A buried 2017 Legislative study blamed Florida's wage gap, "mobility" (choice), abysmal student support, and subject matter deficits in the teaching corps for our perpetual test score collapse.
I don’t know. I’m much less concerned with the details of curriculum than most activists. What I do know is they have crazy nice facilities and the kids get $10k-plus more on top of their voucher from Jenkins Foundation. That’s the exception proving the rule on vouchers and matters much more than any curriculum.
The state of Education in Florida is so horribly disturbing and it's going to be worse, now that Ronnie and the State are taking out an AP course on Black Studies, stating it has no educational substance, but they don't even state why. It's just another way we are becoming "sanitized whiteness" in our schools. All done under the guise of "parental rights"
This information is heart-breaking. Heartbreaking because parents came to my previous charter school, often in tears, looking for a safe place where their children could learn and flourish. It was soooo sad and I truly wanted to help them. I am a former public high school teacher and wanted to be helpful and useful after retiring from my corporate job. It didn’t take long for me to be blown away by the lack of regulation and grift at these schools. It literally only took minutes for me to enroll a child at one school and get a “scholarship” or voucher from the state for thousands of dollars. “Teachers,” paras and admin employees came and went continuously. This abuse will continue until the state steps up and stops these grifters and corporations from influencing our politicians and school boards. I don’t see that happening in Florida. Very, very sad. Our children deserve much better.
One of the most troubling points is the lack of support. It seems like a school has to be in turnaround before getting more people to support the campus. We need more bodies to support our growing student population.
Thank you Billy for this fact based presentation of the dismal state of public education in Florida. "Capital" Floridians make three choices. First is to move to an area where students from the "other" side don't live. Schools such as LHS and GJHS have a student or two who regularly make a perfect score on the SAT/ACT. These schools perform well because they offer many AP courses, not all schools do. These "Capital" parents also try to get their students into high quality magnet schools. If they don't " win the lottery" they send them to Lakeland Christian or All Saints or the IB schools. I know this because my business, Baum and Knowles College Advising works with HS students most of whom live in gated or "near" gated communities. In 10th grade some are performing below their parent's "expectations." Our job is to get these students to perform better and often see them improve SAT/ACT scores by 300 or more points. Poor kids cannot afford our services. When I retired after 40 years in higher education I checked to see if I could teach in my discipline at PCHSs, and discovered the amount I would be paid was pitiful. I went into business instead. Altruism lost out to a school system that would have forced me to get certified in teaching ignoring my 40 years of teaching. (I understand they have made some changes since I applied.)
But there is a bright spot which is clear in the data you present and that is Academy Prep on the corner of Memorial and Lakeland Hills Blvd. It's free and almost all the students come from low income families in the area. They test one or two grades lower than their grade upon entry in 5th grade and test one or two grades higher upon entering HS.
How do they do this? The students go to AP 11 month a year. Students arrive at 7 am and leave at either 5 or 6 pm and go to AP for eleven months a year. The long day means parents can work a full day and pick them up after work. On one Saturday a month they do a field trip for enrichment, such as a museum or a park to study local ecology. They have a "coaching" staff that arrives in the early afternoon and helps the students with their "homework." I have attended sessions with the students are making a presentation and after only two months at Academy Prep they are speaking the same English as our clients from gated neighborhoods.
Result? Almost all the students go to college and people like Barney Barnett ensure all their education is paid through college. Academy Prep follows all these students through college. The Lakeland school is relatively new but much older AP schools are in Tampa and St. Pete.
Why do I bring this up. Because the "ghetto" kids to whom we attribute later crime and imprisonment, drugs and mayhem are wasted human potential. Almost all of them could be contributing citizens to society IF we were willing to devote the time and money to model our schools after Academy Prep. Years ago I was a month-long guest of the Peoples Republic of China. I got to witness the education all students were getting in China and it was almost exactly the same as Academy Prep.
But if you are among the "elite" and can send your child to All Saints or LCS, why would you care what happens to the "ghetto" kids? It costs money but I'll bet a lifetime analysis of what the ghetto kid's contribution to society versus the graduate of Academy Prep would clearly demonstrate our country would be far better served if we modeled our education after that of schools in the most developed countries and China instead of the worst. Sadly, the will to spend the money to accomplish this strategic national goal is lacking among the elites who run our state (and nation).
