Local School Topics

Voucher Program Update: Florida

Updated
|
Voucher Program Update: Florida
Many states now offer voucher programs. We look at the voucher program available in Florida.

I wrote my first article on vouchers in 2008. While the media portrays it as a controversial issue, I have always tried to take a balanced approach when I write about vouchers. School Choice: Vouchers, Scholarships, and More; Vouchers aka Tax Credits and Scholarships; What Strings Do School Vouchers Have Attached?; Charter Schools and Vouchers illustrate my thoughts on the subject.

This time, because so much more information about voucher programs is available, I asked an authoritative source to answer my questions on your behalf.

Rob K: What is the purpose of a private school voucher program?

ChatGPT: A private school voucher program aims to provide families with publicly-funded scholarships or vouchers that can be used to pay for tuition at private schools rather than at public schools. The goal of such programs is typically to increase school choice and provide families with access to educational options that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Proponents of voucher programs argue that they promote competition among schools and can help improve education quality by giving families more options and forcing schools to compete for students. They also argue that voucher programs can help to reduce educational inequality by providing low-income families access to high-quality private schools that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Critics of voucher programs argue that they divert public funds away from public schools, which can lead to reduced resources

. . .read more

New York City Schools: Most Segregated in the Nation

Updated
|
New York City Schools: Most Segregated in the Nation
A recent report reveals that public schools in New York isolate students not only by race, but also by socioeconomic status. In this article, we examine the extent of segregation in New York’s schools, its causes, and potential solutions to this problem.

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Yet, 60 years later, public schools across the nation continue to be highly segregated based on race and socioeconomic status. Curiously, America’s most segregated schools are not in the Deep South, but in New York, a state that has expansive ethnic, cultural, social, and economic diversity. Perhaps even more surprising, New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world, also has one of the most segregated school districts in the country.

Segregation by the Numbers

According to a report by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, school segregation in New York is widespread and occurs not just in metropolitan New York City, but also in rural areas and in urban locales upstate. However, as the nation’s largest public school system with 1.1 million students, the New York City Public Schools greatly influence the depth and breadth of the segregation problem. And a significant problem it is. Although the number of Asian and Latino students has dramatically increased since the late 1980s, exposure of these groups to white students has decreased. In fact, of New York City’s 32 school districts, 19 had less than 10 percent white enrollment as recently as 2010. Some of New York City’s schools, particularly charter and magnet schools, are identified by the authors of the report as being so segregated that they are classified

. . .read more

Florida Schools: Broward County Bus Service Issues

Updated
|
Florida Schools: Broward County Bus Service Issues
The first day of school in Broward County resulted in six students getting dropped off by their bus in the wrong city after school. Not a good start for a district that promised better bus service for the new school year. Will a lawsuit follow?

Broward County began the school year with high expectations for their bus service. The district purchased new buses and brought on new drivers in hopes of raising their level of service. Throughout the first few weeks of the previous school year, transportation officials were inundated with complaints from parents about bus delays and children getting dropped off at the wrong location. Unfortunately, a major error on the first day of school cost the county’s bus safety another black eye even before the school year was in full swing.

Kids Left at Wrong Stop, in Wrong City

The Huffington Post reports that seven students between the ages of 10 and 13 were dropped off in the wrong city on the first day at Forest Glen Middle School. Instead of getting dropped off at their Coral Springs stop just a few minutes from the school, the students got off the bus seven miles away in Pompano Beach. The students were left near Broward Health North Hospital in Pompano Beach, according to NBC Miami.

