Local School Topics

Brevard County is making some tough decisions for the upcoming school year, including the closures of some Florida schools. According to the Brevard School Board, the decisions are purely financial, as the district struggles to overcome a $30 million shortfall. However, proposed closures have failed to make much of a dent in that massive shortfall, and the controversy generated by the closures may be far-reaching regarding who will keep their seats on the board in upcoming elections. Despite the protests of students, parents, and teachers, it appears that Brevard County will follow through with school closure plans.

Three Schools to Close in Brevard

WFTV reports that the Brevard County School Board has officially voted to close three schools in the county next year. The three schools on the list include South Lake Elementary, Gardendale Elementary, and Clearlake Middle School. Another school that had been on the proposed chopping block, Sea Park Elementary, was allowed to remain open by a narrow 3-2 vote in its favor. South Lake Elementary and Gardendale both lost the votes to remain open by 3 to 2. Board members voted 4-1 to close Clearlake Middle School.

Some parents with students at the school took the closure news very hard – with some reacting emotionally at the school board meeting and others vowing to fight for their neighborhood schools.

“I will make it my passion for the next two years to make sure everybody who voted to these

In the aftermath of numerous shootings at schools and elsewhere that plagued the nation during 2012, school districts around the country are reevaluating the effectiveness of their safety plans. In Alabama, one of the largest school districts in the country, Mobile County, is joining with the rest of the districts in the state to establish active shooter policies and other changes to school safety. The proposed changes are accompanied by plenty of debate, as districts are forced to look at controversial policies involving gun ownership and armed security in public schools.

This video offers an active shooter emergency plan from the Federal Government.

Active Shooter Policies First on Drawing Board

AL.com reports that the first policies to be given serious consideration by the state board of education will be those involving active shooter scenarios. The board recently voted unanimously to approve a resolution to implement a new active shooter policy in all public schools throughout the state. This new policy includes annual active shooter drills, with training for school staff to be overseen by the Alabama Department of Homeland Security.

“We want to make it more difficult for the bad guys to get access to our schools,” Mary Scott Hunter, a member of the board of education, told AL.com.

According to Dothan First, the active shooter drill will differ from the standard “lockdown” exercises previously done in schools. The new

Struggling schools in Kentucky may face a double-whammy this year, with potential takeovers in sight even as the state’s commissioner of education makes “reckless” statements regarding the quality of education in some parts of his state. At the focus of the controversy is Jefferson County, one of the largest school districts in Kentucky and across the country. While some say the county is making positive progress in turning around its schools, other believe the progress is too slow to provide the necessary academic benefit to many of the youth in Jefferson County.

Comments Fuel Fire

The Courier-Journal reports that the commissioner of education for Kentucky, Dr. Terry Holliday, recent referred to the lack of progress in low-performing Jefferson County schools as “academic genocide.” He also likened the difference in education quality among schools in the county to “apartheid.” The comments drew fire from students, parents, teachers and the school board for the county. Shortly after the comments were made, the Jefferson County school board issued a joint statement, which was quoted in the Courier-Journal as saying:

“Dr. Holliday accused JCPS of committing ‘academic genocide’ on Louisville students and compared JCPS ‘apartheid’. We emphatically reject this characterization of our district and the work of JCPS’s 16,000 employees. We are concerned this reckless language will distract from the real issue of increasing student achievement by starting yet another squabble among adults, about adults.”

Despite the protests of the school board, Holliday has stated that he chose

Parents of high school students in the Boston area will be happy to know ratings are out for the top secondary schools in the city and its suburbs. Boston Magazine provides its annual list based on a number of factors that are carefully calculated into a single formula for ranking purposes. The magazine also breaks down rankings by various characteristics to make it easy for parents and students to get a complete picture of how schools across the city perform.

This video offers a look at how a survey is done.

How the Rankings are Calculated

According to Boston Magazine, there are 13 factors that go into the calculations for the annual rankings. The most weight was given to academic factors since the primary function of public schools is to provide a solid education to students. The criteria under academic performance included test scores for national tests like the SAT, as well as standardized examinations for the state. The magazine also took into consideration completion rates and the number of students heading to college after graduation.

Other factors that were not given as much weight but are still considered in the final calculations include the availability of extracurricular activities, such as clubs and sports. While these opportunities do not factor directly into academic performance, they do cultivate leadership and team-building skills, and they are valuable for beefing up college and employment

College preparation is one of the concerns facing secondary public schools across the country. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, one of the largest school districts in the country, one solution to ensuring college preparedness may be found at an innovative high school that combines high school and college for a rich academic experience. Cato Middle College High was created as a prototype for the rest of the state, allowing high school juniors and seniors a taste of the college experience while they are still finishing high school requirements.

About Cato Middle College High School

Cato was established by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district in 2007, as North Carolina’s first Middle College program. The school is located on the Cato Campus of Central Piedmont Community College, where students take both high school courses and earn college credits simultaneously. Only 100 students are enrolled at Cato at any given time, which ensures students get plenty of personalized attention from instructors while they are getting a head start in their college endeavors.

In this video, students describe some of the happenings at Cato.

Students take the last two years of their high school classes while on this campus. This typically consists of Advanced Placement or honors coursework. At the same time, students may take college classes through Central Piedmont Community College, tuition-free. Students can choose from any of the Central Piedmont campuses, taking courses in classrooms that are up