemic, other states have directed resources to hire more mental health counselors, create school based mental health response teams, as well as training staff to identify students with substance abuse and mental health needs.

It is clear that, like many other elements of schooling, school discipline must be rethought and redesigned due to the impact of Covid-19. Many alternatives to traditional suspensions exist including restorative justice programs that allow students involved in a conflict to respectfully discuss the impact, obligations, and actions needed to repair harm and make things as right as possible. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education described restorative justice as a best practice to increase student success in schools by providing a way for schools to help students learn from their behavior and mistakes.

Civil citation is a program for youth offenders who meet certain criteria and provides an alternative to arrest. The program allows them to receive intervention services, make restitution and avoid an arrest record. Youth outcomes improve, recidivism rates dramatically decrease, and taxpayers save millions of dollars. Florida counties are currently using this program at varying rates but there have been efforts in the Legislature to require its use.

Sources:

Belsha, Kalyn. “Pandemic Effect: More Fights and Class Disruptions, New Data Show.” Chalkbeat, Chalkbeat, 6 July 2022, https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/7/6/23197094/student-fights-classroom-disruptions-suspensions-discipline-pandemic. 

“Civil Citation and Other Alternatives to Arrest.” Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, https://www.djj.state.fl.us/research/reports-and-data/interactive-data-reports/civil-citation-and-other-alternatives-to-arrest. 

“Diplomas Now.” (October 2018). Attendance Works. Retrieved November 2022. <http://www.attendanceworks.org/what-works/multi-site-programs/diplomas-now/>

“Fair and Effective Discipline for All Students: Best Practice Strategies for Educators.” National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved November 2022. http://www.naspcenter.org/factsheets/effdiscip_fs.html

“Federal Guidance Rapid Response Toolkit”, Advancement Project. (December 2018) Retrieved November 2022. https://advancementproject.org/resources/federal-guidance-rapid-response-toolkit/

“Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline.” US Department of Education, US Department of Education. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Fax: 301-470-1244; Web Site: Http://Www.edpubs.gov, 31 Dec. 2013, https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED544743. 

“School Administrators Face Tough Calls as Pandemic Affects Student Behavior.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/school-suspension-covid-mental-health-rcna10329. 

Veneziano, Sophia. “Across Marion County Suspension Numbers at an All-Time High Post-Pandemic.” The Marion Star, Marion Star, 1 May 2022, https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/local/2022/05/01/suspension-numbers-all-time-high-post-pandemic-marion-county/6973138001. 

Vestal, Christine. “Covid Harmed Kids’ Mental Health-and Schools Are Feeling It.” COVID Harmed Kids’ Mental Health-And Schools Are Feeling It | The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, 9 Nov. 2021, https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/11/08/covid-harmed-kids-mental-health-and-schools-are-feeling-it. 

“What’s Happening in Florida?”. Florida Restorative Justice. Retrieved November 2022. https://www.floridarestorativejustice.com/resources.html

Florida currently offers multiple options for a high school diploma: a 24 credit diploma, an 18 credit diploma, a Career and Technical(CTE) pathway, an International Baccalaureate option and an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE). However, each of these pathways has the same must-pass assessment threshold of a state test and multiple state-level, end of course exams. The CTE pathway allows certain courses tied to industry certifications to substitute for math requirements (not Algebra or Geometry). Although delayed because of Covid-19, changes adopted in 2018 to increase required test scores and eliminate alternative tests will be enforced for the class of 2023. The original plan raises the concordant score a student needs to achieve on the SAT or ACT to replace the state assessment. The Florida Department of Education has yet to release a plan on how the transition from FSA to FAST will impact this plan or how students in 11th and 12th grade who have not yet passed the FSA will satisfy this graduation requirement.

Other states have made moves away from standardized testing as a requirement for every pathway to a high school diploma. Maryland offers alternative assessments that can be used as concordant scores for the required state exam. However, they also offer the “Bridge Plan”, an educational project designed to be a remedial tool, which satisfies the testing graduation requirement.

California has a list of alternative measures that can be substituted for either a standardized test score or a state mandated, end of course exam. This list includes: practical demonstrations of skills and competencies, supervised work or outside school experiences, career and technical education classes, interdisciplinary study, independent study and credit earned at a postsecondary institution.

Colorado allows districts to set graduation requirements providing they meet minimum requirements and can demonstrate student proficiency in English and math. Students have multiple ways to show proficiency including: Accuplacer, ACT, ACT WorkKeys, AP, ASVAB, concurrent enrollment, district capstone, industry certificate, IB, SAT and collaboratively developed, standards-based performance assessments. 

Since 2008, lawmakers have promoted efforts to make students “college and career ready”. Many districts have added career academies and increased career and technical course offerings. These programs that provide rigorous instruction and result in industry certifications could be an alternative pathway to a diploma for many students. Numerous states have allowed for industry certification pathways and cross-curricular, project-based assessments to count toward graduation requirements as Florida continues to have multiple pathways converge through a standardized test.

Sources:

Graduation Requirements for Public High Schools in Maryland. https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Testing/GraduationsRequirements2018.pdf. 

High School Graduation Requirements – Education Commission of the States, https://reports.ecs.org/comparisons/high-school-graduation-requirements-02. 

Solochek, Jeff. (November 2017) “With a focus on careers and ‘sneaky academics,’ technical high schools are on the rise.” Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 2022.  http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/With-a-focus-on-careers-and-sneaky-academics-technical-high-schools-are-on-the-rise_162182979

Solochek, Jeffrey S. “Florida High School Seniors Get Reprieve on Graduation Test Scores.” Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 9 Feb. 2022, https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2022/02/09/florida-high-school-seniors-get-reprieve-on-graduation-test-scores/. 

Solodev. “Graduation Requirements.” Florida Department of Education Home, https://www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/graduation-requirements/. 

“State Minimum Course Requirements.” State Minimum Course Requirements – High School (CA Dept of Education), https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrmin.asp.

The United States used to lead the world in adult, postsecondary attainment, but now ranks 12th. Anecdotally, many students express frustration with a lack of a plan after graduation. Research backs them up and suggests that post-secondary planning is important for students as it prepares them for life after they finish high school and teaches them goal setting skills. School guidance counselors are uniquely trained to understand adolescent development, assist students with social skills, and facilitate student exploration of interests for post-high school success.

Studies have shown that computer based inventories or information portals, now required in many states such as Florida, are not a substitute for a trained counselor’s time and coaching. The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1. According to the most recent data, the national average is 491:1. Hillsborough County, as an example, recently reported a ratio of 1 counselor per every 453 students. 

Other states are leading the way on this important issue. Colorado started a grant program which provided $16 million to 59 schools between 2010 and 2015 to add 220 school counselors, cutting the student-to-counselor ratio down to 216:1. In three years, dropout rates declined from 5.5 percent to 3.5 percent, saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Tennessee and New York have also launched programs to recruit and train additional counselors.