The students involved in the incident told the bus driver he was going the wrong way, but he refused to stop, the Huffington Post reported. One of the students contacted her father by cell phone. The parent asked to talk to the bus driver, but the students said the bus driver refused to take the phone. As one might suspect, many of the parents of the students have called the

. . .read more

Massachusetts: Boston Public Schools Offer Free Lunches

Updated
|
Massachusetts: Boston Public Schools Offer Free Lunches
Kids in Boston Public Schools will enjoy free lunches this year, thanks to participation in a federal program that cuts out paperwork required to prove eligibility for the free lunch program.
Free lunches for all kids at Boston Public Schools

This year, Boston Public Schools students will be returning to free lunches when they return to school. The large district recently joined a national program that serves free meals to all students, regardless of income level. This program eliminates the need for families to complete paperwork involving sensitive information like income amounts and ensures every student has access to a hot, nutritious lunch as part of their daily learning experience.

No Paperwork Required

The Boston Globe reports that the district has signed on to a federal initiative designed to simplify the process of offering free or reduced-price lunches to low-income students in a district. In some cases, the process of qualifying for affordable meals in school meant filling out complex paperwork that families might not always understand. For example, families in Boston Public Schools speak as many as 100 different languages, which meant that even forms completed in English might be difficult for some parents to comprehend completely.

This video explains how the Community Eligibility Option works in detail.

In addition, the process of receiving free lunches can create a socio-economic divide in some schools, as some students get free food and others had to pay for it. While many students used identification cards which made the process more discreet, some students still pay for their meals with cash. By allowing every student access to a free meal, needy students

. . .read more

Virginia Schools: Expanded Soda Ban At Some Fairfax County Schools

Updated
|
Virginia Schools: Expanded Soda Ban At Some Fairfax County Schools
Seven schools in this large district will be piloting a new soda ban that will keep the bubbly stuff away from students during school hours, as well as during afterschool activities.

Students heading back to school in Fairfax County may be doing so without access to some of the sugary drinks they love most. This large school district is experimenting with a pilot program that bans sugar-filled soft drinks on school property – both during school hours and after. If the pilot program is a success, sodas may be removed from schools on a larger, county-wide scale.

Banning “Public Enemy Number One”

The new soda ban comes on the heels of recent media reports likening soda to “public enemy number one.” Studies continue to support the fact that soda consumption is linked to the obesity crisis in the United States, as well as a host of other potential health problems. A recent report at Fox News cited a study from Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City that showed precisely how the body responds to soda consumption.

“The main thing is excess calories,” Dr. Christopher Ochner, assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, explained to Fox. “If everything else in their diet is equal, a person who has a can of coke a day adds an extra 14.5 pounds per year, just from the calories alone.”

Ochner adds that some studies have suggested that all calories are not created equal in terms of how the body processes them. Those that come directly from sugar may be more easily turned into fat by the

. . .read more

Recent Articles

Public Schools Struggle to Accommodate Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Public Schools Struggle to Accommodate Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Undocumented and unaccompanied migrant children, particularly among Hispanic populations, are rapidly increasing in number, especially in the southern United States. Federal law requires public schools to provide services to all children. Yet, many schools are struggling to accommodate this new wave of potential students who come to them without parents or guardians, while some municipalities are flat out refusing to accommodate these children.
Voucher Program Update: Florida
Voucher Program Update: Florida
Many states now offer voucher programs. We look at the voucher program available in Florida.
Have Smartphones Ruined Public Education?
March 06, 2023
Have Smartphones Ruined Public Education?
I used to think that students having smartphones in school was a bad thing. Not any more. Here are my reasons why.

Local School Topics

EASTERN STATES
School districts and schools on the east coast of the United States
New York City Schools: Most Segregated in the Nation
New York City Schools: Most Segregated in the Nation
Philadelphia Schools: Home To One of the Most Dangerous Schools in U.S.
Philadelphia Schools: Home To One of the Most Dangerous Schools in U.S.
New York City Schools: Sex-Ed Mandated
New York City Schools: Sex-Ed Mandated
SOUTHERN STATES
School districts and schools in the southern states of the United States
Florida Schools: New Grading System
Florida Schools: New Grading System
North Carolina Schools: History and Overview Of Wake County Schools
North Carolina Schools: History and Overview Of Wake County Schools
Georgia Schools: Posh New High School Serving Atlanta
Georgia Schools: Posh New High School Serving Atlanta