The Core

Florida Schools Receive $129.3 Million In Funding For Outstanding Academic Performance
Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg recently announced $129.3 million in funding to 1,612 Florida schools in recognition of their academic achievement and improvement during the 2006-2007 school year. Under the state’s School Recognition Program, schools that achieve an "A" based on the school grading criteria or improve at least one grade from the previous year are awarded $100 per student. Since the program began in 1999, Florida has awarded more than $982 million in school recognition funding. To read the full story, visit www.fldoe.org.

2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress Results Highlight Florida’s Successes
Governor Charlie Crist and Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg recently announced Florida's results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Florida again surpassed the national average in both fourth grade reading and mathematics and, for the first time, matched the national average for eighth grade reading. Florida was one of only four states with significant increases in both fourth and eighth grade reading since 2005. Minority students and students with disabilities also met or exceeded the performance of students nationally. For the fourth grade and eighth grade reading and math results, visit www.fldoe.org/news/2007/2007_09_25.asp.

Commissioner Blomberg Announces 2007 Principal Achievement Award Winners
Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg recently announced the winners of the 2007 Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership during the Fourth Annual Commissioner's Summit for Principals hosted by the Department of Education and the Florida Association of School Administrators.

Established in 1988, the Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership recognizes school administrators for increasing student achievement performance levels, establishing community partnerships and parental involvement, providing assistance for at-risk and special needs students, and developing innovative strategies to positively impact the school and learning environment. For more on the story, visit www.fldoe.org.

Department of Education Holds 2007 K-12 Conference and Innovation Fair
The Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Foundation kicked off the 2007 K-12 Conference and Innovation Fair at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando on Oct. 2. The four-day conference welcomed more than 650 educators from around the state to learn about innovative and exciting advances in education reform, new approaches to improving student achievement, and redesigning teacher compensation. For more information, visit www.fldoe.org.

Teacher Talk: Season Two
The new season of Teacher Talk: An Inside Look At Florida Education, will begin airing October 11. During this episode, you will be introduced to the 2008 Macy’s Florida Teacher of the Year, learn more about the new World Class Math Standards, and Reading and Language Arts Standards. Show host Nicole Flesvig, Department of Education Teacher Liaison, will also provide you a glimpse of the revised Sunshine State Standards, information on the school grading process and school recognition.

Teacher Talk focuses on Florida teachers and their innovations both in and out of the classroom. In addition, the show also features discussions on hot topics in education, information on legislative changes impacting the K-12 education system and will highlight educational resources available to teachers, parents, and students.

Tune in to the Florida Education Channel, DISH 9418, the Florida Knowledge Network®, carried on your local public television network, or your local education channel for broadcast times. To view the show online, visit the Just for Teachers Web site at www.fldoe.org/justforteachers/TV.

Arts for Life! Scholarship Program
Former First Lady Columba Bush established in 1999 the Arts for Life! Scholarship Program, which is now administered by the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The program recognizes the exceptional talents of 25 high school seniors in a Florida public, private or home education school setting who demonstrate academic and artistic excellence in the visual arts, dance, music or theatre. Students interested in the program must complete an application, provide a sample of work and write an essay briefly explaining the influence of art and its role in their future. Each spring, scholarship recipients are recognized and awarded $1,000 during a reception hosted by Mrs. Bush in their honor.

For more information on the Arts for Life! Scholarship Program, contact Lisa Kammel Raguso at (850) 345-6284 or lisa@excelined.org. To download an application, visit www.excelined.org.

Florida’s Community College LINCCWeb Offers Greater Search Options For Students
Students looking for information on LINCCWeb (www.linccweb.org), Florida’s Community College library information portal, can now enjoy more advanced search capabilities and comprehensive search results.

The College Center for Library Automation (CCLA), which hosts LINCCWeb, recently implemented a new version of MetaLib software. MetaLib 4.0 operates behind the scenes in LINCCWeb, allowing students to simultaneously search across multiple databases.