Sources:

Hilling, Eleanor, “The Importance of Career Counseling and Post Secondary Readiness for High School Students” (2017). Counselor Education Capstone. 37. https://soar.suny.edu/handle/20.500.12648/4771

“How Can States Increase Their College Attendance Rates?” How Can States Increase Their College Attendance Rates? | College and Career Readiness and Success Center, https://ccrscenter.org/blog/how-can-states-increase-their-college-attendance-rates. 

Murphy, James S. “The Neglected Link in the High-School-to-College Pipeline.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Sept. 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/09/the-neglected-link-in-the-high-school-to-college-pipeline/500213/. 

Solodev. “Career Exploration Resources.” Florida Department of Education Home, https://www.fldoe.org/academics/college-career-planning/k-12-schools/career-resources.stml. 

“The Essential Roles of High School Guidance Counselors” (2017) American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/2a38ea99-5595-4e6d-b9af-2ac3a00fa8c3/Why-High-School.pdf

Traditionally, leadership opportunities available to teachers have been limited to working with administrators as a representative for their peers. These opportunities have been in addition to full teaching duties, have lacked flexibility, and are performed without additional compensation. For these reasons, “teacher leadership” has been limited to a pathway that causes educators to leave the classroom and enter administration.

In contrast, studies have shown that teachers, through their daily contact with students, are often in the best position to make curriculum and instructional policy decisions. In contrast to the traditional teacher leader model that has teachers taking on the management of other teachers, recent research has shown that a “distributive leadership” model which focuses on teachers as instructional leaders can lead to increased student achievement.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has identified a career continuum for teachers that progresses from pre-service teacher to teacher leader with support from other professionals. However, this process is voluntary and undertaken at the expense of the teacher.

Sources

Arizona State University. (2021, October). What happens when teachers are empowered to make leadership decisions? What happens when teachers are empowered to make leadership decisions? | Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://education.asu.edu/news/what-happens-when-teachers-are-empowered-make-leadership-decisions

Colvin, R. L., Bassett, K., & Hansen, J. (2015, June). ENGAGED: Educators and the Policy Process. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.nnstoy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Engaged-FINAL.pdf

Ingersoll, R., Sirinides, P., & Dougherty, P. (2018). Leadership matters: Teachers’ roles in school decision making and … – ed. Leadership Matters: Teachers’ Roles in School Decision Making and School Performance. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1173452.pdf

Will, M. (2020, November 19). 35 states have teacher-leadership policies, but not all give extra pay or incentives. Education Week. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/35-states-have-teacher-leadership-policies-but-not-all-give-extra-pay-or-incentives/2019/10

In March 2011, Governor Rick Scott signed his first bill into law. The Student Success Act (SB 736) required districts to rate teachers and administrators annually, with a portion of their score dependent on student test scores (“learning growth”). The measure used to align student test scores to the teacher is known as value added measure (VAM). In 2017, HB 7069 changed the required use of VAM. The evaluation still requires a third of a teacher’s score to be based on a measurement of student learning growth (typically assessments) and does not consider things like socioeconomic status.

The Florida Times Union reviewed VAM scores of First Coast teachers. They found two-thirds of teachers in the 20 highest poverty schools earned negative VAM scores (students showed lower than expected academic growth). Two-thirds of teachers in the 20 lowest poverty schools earned positive VAM scores. This phenomenon is common according to Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, an association professor of education policy and evaluation at Arizona State University.

Since the implementation of the Student Success Act, research has put a spotlight on whether VAM is an accurate measure of student learning. The American Statistical Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association and numerous other professional associations have called into question if VAM reflects a direct measure of a teacher’s impact on student learning and cautions using the statistical model for this purpose.

Alternative methods of evaluation have also been researched. The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium requires documentation of lesson plans that link to state standards, videotapes and critiques of lessons, and evidence of student learning. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has a rigorous certification process that also requires extensive documentation. Studies show that significant relationships exist between both methods and student improvement on standardized tests.

Sources

Amos, Denise Smith. “Some question state’s measurement of teacher effectiveness.” (September 2017). Jacksonville Times-Union. Retrieved December 2022. http://jacksonville.com/news/education/2017-09-15/some-question-state-s-measurement-teacher-effectiveness

Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey. “VAMboozled!: Why Standardized Tests Should Not Be Used to Evaluate Teachers (and Teacher Education Programs).” (December 2015). National Education Policy Center. Retrieved January 4, 2023. <http://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/why-standardized-tests>.

Close, K., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Collins, C. (2018, June 5). State-level assessments and teacher evaluation systems after the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act: Some steps in the right direction. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/state-assessment 

David, Jane L. “What Research Says About… /Using Value-Added Measures to Evaluate Teachers.” (May 2010). ACSD: Educational Leadership. Retrieved January 4, 2023. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may10/vol67/num08/Using_Value-Added_Measures_to_Evaluate_Teachers.aspx>

Florida Performance evaluation. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.fldoe.org/teaching/performance-evaluation/

Raudys, J. (2018, October). 4 teacher evaluation models to use (with examples!). Prodigy Education. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/teacher-evaluation/ 

Strauss, V. (2021, November 30). Case study: The false promise of value-added teacher assessment. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/04/case-study-the-false-promise-of-value-added-teacher-assessment/?noredirect=on 

Teacher Evaluations. Florida Education Association. (n.d.). Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://feaweb.org/issues-action/teacher-evaluations/

As over 10 million teachers retire from America’s classrooms before the end of this decade, communities will be faced with the dilemma of attracting and keeping people in a profession that has been increasingly maligned and burdened by policy makers. Additionally, as the economy rebounds, more individuals employed in education support positions choose to leave education for higher paying fields. According to a recent study of families facing financial hardship in the state of Florida conducted by the United Way, a family of four needs to make at least $53,856 a year to be considered financially stable. A large number of school district employees fall below this threshold. Children from these homes often attend our public schools. This means that school districts contribute to the number of children they educate from financially unstable homes.

The Tampa Bay Times opened the new year with a prediction that Florida’s teacher shortage will be one of the big stories of 2023. Fewer people have been entering the profession for years and experienced educators are retiring or leaving the profession. The Florida Education Association documented over 6,000 vacancies in August up from only 2,400 in August of 2016. A majority of these openings often occur in schools and services that serve our students most in need. In addition, districts across the state report critical shortages in bus drivers, exceptional education aides and clerical staff, as well. 

The FEA notes that the governor’s legislation and rhetoric focused on public schools and educators has continued to wear down already frustrated teachers. In addition, Florida lawmakers also mandated a starting teacher salary, removing constitutionally guaranteed rights to collective bargaining. Yet, no similar pay guarantees were made for experienced educators. This legislation had the net effect of lowering the average teacher salary in Florida to the rank of 49th nationally- ahead of only Mississippi. Although the Legislature touts increases in education funding every year, it has not kept pace with rising costs and wages. In response, local referenda have been proposed and passed in counties across the state in an attempt to augment teacher salaries and local budgets. 

