School choice for families, including tax credit scholarships, prekindergarten vouchers, scholarships for students with disabilities, charter schools and virtual schools.

Funding for achievement, including performance bonuses for teachers and consolidation of funding to target failing schools.

The dinner is the chamber’s largest annual event. Member tickets are $145, nonmembers $175, and member tables of 10 are $1,450.

For the rest of the article, go to Morris Chamber dinner: Jeb Bush to share school reform ideas

1. The acquisition of mission-critical tools that foster collaboration and enable effective communication;
2. The implementation of a flexible, focused curriculum that can be tailored to the individual student;
3. The relevant, timely, and in-depth training of all stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, and parents; and,
4. The development of an immediate, effective technical and academic support system.

Ultimately, Weaver told attendees at the FETC 2012 National Conference Wednesday, true success requires “a partnership between the curriculum provider and the local virtual school,” focused on delivering high-quality, individualized learning.

For the rest of the article, go to The 4 Keys to a Successful Online School

Florida Virtual School reported scores that averaged 12 percentage points higher than conventional high schools on the 2011 AP exams. The Internet-based school offered 15 AP courses to 3,053 students, an 18 percent increase from the previous year.

Some 58 percent of FLVS test-takers achieved qualifying scores of 3, 4 or 5, compared with 46 percent at conventional campuses around Florida. The FLVS success rate matched the national average.

For the rest of the article, go to Spending $2,159 Less Per Student, Online School Outscores Florida Campuses on AP Exams

MANATEE – Manatee County parents have until Feb. 3 to participate in school choice, an option that already is appealing to more than 30 percent of the district’s 45,000 students.

With magnet programs at 10 elementary and middle schools, 20 career academies among the county’s six high schools, and increased choices among charter schools, dual enrollment and virtual schools, district officials expect even more families to exercise their right of choice this coming year.

The Feb. 3 deadline is only for families participating in open enrollment, which allows parents to send their children to a school other than their assigned “go-to” school based on geography.

A charter school is just one of the options the district is exploring to provide more choices for parents at a time when traditional public schools are drawing increasing competition from charter schools, private schools and virtual schools.

The school district also is considering creating magnet programs that would allow some elementary schools to focus on a specific academic area. Students zoned for other schools then could apply to attend.

For the rest of the article, go to Pasco school district mulls a charter school

“She could drive me, so it was really convenient,” said Dombrowski, who racked up his college credits during the school year and over the summer high school break. “I didn’t have to deal with the transportation problems that a lot of kids who don’t have their license have.”

And the price was right.

“That I don’t have to pay for tuition or books was a major factor in me wanting to dual enroll,” he said.

For the rest of the article, go to Pasco High student gets head start on college with extra classes

Those online courses generally are provided by the Florida Virtual School and Florida Connections Academy, both approved by the state. Students take the courses at no cost and their respective school districts pay the tuition fees.

Treasure Coast educators want to develop a locally produced virtual school program that would use and pay local teachers, not online teachers from out of the area.

For the rest of the article, go to Editorial: School district cooperation evident in creation of Treasure Coast virtual school

How can parents decide?

First, remember that all children are different and what works for one family may not work for yours, said Heather Lambie, a mother of two at the private Canterbury School of Florida.

“You know your child best,” she said, “so you know what their comfort level is, academically and socially.”

For the rest of the article, go to Parents share tips on finding the school that fits

Florida Virtual School’s cheerleaders argue that it educates students faster, better and cheaper than traditional schools. Faster and cheaper, perhaps. The school touts a bargain price, saying it saves $2,100 per pupil compared with regular schools. But better? As Tampa Bay Times staff writers Rebecca Catalanello and Marlene Sokol reported last Sunday, those performance claims often overreach, and true accountability — so valued by legislators in traditional public schools — is spotty at best.

For the rest of the article, go to Limits of online education

Home school students could also choose virtual classes a la carte if the bill is approved.

Another bill would aid students who want to graduate high school in less than four years without reducing funding at their high school. Schools would receive four years’ worth of funding for each student, even if those students took additional classes to graduate early.

For the rest of the article, go to Budget and School Choice Lead Florida Education Agenda