I don’t know. I’m much less concerned with the details of curriculum than most activists. What I do know is they have crazy nice facilities and the kids get $10k-plus more on top of their voucher from Jenkins Foundation. That’s the exception proving the rule on vouchers and matters much more than any curriculum.
The state of Education in Florida is so horribly disturbing and it's going to be worse, now that Ronnie and the State are taking out an AP course on Black Studies, stating it has no educational substance, but they don't even state why. It's just another way we are becoming "sanitized whiteness" in our schools. All done under the guise of "parental rights"
This information is heart-breaking. Heartbreaking because parents came to my previous charter school, often in tears, looking for a safe place where their children could learn and flourish. It was soooo sad and I truly wanted to help them. I am a former public high school teacher and wanted to be helpful and useful after retiring from my corporate job. It didn’t take long for me to be blown away by the lack of regulation and grift at these schools. It literally only took minutes for me to enroll a child at one school and get a “scholarship” or voucher from the state for thousands of dollars. “Teachers,” paras and admin employees came and went continuously. This abuse will continue until the state steps up and stops these grifters and corporations from influencing our politicians and school boards. I don’t see that happening in Florida. Very, very sad. Our children deserve much better.
Grift is the purpose for many if not most of these schools so that will not be going away.
One of the most troubling points is the lack of support. It seems like a school has to be in turnaround before getting more people to support the campus. We need more bodies to support our growing student population.
Thank you Billy for this fact based presentation of the dismal state of public education in Florida. "Capital" Floridians make three choices. First is to move to an area where students from the "other" side don't live. Schools such as LHS and GJHS have a student or two who regularly make a perfect score on the SAT/ACT. These schools perform well because they offer many AP courses, not all schools do. These "Capital" parents also try to get their students into high quality magnet schools. If they don't " win the lottery" they send them to Lakeland Christian or All Saints or the IB schools. I know this because my business, Baum and Knowles College Advising works with HS students most of whom live in gated or "near" gated communities. In 10th grade some are performing below their parent's "expectations." Our job is to get these students to perform better and often see them improve SAT/ACT scores by 300 or more points. Poor kids cannot afford our services. When I retired after 40 years in higher education I checked to see if I could teach in my discipline at PCHSs, and discovered the amount I would be paid was pitiful. I went into business instead. Altruism lost out to a school system that would have forced me to get certified in teaching ignoring my 40 years of teaching. (I understand they have made some changes since I applied.)
But there is a bright spot which is clear in the data you present and that is Academy Prep on the corner of Memorial and Lakeland Hills Blvd. It's free and almost all the students come from low income families in the area. They test one or two grades lower than their grade upon entry in 5th grade and test one or two grades higher upon entering HS.
How do they do this? The students go to AP 11 month a year. Students arrive at 7 am and leave at either 5 or 6 pm and go to AP for eleven months a year. The long day means parents can work a full day and pick them up after work. On one Saturday a month they do a field trip for enrichment, such as a museum or a park to study local ecology. They have a "coaching" staff that arrives in the early afternoon and helps the students with their "homework." I have attended sessions with the students are making a presentation and after only two months at Academy Prep they are speaking the same English as our clients from gated neighborhoods.
Result? Almost all the students go to college and people like Barney Barnett ensure all their education is paid through college. Academy Prep follows all these students through college. The Lakeland school is relatively new but much older AP schools are in Tampa and St. Pete.
Why do I bring this up. Because the "ghetto" kids to whom we attribute later crime and imprisonment, drugs and mayhem are wasted human potential. Almost all of them could be contributing citizens to society IF we were willing to devote the time and money to model our schools after Academy Prep. Years ago I was a month-long guest of the Peoples Republic of China. I got to witness the education all students were getting in China and it was almost exactly the same as Academy Prep.
But if you are among the "elite" and can send your child to All Saints or LCS, why would you care what happens to the "ghetto" kids? It costs money but I'll bet a lifetime analysis of what the ghetto kid's contribution to society versus the graduate of Academy Prep would clearly demonstrate our country would be far better served if we modeled our education after that of schools in the most developed countries and China instead of the worst. Sadly, the will to spend the money to accomplish this strategic national goal is lacking among the elites who run our state (and nation).
Does Academy Prep use a core knowledge curriculum?
Megan, I don’t know thei core curriculum AP uses. I suggest contacting them.