Sources

Danielle J. Brown, F. P. A. 27. (2022, April 27). Report: Florida starting teacher pay is increasing but average pay stagnates. Florida Phoenix. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/04/27/report-florida-starting-teacher-pay-is-increasing-but-average-pay-stagnates/ 

Gonzalez, M. A. (2022, April). NEA unveils new nationwide data on educator pay and school funding. NEA. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-unveils-new-nationwide-data-educator-pay-and-school-funding 

Kraft, M. A., & Lyon, M. A. (2022, November). The rise and fall of the teaching profession: Prestige, interest, preparation, and satisfaction over the last half century. EdWorkingPapers.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-679 

LeFever, B., & Sheridan, K. (2022, July 1). Florida raised the starting salary for teachers, but longtime educators say they face stagnant pay. WUSF Public Media. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/education/2022-05-06/florida-raised-the-starting-salary-for-teachers-but-longtime-educators-say-they-face-stagnant-pay 

NEA Collective Bargaining and Member Advocacy Department. (2022, April). Teacher salary benchmarks. National Education Association. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/resource-library/teacher-salary-benchmarks#:~:text=NEA’s%20Teacher%20Salary%20Benchmark%20Report,of%20the%20teaching%20career%20continuum.&text=The%20average%20starting%20teacher%20salary,1.4%25%20over%202019%2D2020. 

Postal, Leslie. (August 2018). “Florida’s Teacher Shortage.”Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 2019. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-teacher-shortage-florida-local-schools-20180817-story.html

Rankings of the states 2020 and estimates of school statistics 2021 – NEA. National Education Association. (2021, April). Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Rankings_and_Estimates_Report.pdf 

Swenson, A. (2022, September 16). Florida ranks 48th in teacher pay, not 9th. AP NEWS. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-florida-teacher-pay-ranking-886906152703 

Wilson, K. (2023, January 3). 6 stories that could dominate Tampa Bay headlines in 2023. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/01/03/2023-desantis-recesssion-trop-trump-teachers-police-chief/

A recent study by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University found that pay increases would be one important policy lever for improving the state of the teaching profession. However, their evidence shows that a perceived loss of professional autonomy accelerated by the introduction of high-stakes evaluation programs and “top down” control over pedagogy is also to blame for shortages. Lastly, the study found evidence that the rise in school shootings and a perception of a lack of basic workplace safety is also a factor.

Studies have shown that when teachers are given autonomy with curriculum and the practice of teaching, job-related stress decreases and teachers’ feelings of professionalism, empowerment, and overall job satisfaction increases. These results did not differ across teaching levels (elementary, middle, high school). Teachers with decision making authority accept accountability, innovate and create positive school cultures.

Teaching has a far higher turnover rate than many other professions requiring a college degree, with rates even higher in low-income schools and high need subjects of science and math. Thus, greater teacher autonomy may be a strategy to keep teachers in the profession longer. However, as the Legislature passes more mandates and reduced funding, districts require more accountability and allow for less autonomy at the school and classroom level.

Sources

Farris-Berg, Kim. Trusting Teachers with School Success. Retrieved November 2022. https://www.teacherpowered.org/trustingteachers

Kraft, M. A., & Lyon, M. A. (2022, November). The rise and fall of the teaching profession: Prestige, interest, preparation, and satisfaction over the last half century. EdWorkingPapers.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-679 

Nfer. (2020, January). Teacher autonomy: How does it relate to job satisfaction and retention? National Foundation for Education Research. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.nfer.ac.uk/teacher-autonomy-how-does-it-relate-to-job-satisfaction-and-retention 

Meyer, D. (2022, June 27). Teacher retention: How to keep the best from leaving. Elmhurst University. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.elmhurst.edu/blog/teacher-retention/ 

Moomaw, W. and L. Pearson. (2005). “The Relationship between Teacher Autonomy and Stress, Work Satisfaction, Empowerment, and Professionalism.” Educational Research Quarterly, 29(1), 38-54. Retrieved November 2017.

Twenty years ago in January 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law an update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act known as No Child Left Behind. With that action the era of high stakes testing in America’s Public Schools began. The hallmarks of this bill were that each state had to pass “challenging” academic standards and test student progress in grades 3-8 on a yearly basis. The bill also required that the results of these tests be analyzed in a way that students from every demographic group were monitored to ensure they were making progress.

Florida first introduced statewide testing in 1976, but began a massive expansion in 1998 after the Florida Commission on Education Reform and Accountability ushered in the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) era. Since that time, numerous benchmarks are now required by law to be determined by the students’ scores on standardized tests. Currently, school grades, 3rd grade promotion of students, high school graduation and even teacher evaluations are dependent on how children perform on state tests. Additionally, school district local control over schools and funding are determined by test scores and school grades.

As more elements are tied to testing, instruction has increasingly centered around test preparation leaving less time for subjects not found on the standardized tests, denying children a well-rounded education. Additionally, attaching so many incentives and punitive measures to a single test or even a small series of tests has shown to cause unhealthy levels of stress in children that can impact performance and therefore the ability for the test to measure actual student achievement.

Armstrong, T. (2013, February 28). 15 reasons why standardized tests are worthless. The American Institute for Learning and Human Development. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.institute4learning.com/2013/02/28/15-reasons-why-standardized-tests-are-worthless-2/ 

K-12 student assessment. Florida Department of Education Home. Retrieved December 19, 2023, from https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/ 

Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). No child left behind | testing our schools | frontline. PBS. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/ 

Tatter, G. (2019, February 12). Tests and stress bias. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/19/02/tests-and-stress-bias 

Terada, Y. (2022, October 14). The psychological toll of high-stakes testing. Edutopia. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/psychological-toll-high-stakes-testing/

The myth of standardized testing is that they are a concise, accurate measure of students’ learning and future success. In fact, studies have shown that high school grades are a better indicator of future success than either the SAT or ACT. Even more alarming is research that test scores are a better indicator of family income than student achievement. Research also shows that there is a historical racial gap on these measures that exists even for students in the same school and classroom.

Some advocates argue that standardized tests should be compared to an educational census more than a true assessment. They can give high level insight to help us understand trends, such as how the recent NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) confirmed what educators already knew– student’s learning was impacted by school disruptions caused by COVID-19. These test scores could not provide insight on strategies to address the gaps or how much the difference in scores reflected an achievement gap as opposed to documented bias on standardized tests. Standardized tests also compare each student to a projected average performance not to mastery of a specific subject so they provide little understanding of if a student “knows” something.

More meaningful measures that provide insight into individual student comprehension and their ability to apply knowledge can be utilized as an alternative to standardized testing. These measures are a better guide to find strategies to help struggling students. There are a number of alternatives to standardized assessments including performance and portfolio based assessments which have been linked to higher overall students achievement. There are also emerging game-based strategies that can help educators have a deeper understanding of gaps in student knowledge in an interactive way.