Florida’s CCLA is the first organization to use the new technology in the United States, and only the second in the world. MetaLib developer Ex Libris selected only six institutions nationwide to participate as early adopters; CCLA is the only shared library system among the group. Other MetaLib 4.0 early adopters include Boston College, Brown University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, California Digital Library, and the University of Minnesota.

Seeds of Success

Bay County Student Selected As Finalist in Discovery Channel’s Young Scientist Challenge
Sarah Warkander of Jinks Middle School in Bay County was recently chosen as one of 37 students from Florida to compete in The Discovery Channel’s Young Scientist Challenge.

Sarah received one of 10 Discovery Young Scientists local awards at the Three Rivers Science and Engineering Fair. Her project, “A Study of Environmental Factors on the Tropic Responses of Acer rubrum (Red Maple)” was submitted to the national competition. For the complete story, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/09-26-2.asp.

Music Grant Awarded To Schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties
Middle schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties recently received a grant to purchase musical instruments. Bravo for Kids, a program to provide musical instruments to students, presented the counties with the grant money valued at nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Students were able to take ownership of the instruments at an award ceremony. For more information on Bravo for Kids, visit www.bravoforkids.org.

Englewood Teacher Receives Funding to Field Test Innovative Photonics Curriculum
Bill Pugh of Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., was recently granted funding by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) to field test a photonics curriculum developed through PHOTON problem-based learning (PBL). This three-year, $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is the fourth in a series that finances curriculum and professional development projects that strengthen photonics curriculum in secondary schools and two- and four-year colleges in New England and throughout the country. The new grant employs PBL in which students solve real-world “challenges” presented by industry and research partners. To read more about this story, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/09-27.asp.

Brevard Public Schools Selected by AARP as Best Employer for Workers Over 50 for the Third Straight Year
For the third straight year, Brevard Public Schools (BPS) has been named by AARP as one of the Best Employers for Workers Over 50, and is the only school district in the nation to be recognized. The national award was established by AARP to honor employers showing a commitment to an aging workforce. For 2007, BPS ranked 14th among the top 50 employers identified by AARP. Read more at www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/09-27-2.asp.

Branching Out

Florida College Access Network Conference
Oct. 10-12, 2007
InterContinental Hotel
Tampa, Fla.

The Third Annual Florida College Access Network (FCAN) Conference "Appreciating the Past: Building for Our Future" will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, Tampa, Fla., Oct. 10-12. The FCAN Conference is the Florida Department of Education’s flagship event for schools, colleges, educational institutions and organizations that promote improving college access for Florida’s students. FCAN encourages collaboration among people who are committed to increasing the number of Florida's college-bound high school graduates. Individuals interested in intercultural issues, parental involvement, and ways to improve student achievement should attend this event. The Network focuses primarily on services and educational resources that address specific needs of historically underrepresented students: racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. To learn more about the Conference or to register, visit www.fldoe.org/FCAN/conference.asp.

2008 Effective Strategies Institute
Jan. 15-18, 2008
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort
Daytona Beach, Fla.

The 2008 Effective Strategies Institute will be held Jan. 15-18, 2008, at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Institute is sponsored by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC), the Florida Department of Education, 21st Century Community Learning Centers of Florida, the University of Florida, Communities in Schools of Florida, Inc., and the Florida Association of Alternative School Educators.

The Institute will feature three nationally renowned keynote speakers, including Dr. Krystal Kuykendall and U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Consuelo Kickbush. There will be more than 60 workshops representing district, state, and national research-based instructional strategies and best practices in dropout prevention and Exceptional Student Educational programs.

District administrators, teachers, student services personnel, and program coordinators who provide services to students at risk of not graduating from high school are encouraged to attend.

To register and submit proposals for presentation, please visit the National Dropout Prevention Center Web site at www.dropoutprevention.org/ndpcdefault.htm, and click on “2008 Effective Strategies Institute.” The registration fee is $195.00 before Dec. 21, 2007. After that date, the registration fee will be $225.00. Institute attendees are encouraged to make room reservations at the host hotel by Dec. 31, 2007, to obtain the conference rate of $134.00 per night.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to The Core, click here.
For more information on this electronic newsletter, please e-mail thecore@fldoe.org.