THIS  PERSONAL  WEBSITE                   
and
  Online Education Newsletter 
  is for the benefit of the residents of Polk County, Florida 

 from Tim Harris, District 7 representative on the School Board of Polk County, Florida

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From CNN Living
updated 9:12 AM EST, Tue September 6, 2011

What teachers really want to tell parents
By Ron Clark, Special to CNN

(CNN) -- This summer, I met a principal who was recently named as the administrator of the year in her state. She was loved and adored by all, but she told me she was leaving the profession.

I screamed, "You can't leave us," and she quite bluntly replied, "Look, if I get an offer to lead a school system of orphans, I will be all over it, but I just can't deal with parents anymore; they are killing us."

Unfortunately, this sentiment seems to be becoming more and more prevalent. Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of just 4.5 years, and many of them list "issues with parents" as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel. Word is spreading, and the more negativity teachers receive from parents, the harder it becomes to recruit the best and the brightest out of colleges.

So, what can we do to stem the tide? What do teachers really need parents to understand?

For starters, we are educators, not...

Read CNN Living for the rest of this article.

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From EDUCATION WEEK Digital Directions
Published Online: September 6, 2011

Fla. E-Learning Mandate Puts Financial Strain on Districts
By Marc Valero, Highlands Today, Sebring, Fla. (MCT)
Sebring, Fla.

A new state law that requires Florida high school students to take a class online is causing cash-strapped school districts to spend millions on new computers.

The new law requires incoming freshman, beginning this school year [2011-2012], to take at least one course online prior to graduation.

School districts say that to meet this new requirement they will have to...

Please go to EDUCATION WEEK for the remainder of the article.

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From Jacksonville.com
Monday, Sept. 5, 2011

Rep. Mike Weinstein's bill would set minimum Florida must spend on education
By Matt Dixon

A bill aimed at figuring out the exact amount needed to fund Florida's public schools is set to make its second run at becoming law.

The legislation, filed by Rep. Mike Weinstein, R-Jacksonville, would ask the research arm of the Legislature to conduct a study to figure out the minimum amount the state needs to spend per student to satisfy a constitutional requirement that mandates "adequate" funding for public education.

He said finding an exact figure, which has never been produced, will help bring stability to local school districts.

"To run a business where year in year out you are in chaos and you don't...

To see the rest of this article follow this link to Jacksonville.com

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If you have interest in federal legislation related to education you may wish to follow the links below to see what is happening regarding education on the federal level in Washington, D.C.





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    Sincerely,




    3 areas of experience: Education, Community & Business

    Polk County Public Schools
    The School Board of Polk County
    Bartow, Florida
    District 7 covers northeast Lakeland, north to Lake County and east to Osceola County

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     Links
    to other websites

    Polk County Public Schools
    www.polk-fl.net

    Polk County School Board Television

    Watch PCSBtv for the latest school district news and information.
    Click here for weekly schedule.

    Florida Department of Education http://www.fldoe.org/

    U.S. Education Department
    www.ed.gov

    Planning your future (students) www.facts.org and www.collegeboard.com

    National Endowment for Financial Education  http://www.nefe.org


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