Sources

Anderson, J. (2021, March 11). Harvard Edcast: Student Testing, accountability, and covid. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved December 27, 2022, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/21/03/harvard-edcast-student-testing-accountability-and-covid 

Berends, M., & Peñaloza, R. (2010). Increasing racial isolation and test score gaps in Mathematics: A 30-year perspective. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 112(4), 978–1007. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811011200405 

Dixon-RomÁN, E. J., Everson, H. T., & Mcardle, J. J. (2013). Race, poverty and SAT scores: Modeling the influences of family income on black and white high school students’ SAT performance. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 115(4), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811311500406 

Galla, B. M., Shulman, E. P., Plummer, B. D., Gardner, M., Hutt, S. J., Goyer, J. P., D’Mello, S. K., Finn, A. S., & Duckworth, A. L. (2019). Why high school grades are better predictors of on-time college graduation than are admissions test scores: The roles of self-regulation and Cognitive Ability. American Educational Research Journal, 56(6), 2077–2115. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831219843292 

Kamenetz, A. (2015, January 6). What schools could use instead of standardized tests. NPR. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/06/371659141/what-schools-could-use-instead-of-standardized-tests 

YouTube. (2013). The Myth of Average. YouTube. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eBmyttcfU4.

For years, families, educators and students in Florida have complained about the amount of the time each school year that is devoted to standardized testing. Under the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), Florida students could spend 8 hours or more on state mandated standardized tests. The total testing time for students in middle and high school can be even greater, depending on the number of End of Course, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, AICE and Industry Certification exams. A majority of these tests must be administered on computers, which are limited at many schools. This use of technology for testing provides a significant disruption to regular instruction, not only for the students taking the tests, but to other students barred from normal instruction to accommodate others who are testing.

During the 2021 Florida Legislative Session, under the guise of reducing testing “by 75%”, Governor DeSantis introduced legislation to replace the FSA with the F.A.S.T. (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking). This requires administering standardized tests multiple times per year to monitor student academic progress. The governor signed the bill into law which means that in grades 3-10 assessments must be given in the beginning, middle and end of the year. The legislation also eliminated the requirement to have a paper alternative to the tests, so a vast majority of the testing time will be spent on computers.

In spite of the promised reduction in time spent on testing, the actual time required for every grade level has increased by hundreds of minutes. Middle school students will see the greatest increase increasing from around 300 minutes of testing to more than 600 minutes. Overall, elementary students will see a 75% increase in the number of minutes of state testing, middle school 77% and 9th & 10th graders 28%. For middle and high school students, additional minutes may be spent testing for end of course exams, IB, AP, dual enrollment and AICE courses as well as industry certifications.

Sources:

2022-2023 K-12 uniform assessment Calendar.pdf. Florida Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TXft39HOPsiYP6TWhB3qUMTiIQHjkGdu/view 

Assessment schedules. Florida Department of Education Home. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/assessment-schedules.stml 

Behrmann, E. (2022, October 5). Florida standards assessments’ replacement increases testing time. WUFT News. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.wuft.org/news/2022/10/05/florida-standards-assessments-replacement-increases-testing-time/ 

Danielle J. Brown, F. P. M. 15. (2022, March 15). FL will have a new statewide assessment system but hurdles lie ahead. Florida Phoenix. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/03/15/fl-will-have-a-new-statewide-assessment-system-but-hurdles-lie-ahead/ 

Fast assessments. Florida Department of Education Home. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/best/ 

. (2022, March 16). Florida will dump standardized tests in favor of progress monitoring in public schools. WFSU News. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2022-03-16/florida-will-dump-standardized-tests-in-favor-of-progress-monitoring-in-public-schools 

Governor DeSantis announces end of the high-stakes FSA testing to become the first state in the nation to fully transition to progress monitoring. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.flgov.com/2021/09/14/governor-desantis-announces-end-of-the-high-stakes-fsa-testing-to-become-the-first-state-in-the-nation-to-fully-transition-to-progress-monitoring/ 

Lazarín, Melissa. (October 2014). “Testing Overload in America’s Schools.” Center for American Progress. Retrieved January 4, 2023. <https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/10/16/99073/testing-overload-in-americas-schools/>

Press, A. (2022, March 15). DeSantis signs Bill to change standardized testing for Florida students. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/03/15/desantis-signs-bill-to-change-student-testing-in-florida-schools/ 

Williamson, A. (2022, May 13). Session Summary Compilation. Florida School Boards Association. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://fsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-FSBA-Session-Summary-Compilation.pdf

According to the Florida Policy Institute, Florida ranked 45th for funding level, at $4,484 below the national per-pupil average of $15,487 for the 2018-19 school year (the most recent Census data available). Education Law Center’s 2022 report “Making the Grade” found that the state “not only ranked dismally for adequacy of funding level, but perhaps more surprisingly, the report found the state’s distribution of funds relative to district poverty level was highly unequal and regressive. On average, high poverty districts received 12 percent or $1,492 less per pupil than low poverty districts, after adjusting for local wage factors.”

Despite politicians’ claims of record high funding, Florida’s funding is far less than the national average and certainly has not kept up with inflation. Last year, Education Week once again gave Florida an F for spending in its annual Quality Counts report.  

Sources:

Education Law Center. (n.d.). Education law center. Making the Grade 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://edlawcenter.org/research/making-the-grade-2021.html 

Florida Policy Institute. (n.d.). Funding Florida’s K-12 public schools: Inadequacy breeds inequity. FPI Home. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/funding-floridas-k-12-public-schools-inadequacy-breeds-inequity 

Hanson, Melanie. “U.S. Public Education Spending Statistics” EducationData.org, June 15, 2022, https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics

State grades on School Finance: 2021 map and Rankings. Education Week. (2021, June 10). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/state-grades-on-school-finance-2021-map-and-rankings/2021/06 

USAFacts. (2022, December 2). How much money do states spend on education? USAFacts. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-money-do-states-spend-on-education/

Florida’s Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) program was established in 1963, to fund public higher education construction and maintenance projects including HVAC systems, roofs, and other needs. K-12 education was added to PECO allocations in 1974. PECO works to fund Florida’s long-term need for education facilities with a portion of the gross receipts tax (GRT) on utilities, including electricity, telecommunications and cable. The GRT is utilized to borrow money at very low interest rates by issuing tax-exempt PECO bond offerings.

A recent report from the LeRoy Collins Institute found that capital funding is inadequate given state standards and the Florida Constitution’s requirements. As of 2018-19, an additional $1,207 per student in sustainable funding was needed to adequately fund capital, or $3.4 billion in total. In addition, the study noted that the revenue streams which previously provided considerable support for public school capital- Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) trust fund and Capital Outlay and Debt Service (CO&DS) trust fund– have eroded significantly and continue to erode.

In addition to land costs, which vary greatly, $20 million is required to build an elementary school, $30 million for a middle school and about $65 million for a high school and these costs continue to rise with inflation. There are approximately 2.8 million students in traditional public schools and 362,000 in charter schools. Charter schools lease space from private entities which are often for-profit management companies running the schools. However, PECO funds of $100 million are now divided into two equal pots of money – 50% for school districts and 50% for charter schools- even though only 11% of students attend charters.

