Top Stories in Literacy: March 19

Charter school backers find little support for proposals
The charter school lobby came to Tallahassee with an ambitious agenda: Win a share of school districts’ construction dollars; Create a separate high school sports association; Empower parents to demand charter-school conversions. But they fell short on almost all counts.

State budget basses with First Coast feeling pros and cons
Mixed within the state’s $70 billion budget, approved late Friday, is a host of goodies for Northeast Florida. The budget provision with the most buzz has been a $1.1 billion statewide boost for public education.

PHCC sees fewer adults seeking GED
This academic year, 400 students are enrolled in PHCC’s Adult Basic Education courses for those tested as performing below the ninth-grade standard. That’s a decrease of 170 students, or a 30 percent decrease compared with the 570 who were enrolled in 2010-11.

GED Assessment has new chapter available
Chapter 3, the final chapter,  focuses on the content passage specifications and selection criteria as well as the scoring of extended response items (writing tasks) on literacy and social studies making The Assessment Guide for Educators a comprehensive and definitive source.

Top Stories in Literacy: March 12

Adult Education Programs at Daytona State College Hit Hard by Fees
The 50.5 percent drop in enrollment occurred this spring semester at campuses in Volusia and Flagler counties compared to spring 2011. The drop is slightly higher than the 48.3 percent the college saw in the fall compared to fall of 2010.

Public Pressure Works as State Funds Return to Flagler’s Disabled Adults Services
It was a close call, but as of today (March 2), the Flagler County school district will not lose some $600,000 in state funds to run several programs for the disabled in its Adult Education division. In essence, most–but not all–of the 18 jobs in the division will be saved.

Parent Trigger Debate: Florida’s Controversial Parent Trigger Bill for Failing Schools
The “parent trigger” bill has prompted an outcry from critics, who view it as a way to snatch power from local school boards and convince parents to turn public campuses over to private companies.

Program Helps Unemployed Land Jobs
A Miami-Dade College program that once helped displaced homemakers is seeing more laid-off workers and retirees trying to get back into the job market. Computer classes most popular.