Tampabay.com
NOVEMBER 29, 2009

Florida education news: Walking to school, giving college advice, seeking grants and more

Pas_stroll112909_96114c TAKE A HIKE: More than 40 children trek from their neighborhood to nearby Trinity Elementary in Pasco as part of a walking school bus. It gets them some exercise, while also easing school traffic. (Times photo, Keri Wiginton)

DO THE RIGHT THING: Across the nation (starting with the University of Miami), college students convince their administrations to dump Russell Athletic America as their T-shirt providers until the company reformed its personnel practices, columnist Robyn Blumner writes.

SOMETHING SPECIAL: A tiny Miami-Dade private school provides customized education for its students and reaps big results, the Miami Herald reports.

CLASS SIZE CONCERNS: A coalition of central Florida school districts says full implementation of the class size amendment will force decisions that are not educationally or fiscally sound, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

MEETING NEEDS: Jacksonville University reforms its teacher education program to put lessons more in line with what area schools are looking for, the Florida Times-Union reports.

COLLEGE QUESTIONS? Ask Ali. She's a former Sarasota high school student who now blogs about how to get into college, the Bradenton Herald reports.

SPORTS SAFETY: Not every Lee high school has athletic trainers, putting students at risk, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

WHERE'S THE BLACK HISTORY? A task force suggests that nearly all Florida school districts fail to adequately incorporate black history into their curriculum, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

LABOR NEWS: Escambia teachers and staff seek raises despite economy, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

NOTHING FOR GRANTED: Sarasota and Manatee teachers seek grants to bolster their lessons, the Herald-Tribune reports.

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About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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THE TEAM

Rebecca Catalanello covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: rcatalanello@tampabay.com.

Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@tampabay.com.

Marlene Sokol covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail her: sokol@tampabay.com.

Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail him: matus@tampabay.com.

Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco County schools. E-mail him: solochek@tampabay.com.

Kim Wilmath covers the University of South Florida. E-mail her: kwilmath@tampabay.com.

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