Due to record paced growth in Hillsborough County, an average of 10,000 new homes will be permitted each year for the next 10 years, mostly in the southeastern region, requiring at least 18 new schools and frequent changes in attendance zone boundaries.

In addition, school districts are required to share in locally raised tax revenues that would have otherwise gone to district school construction and maintenance projects based on approved five-year capital facilities plans. This has prompted lawsuits by multiple districts across the state. Attorneys for the school boards argue this new mandate violates aspects of the Florida Constitution that say school boards “shall operate, control and supervise all free public schools…and determine the rate of school district taxes”.

In the elections of 2022, numerous local referendums were on the ballot to help pay for expenses such as renovations, operations and teacher salaries. These efforts were in direct response to the lack of adequate funding from the state.

Sources:

Dewey, J., & Luck, P. (2022, September 14). Adequacy and Equity in Capital Funding for Florida’s PK-12 Public Schools. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://lci.fsu.edu/ 

Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. (2022, December). Charter School Funding. Retrieved January 2023, from https://oppaga.fl.gov/Documents/Reports/22-11.pdf 

Olmos, S. (2021, December 23). Hillsborough County needs more funding to help build new schools. ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/price-of-paradise/hillsborough-county-needs-more-funding-to-help-build-new-schools 

Paulson. Charter schools could get $96M in capital aid from Florida school districts next year. Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article158934284.html?#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter

Sokol, Marlene. (April 2017). “Report: Population growth will mean more debt and painful rezoning.” Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2023. http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/report-population-growth-will-mean-more-debt-and-painful-rezoning-for/2320617

“Taxpayers assume risk, little gain for charter schools.” (December 2015). Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 2023. <http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-taxpayers-assume-risk-little-gain-for-charter-schools/2258977>

Florida’s school grading system offers additional funding to schools that have the highest levels of student achievement. Schools that might benefit from extra teachers to support struggling students or extended hours of instruction do not receive the extra funding to do so. 

A 2022 report from the Education Law Center found that Florida’s distribution of funds relative to district poverty level was highly unequal and regressive in spite of a constitutional mandate to ensure a uniform system of high quality public education. After adjusting for local wage factors, high poverty districts with more need received $1,492 less per pupil than low poverty districts. The report credited disparities in counties’ tax bases and a long history of underinvestment in public education.

House Bill 7069, passed in 2017, severely limits the district’s ability to rank and serve its poorest schools. Formerly, districts had the ability to use federal Title 1 funds with more efficiency and economies of scale to serve their highest poverty schools. Now, Title 1 funds now pass through the districts directly to schools. The law severely restricts the amount districts can use for parent engagement, foster student transportation, homeless student services and other programs that support all high poverty students.

Sources:

Education Law Center. (n.d.). Education law center. Making the Grade 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://edlawcenter.org/research/making-the-grade-2021.html 

Florida Policy Institute. (n.d.). Funding Florida’s K-12 public schools: Inadequacy breeds inequity. FPI Home. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/funding-floridas-k-12-public-schools-inadequacy-breeds-inequity 

“House Bill 7069.” The Florida Senate. Retrieved January 2023. <https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/7069/BillText/er/PDF>

“Florida School Recognition Program” (2017). Florida Department of Education. Retrieved January 2023. < http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/fl-school-recognition-program/>

Florida school districts are often the largest public transportation provider in their counties. For example, Orange County school buses travel over 19,000,000 miles during the school year utilizing an average of 860 daily routes. Florida state law requires students living 2 miles or more from their school or students with disabilities must be transported by a school bus. Many districts include additional students due to safety concerns based on their walking routes and transport students to magnet and other programs, as well.

However, Florida allocates less than 50% of the funds needed to fulfill the state required obligation. School bell times are impacted by this lack of funding. In order to reduce transportation costs, districts stagger school start times to share buses and drivers. District budgets are strained with rising fuel and labor costs. The Florida School Boards Association is requesting an increase in the Student Transportation categorical funding within the FEFP (school funding) to more closely reflect the actual costs districts incur.

Sources:

2022-23 Legislative Platform. Florida Schools Boards Association. https://fsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-Legislative-Platform-FINAL.pdf

2023 Leadership Operations Division . Orange County Public Schools. (2022, November). Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://cdn5-ss15.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_54619/File/Departments/Marketing%20and%20Events/Leadership%20Orange/Class%2012/Leadership%20Orange%20FY22-23_final-compressed.pdf 

The 2021 Florida price level index – florida department of education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://origin.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7507/urlt/2021fpli.pdf 

Student Transportation. Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA). (2023). Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://oppaga.fl.gov/ProgramSummary/ProgramDetail?programNumber=2056

The historical practice in Florida prior to 2016, allowed the Required Local Effort (RLE) millage rate to reflect increases in property values as well as new construction. Since this practice ended, school districts lose millions of dollars every year.  

Many stakeholders are asking the legislature to retain, rather than roll-back, the Required Local Effort (RLE) millage rate so it reflects both the overall increases in property values and the increases in property values attributable to improvements or new construction or, at a minimum, use state funds to replace the loss of local revenue due to any total or partial rollback of the RLE millage rate. This would ensure that growth pays for itself by capturing increases in property values. 

Sources:

Almenas, J. (2022, August 11). Volusia County Schools sets tentative millage rate for fiscal year 2022-2023: Ormond Beach Observer. Ormond Beach Observer. Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://www.ormondbeachobserver.com/article/volusia-county-schools-sets-tentative-millage-rate-for-fiscal-year-2022-2023 

Florida FEFP 2022. Florida Department of Education. https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7507/urlt/2223FEFPSecondCalc.pdf

2022-23 Legislative Platform. Florida Schools Boards Association. https://fsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-Legislative-Platform-FINAL.pdf

The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants an implied right to govern public education to the individual states. The Florida Constitution grants control of local schools to locally elected school boards. The assignment of the oversight of public education to local authority follows a long held societal belief that local control is more responsive to community needs.

Local districts are better able to adapt to the unique social and cultural dynamics of their community and pursue solutions to local educational issues which develop. Local school boards have been shown to be more flexible and pragmatic about meeting the needs of individual schools over a number of years. As more elements of education policy are mandated from the state level, local boards lose more and more of their constitutional authority.

In previous legislative sessions for example, the Florida Legislature eliminated the power of local school boards to review and approve local charter school applications or to require accountability from certain charter school companies designated by the Legislature. Regardless of whether a charter school was needed or desired by a community, the Legislature stripped locally elected school board members from having a say. They also severely restricted the district’s ability to rank and serve its poorest schools, removing the ability to use federal Title I funds with more efficiency and economy of scale to serve high poverty schools. 

In 2022, the Legislature imposed term limits on school board members which took effect following the most recent election and limited a member to 12 years of elected service regardless of whether their constituents want them to continue. The Legislature continued to strip away local authority over curriculum when they passed a law about sexual orientation and gender identity on the back of a law passed in 2021 which requires school districts to post sex health education and STD information curriculum and materials on their websites. 

