Southern States

In a bizarre twist of events, the leadership team at an Atlanta high school has recently been ousted in anticipation of “fresh blood” that is being brought in to oversee the school. However, what is concerning students and parents at the school is not necesarily that the current team is leaving, but rather how they were dismissed. Vague letters of explanation about the sudden transition did little to ease anxiety, and now parents are demanding that Atlanta Public Schools comes clean about its abrupt dismissal of their beloved principal and five members of his leadership staff.

Sudden Dismissal and a Security Escort

According to a report at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the dismissal came just prior to the end of the school day on a Friday afternoon. Principal Mark Mygrant was just getting ready to make bus announcements for the end of the day, when district officials showed up at the school. Deputy Superintendent Karen Walden, flanked by the interim HR director and security personnel, told Mygrant it was time for him to pack his things and exit North Atlanta High School, where he had been the principal for the past five years. Security officers then escorted Mygrant out of the building, in plain view of parents, teachers and students.

“I was at work when Karen Walden and the interim HR director came in and informed me that my services were no longer needed,” Mygrant explained to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I asked if I should

In anticipation of Florida’s new grading system, and in light of the potential fallout that is to follow, the state is providing special guidelines for Florida public schools this year. While the one-year rule will keep school ratings relatively consistent over the next year, some worry that once the new system goes into place, Florida schools are going to struggle to meet minimum standards in many areas of the state.

This TEDTalk discusses the downsides of a traditional grading system.

The Need for a New System

Like other states across the country, Florida will not be able to meet 100-percent proficiency requirements by 2014, as mandated under the No Child Left Behind Act. The state has applied for an NCLB waiver but must meet certain criteria set by the federal government in order to have that waiver approved. According to the Miami Herald, the Florida Board of Education recently voted for changes that will be necessary in order to receive waiver approval.

The five new amendments will comply with new No Child Left Behind waiver rules, as well as the current Florida statute. All of the amendments deal directly with the state-issued grading system used for schools, which is used to hold schools accountable under state and federal law. The changes come simultaneously with higher passing scores on standardized tests. While educators agree the bar should be raised, there is some

If Governor Rick Scott has his way, Florida schools will see a boost to their budget this year. That is good news for schools pinching their pennies as budgets have dwindled in recent years due to increased students and falling property values. However, the additional money won’t come without a cost, as Scott wants to move funds from the prison system and Medicaid program to offer more funding for the public school system.

Education aTop Priority in Florida

According to a report at Tampa Bay Online, Scott is making a dramatic shift in policy by citing education as one of the top priorities for the state of Florida this year. Last year, the governor was criticized by Florida residents for slashing the education budget by $1.3 billion, which amounted to over $500 per student. The total cut was less than the governor had requested, decreasing from a 10-percent cut in his initial request to an eight-percent cut approved by the Florida legislature.

This year, Scott wants to boost the public school budget by $1 billion, bringing it closer to what it was prior to last year’s decreases. The change of heart by the governor may be attributed to a number of factors. First, in town meetings across the state, Scott heard time and time again how important education was to Florida residents.

“They [Floridians] want education to be a priority,” Scott explained to HT Politics. “I’m committed to act on what I’ve heard.”

The state

It is a high school student's worst nightmare: to have the secondary school he or she attends lose accreditation, directly impacting the student's ability to obtain scholarships or even get admitted to the college of his choice. However, that is exactly the situation facing students and parents in Atlanta Public Schools, where an educational standards agency has placed the entire school district on probation and in danger of losing its accreditation before the end of 2011. We will take a look at just how Atlanta ended up in this situation, and what the school board plans to do to survive the probationary period and come out of it with their accreditation still intact.

Reason for Investigation

The accrediting agency AdvancED was notified of potential problems in the Atlanta school district last year, when bickering among school board members became a matter of public concern. AdvancED scheduled an onsite visit in December to review board documents and make necessary recommendations. At that visit, the accrediting agency found the Atlanta school system's board has failed to meet standards on governance and leadership, according to a report by the Associated Press at Google News.

CEO of AdvancED, Mark Elgart, said at a news conference, "The reason for probation is the issues are serious. They not only affect the effective governance of the board but they affect the future direction of the school system and its ability to provide a quality education for all students." A report in