News & Public Affairs
The Great American Teach-In aims to showcase careers despite pallid job market listen
11/18/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Education, Pinellas County Schools, economy, unemployment, jobs
It’s not often that you’ll find an artist, a banker, and an archaeologist talking shop under one roof. Today at schools throughout Pinellas County, the Great American Teach-In brought professionals from a broad range of fields into classrooms to teach students about life on the career path. This comes at a time when many students are personally experiencing the ravages of a gutted job market.
Any generation that came of age after World War II but before the millennium was brought up with t...
Be the first to commentPinellas schools consider swapping fundamental, Montessori programs listen
11/09/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Pinellas Schools, St. Petersburg, Gulfport, education, Montessori, fundamental schools
It’s no secret that many public schools in Florida are disappointing at best. The Pinellas County School Board is trying to makes some tweaks to the system to boost results, but one of these changes has two South Pinellas communities up in arms. Deputy Superintendent Jim Madden says the draft of the county’s Student Achievement Proposal takes a long view of student success.
Be the first to comment"We're trying to look at our district from say, like the 30,000 foot level, and saying 'how are we structured school...
Students from Akilah Institute for Women in Rwanda tour Tampa listen
09/29/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Akilah Institute, Africa, Rwanda, education
A Tampa native is helping to educate women in war-torn Rwanda. Elizabeth Dearborn Davis, the co-founder and CEO of the Akilah Institue for Women, has brought two of her students to the United States to tell people about Akilah. Anita Umutoni is a student at the Akilah Istitute for Women.
Rwandans study French in grade school, but are learning English at the Akilah Institute for Women.
Because of her training at Akilah, Anita Umutoni is able to work as a re...
Be the first to commentJeb's claim that student performance not affected by class size refuted by NEA president listen
08/27/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Race to the Top, education, NEA, Jeb Bush, NCLB
In 2002, then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was caught admitting he had “devious plans” to overturn the class size amendment that voters added to the state constitution that year. In Utah on Tuesday, Bush told officials he didn’t know of any research suggesting that lower class sizes impacts student learning. But the president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel begs to differ.
We [spoke with him yesterday](http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/national-education-association-presi...
Be the first to commentNational Education Association president questions competitive education grants listen
08/26/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Race to the Top, education, NEA, Jeb Bush, NCLB
Congress could reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act later this year. But what it looks like could depend on input from educators. The president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, is in Tampa today for a town-hall meeting with teachers.
This morning, WMNF spoke with Van Roekel in our studios about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, No Child Left Behind, and Florida’s recent successful [Race to the Top](http://www.wmnf...
Be the first to commentSink comments on her UCF - USF gaffe listen
05/10/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: USF, Alex Sink, UCF, education
The state’s Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, made a faux pas when speaking at the graduation ceremony at the University of Central Florida (UCF) on Friday. Sink now has to explain her embarrassing mix-up where she referred to UCF as USF. She was booed by UCF students when she referred to the school by the initials of its cross-state rival, the University of South Florida (USF). By the following day, Alex Sink attempted to gracefully brush off the gaffe.
Be the first to comment“Well, I had an unfortunate slip...
Crist vetoes controversial teacher bill SB 6 listen
04/15/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: SB6, Charlie Crist, education, veto, teacher pay, teacher tenure
Shortly after noon today, Governor Charlie Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6, a controversial education bill that would have tied teacher pay and evaluations to student scores on standardized tests.
Crist said several issues of concern led him to veto.
There was a huge backlash against SB 6 before and after it was passed last Thursday. That includes students walking out of classes, teachers calling in sick, and rallies across the state. Crist acknowledged he was influenced by the bill’s oppone...
1 commentsCFO candidate Loranne Ausley calls for Crist to veto SB 6 listen
04/14/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Loranne Ausley, Charlie Crist, SB6, teacher pay, teacher tenure, education
Pressure is growing on Governor Charlie Crist to veto SB 6 – the controversial bill passed last week by the Florida Legislature to tie teacher evaluations and pay to student performance on standardized tests.
Even some Republicans running for statewide office oppose SB 6, including gubernatorial candidate Paula Dockery who voted against it in the Senate.
All Democrats running for statewide office oppose it. That includes Loranne Ausley, a former state legislator who is running to beco...
Be the first to commentMiami-Dade Teachers Union Leader Doesn't Condone "Sick-Out" Actions Over SB 6 listen
04/12/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Charlie Crist, SB6, Senate Bill 6, Miami-Dade County, education, unions
Today, some South Florida teachers held a “sick-out” to protest Senate Bill 6. Gov. Charlie Crist has until Friday to veto the bill, which will link teacher pay to student performance, among other things. One quarter of Miami-Dade County teachers called in sick, apparently to protest the bill. United Teachers of Dade president Karen Aronowitz told WMNF that her group did not support the sick out, but that SB 6 would sti...
Be the first to commentNot All Teachers Oppose SB 6 listen
04/12/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Senate Bill 6, SB6, Gulfport, education
Not all teachers oppose Senate Bill 6. Fran Strayhorn is a kindergarten teacher at Gulfport Montessori She said it would force teachers to work harder.
While the bill’s opponents say it would place an undue burden on educators while leaving families off the hook when it comes to student success, Strayhorn says someone has to take up the slack.
She said that to expect some families to step up their involvement in their children’s education is ...
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