The Legislature also imposed requirements on school districts related to instructional and other materials in school media centers and libraries. School boards are now required to adopt procedures that provide for the  “regular removal or discontinuance” of books from media centers and the Florida Department of Education must provide a list of removed books to all districts “for consideration in their selection procedures.”

Sources:

“Constitution of the State of Florida.” The Florida Senate. Retrieved October 25, 2017. <http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Constitution>

Hadderman, Margaret L. (1988). “State vs. Local Control of Schools. ERIC Digest Series Number 24.” ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR. Retrieved October 25, 2017.<http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-927/state.htm>

Hayes, Kelly. “Gov. DeSantis Signs off on Sex Ed Bill.” Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government., Florida Politics, 6 June 2021, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/434120-gov-desantis-signs-off-on-sex-ed-bill/.

“House Bill 7069.” The Florida Senate. Retrieved October 25, 2017. <https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/7069/BillText/er/PDF>

Molnar, Michele. (July 2012). “Public Strong on Local Control of Schools, Study Finds.” EdWeek. Retrieved October 25, 2017. <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/parentsandthepublic/2012/07/what_the_public_wants_in_school_control.html>

“Referred Committees and Committee Actions.” CS/CS/HB 545 (2021) – Reproductive Health and Disease Education | Florida House of Representatives, Florida House of Representatives, https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=70863.

Ryan Dailey – News Service of Florida. “DeSantis Signs a Bill That Requires Curriculum Transparency While Setting School Board Term Limits.” WUSF Public Media, WUSF, 25 Mar. 2022, https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2022-03-25/desantis-signs-a-bill-that-requires-curriculum-transparency-while-setting-school-board-term-limits. 

Smentkowski, Brian P. “Tenth Amendment: United States Constitution.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved January 19, 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/topic/Tenth-Amendment>

As a result of a 1998 ballot measure, the positions of Florida Secretary of State and Education Commissioner became appointed in 2002 and the Cabinet posts of Comptroller and Treasurer were eliminated.

A bill that was proposed in the 2016 Florida Legislative Session would have returned the position of Commissioner of Education to an elected member of the cabinet. This bill, proposed by a Republican, was in response to concerns raised by the public about the lack of accountability the position of Commissioner has to the general public, including parents. Part of the argument states that making this change would ensure that the Commissioner has a background more closely tied to education. An examination of Commissioners since 1986 does not support this, as a majority appointed to the position had experience in education prior to their service, while those elected were equally as likely to come from the private sector.

A national examination of chief state school officers shows us that the governor or the state board of education appoint the majority of them. While no study exists for chief state school officers, findings in a study comparing elected superintendents and school boards to those who are appointed found no significant impact on student achievement based on the nature of how these school officials are placed in office.

Additionally, an analysis of elected versus appointed school boards found that appointed members are more likely to advance the political policies of the appointing official (governor or mayor) and be less responsive to public pressure. 

Returning the role to an elected position would require three fifths vote by both legislative chambers and ultimately, would need the approval of 60% of the voters.

Sources:

Drazen, Allan Ozbay, Erkut Y.  “Does “being chosen to lead” induce non-selfish behavior?” Experimental evidence on reciprocity, Journal of Public Economics, Vol. 174,2019, Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2019.03.001.

Hoover, G. A. (2008). Elected Versus Appointed School District Officials: Is There a Difference in Student Outcomes? Public Finance Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/1091142107311219 

Llamas, Yanneli. Learning to Serve: A Comparison of Appointed and Elected School Boards, School District Deconsolidation, and Their Effects on School. 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=brookings_capstone_studentpapers

Sarkissian, Arek. (November 2015). “Bill would make education commissioner an elected position.” TC Palm. Retrieved November 28, 2022. http://www.tcpalm.com/news/politics/bill-would-make-education-commissioner-an-elected-position-25c41f20-19c4-3be1-e053-0100007f2329-358928751.html

Solochek, Jeffrey. (October 2017). “Some want to change Florida education- by amending the state Constitution.” Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/some-want-to-change-florida-education-8212-by-amending-the-state/2341056/

“State Education Governance Matrix.” (June 2022). National Association of State Boards of Education. Retrieved November 28, 2022 https://nasbe.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/2022/06/Governance-matrix-June-2022.pdf

A 40-year study by Michigan State University shows that the public wants to run and improve public schools via local, elected school boards. Although those surveyed believe there is a role for federal, state and local governments, they believe that school boards should be in control of day-to-day operations of schools.

In Florida, this control is tied to a strict system of accountability for student achievement. Unfortunately, in some cases, local boards are held accountable for students over which they have no oversight authority.

Each legislative session, the state shrinks the ability of locally elected school boards to govern schools in their jurisdiction. Previous legislative sessions produced laws that have eroded the local board jurisdiction over publicly educated students by circumventing their approval of charter contracts within districts and removed districts’ ability to allocate federal Title I funds for the neediest schools.

In addition, if a school receives a school grade below a C on state mandated testing, the district must seek approval to implement one of 4 “Turnaround Plan” options: a district-managed turnaround plan, a reassignment of all school personnel, a closure of the school, or a contract with an outside entity like a charter school provider. 

In a 2021 massive expansion of the voucher system, the state combined the voucher program for students with disabilities with the vouchers for low income students, raised the income cap so middle class families can qualify, allowed families to use the money for educational expenses other than just tuition, and- most importantly- funded the awards for students with disabilities through the state’s main funding pot for schools instead of a separate budget item. In 2022, the legislature raised the cap for students who can participate in the program and added an automatic escalator for future years driving even more students to private school providers with no oversight or accountability.

Sources:

“Accountability.” The Florida School Boards Association. Retrieved November 28, 2022. <http://fsba.org/accountability/>

Balingit, Moriah and Donna St. George. (January 2016). “The new federal education law returns power to the states. But how will they use it?” The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2020. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/the-new-federal-education-law-returns-power-to-the-states-but-how-will-they-use-it/2016/01/11/f24c7334-b3ec-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html>

“Florida Department of Education Updates May 23, 2022.” Florida Department of Education Updates , Florida Department of Education, 23 May 2022, https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7506/urlt/May23OpenGenSess.pdf. 

Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix April 27. “Report: Florida Starting Teacher Pay Is Increasing but Average Pay Stagnates.” Florida Phoenix, 27 Apr. 2022, https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/04/27/report-florida-starting-teacher-pay-is-increasing-but-average-pay-stagnates/#:~:text=In%202021%2D22%2C%20the%20Legislature,%24800%20million%20for%202022%2D23. 

