Education

During his final State of the State address this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the state's graduation rate for 2024-25 as the highest ever. Additionally, some significant gains have been reported across the northwest portion of the state.

Private school owners continue to face financial struggles after the state dramatically expanded the school voucher program in 2023 and struggled to pay them in timely fashion.

Governor Ron DeSantis has named two more members to the Florida Board of Education, and reappointed a third.

A National Council on Teacher Quality report found almost two-thirds of the state's teacher preparation programs need to work on attracting and graduating more diverse teacher candidates.

The Campus Guardian Angel CEO says the idea of using drones to protect school children came from conversations with Ukrainian soldiers.

The new standards the board voted for on Thursday offer deeper analysis of the topic, guidelines for specific courses, material for students with special needs and paves the way to find textbooks that are "aligned" with the curriculum. The board also unanimously voted to make Florida the first state to adopt the Phoenix Declaration, a playbook for education outlined by a conservative think tank.

Education leaders watching how immigration policies affect schools expect classrooms to get emptier every year, but this year, they were caught off guard by falling enrollment rates in some of Florida’s largest districts.

Legislators on the PreK-12 budget subcommittee grilled voucher funding executives and one state education department director in search for answers on how to avoid another multi-million-dollar crisis as the popular school choice program expands.

The bills will be considered once the legislature reconvenes on January 13.

Doug Broxson is beginning a new chapter of public service. Term-limited as state senator, Broxson has been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve on the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System.