Hatter, Lynn. (October 2015). “Charter School Authorization Bill Gets Revived For 2016 Session.” WFSU. Retrieved November 28, 2020. <http://news.wfsu.org/post/charter-school-authorization-bill-gets-   revived-2016-session>

“House Bill 7069.” The Florida Senate. Retrieved October 25, 2017. <https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/7069/BillText/er/PDF>

Molnar, Michele. (July 2012). “Public Strong on Local Control, Study Finds.” Education Week. Retrieved November 28, 2022. <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/parentsandthepublic/2012/07/what_the_public_wants_in_school_control.html>

“Juvenile Justice Students Face Barriers to High School Graduation and Job Training.” (October 2010). The Florida Legislature OPPAGA: Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Retrieved November 28, 2022. https://oppaga.fl.gov/Documents/Reports/10-55.pdf

Buie, Lisa. “Education Bill Helps More Students Access Choice, Dual Enrollment, High-Quality Books.” ReimaginED, 3 June 2022, https://www.reimaginedonline.org/2022/06/education-bill-helps-more-students-access-choice-dual-enrollment-high-quality-books/. 

Ceballos, Ana, and Colleen Wright. “DeSantis Signs $200 Million Expansion in Florida for Private School Vouchers.” Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 11 May 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/05/11/desantis-signs-200-million-expansion-in-florida-for-private-school-vouchers/.

The Perry Preschool Study found that “…one dollar invested in high-quality early childhood education programs by policymakers results in a return of seven dollars in preventative costs associated with incarceration, truancy, school dropout and teen pregnancy”. Studies of birth-to-three interventions demonstrate that both child-centered and family-centered strategies can often make a lasting difference.

The Children’s Movement of Florida noted in a Miami Herald piece, “Investing in kindergarten readiness is a down payment for our K-12 system and for the health and resilience of our communities. Twenty years on, we’ll get higher earners, more innovative employees and more thoughtful citizens.”

But for the 2020-21 school year, at least 43 percent of kindergarteners were not actually ready for kindergarten, according to state data. Although the impact of preschool is clear, admission to early childhood education that employs proven strategies is not available to every child, and often those who need it most have the least likelihood of access. 

Sources:

Balfield, C., S. Barnett, J. Montie, M. Nores, L. Scheweihart, and Z. Xiang. (2005). “The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age Forty.” High/Scope Education Research Foundation. Retrieved January 2023. <http://literacy.rice.edu/highscope-perry-preschool-study>

Brown, D., , & . (2021, March 10). More than 40 percent of FL kindergarteners are not ready for kindergarten; ‘that’s a failure on US’. Florida Phoenix. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/03/10/more-than-40-percent-of-fl-kindergarteners-are-not-ready-for-kindergarten-thats-a-failure-on-us/

Moodie, Shannon, Margaret Soli, Rebecca Starr and Kathryn Trout. (April 2010). “Compendium of Quality Rating Systems and Evaluations.” The Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment. Retrieved November 2023. <https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/qrs_compendium_final.pdf>

Smink, S. (2019, May 7). State proposing new rules for voluntary pre-kindergarten evaluation system. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/investigations/state-proposing-new-rules-for-voluntary-pre-kindergarten-evaluation-system 

Stegelin, D. (2004). “Early childhood education.” In F.P. Schargel & J.Sminl (Eds.) Helping students graduate: A strategic approach to dropout prevention. 115-123. Retrieved January 2023. <http://dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies/early-childhood-education/>

Success of Early Childhood programs with excellent teacher retention requires that Early Childhood professionals have ongoing professional development, be expertly prepared with resources, and receive compensation equivalent to their experience and qualifications.  However the variety of settings in which early childhood education takes place (home and center based child care, Head Start, VPK) makes delivering professional development across the spectrum of community early education a challenge. Little has been done in early childhood education to examine if current standards for credentialing caregivers (state license, experience) correlate with the knowledge, skills and professional practice associated with high quality early education. Ongoing professional development beyond initial license is not systematically required. To address the chronically low wages of early learning educators, the 2022 Florida Legislature set a historic budget for the VPK Program. They allocated $52 million in recurring state funds to raise the base student allocation to an extra $317 per child. The legislature also decided to invest $100 million to give to childcare programs that agree to pay VPK teachers a minimum of $15 an hour.

Sources:

Hollenbeck, S. (2022, June 9). Florida invests millions into voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/florida-invests-millions-into-voluntary-pre-kindergarten-programs 

Karoly, Lynn. “Informing Investments in High Quality Preschool”. Retrieved January 2023. https://www.rand.org/multimedia/video/2017/05/05/informing-investments-in-high-quality-preschool.html#in-brief-lynn-karoly-on-informing-investments-in-highquality-preschool

Martinez-Beck, I., & Zaslow, M. (2006). Introduction: The Context for Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development. In M. Zaslow & I. Martinez-Beck (Eds.), Critical issues in early childhood professional development (pp. 1-16). Baltimore: Paul H Brookes Publishing. http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-15192-001

Successful coordination between preschool and kindergarten helps to lay the groundwork for a child’s positive school experience. If this transition does not go well, children can be turned off to learning and school at an early age. By aligning standards, curricula, instruction and assessments between preschool and kindergarten, children can experience a seamless pathway that sets them up for future success. According to the Miami-Dade Early Learning Coalition, “Pre-K prepares children to be ready for school. Children who participate in high-quality early childhood education programs develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school. They are also better prepared for Kindergarten, especially in the areas of pre-reading, pre-math and social skills.”

Based on research and work with states, Education Commission of the States has identified two key elements that states can consider when creating a coordinated preschool-to-third grade system: effective transition programs and practices that help the child and family move smoothly and successfully from one learning setting to another. Authentic alignment of the basic pedagogical components of early learning and kindergarten must exist to create continuous learning and teaching experiences.

In 1999, the Florida Legislature established School Readiness Coalitions across the state. The intent of the legislation was to insure all children had quality early childhood education experiences. California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, and West Virginia have experienced increases in student achievement because of coordination between state funded Pre-K and K-12 systems. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, VPK students will assess student achievement of the performance standards established in state law using the K-12 F.A.S.T. progress monitoring assessments.

Sources:

Brown, D., , & . (2021, March 10). More than 40 percent of FL kindergarteners are not ready for kindergarten; ‘that’s a failure on US’. Florida Phoenix. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/03/10/more-than-40-percent-of-fl-kindergarteners-are-not-ready-for-kindergarten-thats-a-failure-on-us/ 

Federal and state agendas. National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/federal-and-state-agendas 

Florida’s assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) using Star Early Literacy. Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) using Star Early Literacy | DEL. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.floridaearlylearning.com/vpk/fast 

Postal, L. (2019, August 23). Florida pre-K: State changes rule to judge readiness for kindergarten. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/os-ne-pre-k-florida-new-tests-20190823-sbbuxojlc5dwnmzrczyd4lkrie-story.html 

Transitions and alignment from preschool to kindergarten. (2018). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/Transitions-and-Alignment-From-Preschool-to-Kindergarten.pdf 

VPK. Early Learning Coalition of Miami Dade and Monroe. (2023). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.vpkhelp.org/

While school shootings are rare, perception of risk is high as more and more high profile tragedies occur. Schools across the country have engaged in actions designed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to safety threats. Lockdowns can save lives and are considered best practice during a crisis. However, depending on circumstances, lockdown drills/practice may produce stress and traumatic symptoms in some students and staff, as well as loss of instructional time. In response to family concerns, Florida law, which updated the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Safety Act, requires schools to perform emergency drills monthly and directs the FDOE to create statewide rules for emergency drills. FDOE will also be required to adopt rules for emergency drills, active threats, and after-action reports by Aug. 1, 2023, which would require emergency drills of all types to be conducted at least once per year at all school levels and types.These updates were enacted in response to concerns expressed by families and educators but focus more on policy instead of ensuring student safety while preventing any trauma from the drills themselves.

The National Association of School Psychologists states that school leaders must understand that the perception of safety or risk, even absent a real threat, can have a very real effect on students and staff. However, their report focuses less on the number of drills. Rather, they urge the importance of “attending to the developmental and psychological well-being of students and staff before, during, and after lockdowns” to mitigate the potential for psychological harm. In contrast, A 2021 report from Everytown for Gun Safety found that there is “almost no research affirming the value of active shooter drills for preventing school shootings or protecting the school community when shootings do occur.” They argue the drills have a very real, harmful effect on students. Instead, they highlighted the importance of proactive school safety planning to intervene before school violence occurs, and outlined a set of concrete recommendations to respond to active shooter incidents. 

American Psychiatric Association. (2022, May). APA Foundation – Active shooter drills: First, do no harm. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://apafdn.org/news-events/blog/active-shooter-drills-first,-do-no-harm 

Bailey Gallion, U. S. A. T. (2022, June 30). After Uvalde: Active shooter drills popular in Brevard Public Schools, but do they work? Florida Today. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/06/30/brevard-public-schools-active-shooter-drill-parkland-uvalde-sheriff-school-resource-officer/7721658001/ 

Reconsider active shooter drills. Everytown. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.everytown.org/solutions/active-shooter-drills/ 

Sachs, S. (2022, June 7). Florida active shooter drills run by FDOE if desantis signs bill. WFLA. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-active-shooter-drills-run-by-fdoe-if-desantis-signs-bill/

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in five children and adolescents experience a mental health problem during their school years. Examples include stress, anxiety, bullying, family problems, depression, a learning disability, and alcohol and substance abuse. Research has shown that students are more likely to seek counseling when services are available in schools. In some cases, such as rural areas, schools provide the only mental health services in the community.

Research demonstrates that students who receive social, emotional and mental health support achieve better academically. School climate, classroom behavior, on-task learning, and students’ sense of connectedness and well-being all improve as well. Untreated mental health problems are linked to costly negative outcomes such as academic and behavior problems, dropping out, and delinquency. Unfortunately, Florida schools have a severe shortage of mental health and guidance counselors. Recent legislation has attempted to improve current ratios and districts are struggling to recruit and retain qualified personnel.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schools play a critical role in improving the overall health through improving dietary and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents. Schools can create environments that are supportive of healthy eating and physical activity by implementing policies and practices. Providing students with learning opportunities that support healthy eating and regular physical activity is also important for students to learn about and practice these behaviors through adulthood.  

Recent studies have shown that increasing physical activity and physical fitness may improve academic performance and that time in the school day dedicated to recess, physical education class, and physical activity in the classroom may also facilitate academic performance. Furthermore, mathematics and reading are the academic topics that are most influenced by physical activity. These topics depend on efficient and effective executive function, which has been linked to physical activity and physical fitness.

Sources:

“School-Based Mental Health Services: Improving Student Learning and Well-Being” National Association of School Pyschologists (Retrieved February 2019) https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/mental-health/school-psychology-and-mental-health/school-based-mental-health-services

“Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School.” Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment; Food and Nutrition Board; Institute of Medicine; Kohl HW III, Cook HD, editors. Washington (DC) 2013 Oct 30. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201501/

School Health Guidelines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/strategies.htm

Classrooms and school environments where students feel safe is one of the most important things to promote learning. Organized classrooms, well-maintained facilities and environments of mutual respect help students feel safe to actively participate in learning. Safe classroom environments allow students to be empowered to ask questions, contribute to discussions and to seek help. Students must feel both physically and emotionally safe in order to learn. Florida’s underfunding of positions such as school psychologists, social workers and other professionals outside the classroom in student support roles have left children with nowhere to turn for emotional support in our schools.

Over the last decade, a lack of investment in the infrastructure of our schools led to deteriorating conditions that present environmental health hazards to students and educators who spend their day in buildings that are not well maintained. A variety of hazards have been found in schools including lead, radon and mold. Often, the indoor air quality in our schools is rated poor. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the worst environmental conditions are often at schools attended by our poorest children.  This lack of funding has also meant that upgrades to school security such as single entry points, video surveillance and even up to date systems to contact emergency personnel have not been made to our schools.

Developmentally appropriate practice. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/education-level/early-learning/developmentally-appropriate-practice

Family-school-community partnerships. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). (2023, January). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/education-level/early-learning/family-school-community-partnerships

Mahoney, Emily L., and Emily L. Mahoney. “Florida’s Pattern Is Underfunding School Psychologists and Resource Officers.” Miamiherald, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2018, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article202369649.html.

Protective factors. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/education-level/early-learning/protective-factors

What makes a safe and supportive learning environment? Action for Healthy Kids. (2020, June 10). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/what-makes-a-safe-and-supportive-learning-environment/

Young, R. (n.d.). Chapter 4 providing a safe environment for learning, Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/maintenance/chapter4.asp 

Mahoney, Emily L., and Emily L. Mahoney. “Florida’s Pattern Is Underfunding School Psychologists and Resource Officers.” Miamiherald, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2018, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article202369649.html.

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Parkland, the Florida Legislature passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. Provisions of the law included:

• Creation of the Office of Safe Schools of the office’s responsibilities
• Allowing sheriffs to establish a Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program
• The FortifyFL mobile suspicious activity reporting tool
• New requirements for mental health services and training
• Requirements for a safe-school officer at each public school
• School safety assessments for each public school

The Legislature recently modified the law to include provisions for the FDOE to create statewide rules for emergency drills, rather than leaving the local control with individual school districts, investigations of any failures in incident responses by local law enforcement agencies, and school resource officers and others.

The Guardian Program and requirements for safe-school officers has been difficult for districts to implement due to financial and personnel constraints. Bills to expand the law have been introduced in previous sessions.

Sources:

Dear colleague letters on the appropriate use of school resource officers and campus police. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). (2016, September). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/dear-colleague-letters-appropriate-use-school-resource-officers-and-campus-police

The Florida Senate. Senate Bill 7026 (2018) – The Florida Senate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/07026

Office of Safe Schools. Florida Department of Education Home. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.fldoe.org/safe-schools/

Sachs, S. (2022, June 7). Florida active shooter drills run by FDOE if Desantis signs bill. WFLA. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-active-shooter-drills-run-by-fdoe-if-desantis-signs-bill/

Spencer, T. (2019, January 2). Parkland Commission oks recommendation to arm teachers in Florida. Treasure Coast. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/2019/01/02/parkland-commission-arm-teachers-florida/2466461002/