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Florida represented in Congressional Black Caucus’ history panel
Politicians, academics, historians, and activists gathered at D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center Friday morning for a panel sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus to both celebrate the progress of Black history and bring light to what they said were attacks on the subject, especially in Florida. The Sunshine State was well-represented in a discussion […]
USDA will extend SNAP food assistance to Idalia victims in Florida
Low-income residents in eleven Florida counties affected by Hurricane Idalia will be eligible for a new federal recovery program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. The USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) would give people in Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwanee and Taylor counties access to SNAP benefits […]
Mixed bag for FL national and top public universities, plus private schools, in latest rankings
Florida universities, which have been in the center of national polarization for months, have seen a mixed bag in U.S. News & World Report college rankings, with both positive and negative views and some changes in the methodology. In a separate category in the rankings for public universities only, some Florida universities stumbled. For example, […]
FL public universities move to get rid of reports such as race and sex in student enrollment
Florida’s public university system is preparing to eliminate reports related to “representation by race and sex in student enrollment, senior-level administrative positions, and faculty rank and tenure status,” records show. In other changes, a Board of Governors regulation would no longer be called “Equity and Access.” The name would be “Equal Access and Opportunity.” “Equity” […]
Joint letter asks Florida education head for transparency on universal vouchers
As Florida rolls into its first school year with a universal voucher program, an estimated 300,000 students will use it for private schooling and 45,000 for homeschooling, according to the state’s primary scholarship program. It’s grown steadily while critics bemoan what will happen to the public school system when any family – rich and poor […]
FAU presidential search still in holding pattern; Attorney General may or may not get involved
As the search for Florida Atlantic University’s next president has been halted by a state investigation, Florida higher education officials said they would take steps to ensure similar issues don’t arise in future searches. At Friday’s Board of Governors meeting, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues brought up one of the search’s “anomalies” presented to […]
FL Board of Governors approves new exam called Classic Learning Test for university admissions
The Florida Board of Governors voted Friday to require that state universities accept the Classic Learning Test as an admissions exam, allowing an alternative to the longtime SAT and ACT exams. The only vote against the regulation, which came as the result of legislation passed in May 2023 and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, was […]
Inside the new Classic Learning Test: Why are FL conservatives pushing for it, and what’s on it?
In a national climate where there are growing calls to abolish college admissions tests such as the SAT and ACT, Florida is set to add an alternative exam: the Classic Learning Test — a three-section exam on verbal reasoning, grammar and writing, and quantitative reasoning, or math, that has been pushed by conservative politicians and […]
Atlantic tropical depression likely to become hurricane this weekend
As Florida still undergoes efforts to recover from Hurricane Idalia’s landfall on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center is eyeing a tropical depression it forecasts to become a major hurricane this weekend. The NHC said by the time it reaches hurricane status, with the name “Lee,” the storm could already could have affected the Leeward Islands, […]
Florida begins to shift to recovery efforts in Big Bend following Idalia’s wrath
Florida has begun to shift from search and rescue operations to recovery operations, as homes and businesses have been destroyed by Hurricane Idalia and thousands of people remain without power in the state’s Big Bend region. “I was able to go yesterday and meet with some of the business owners [in Horseshoe Beach] that had […]
DeSantis cites ‘significant’ damage to Big Bend, but many Florida K-12 schools are already open
Thirty of the 52 Florida school systems that closed due to the hurricane are already open, with another eight expected to reopen tomorrow, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday. However, schools in Taylor, Madison, Lafayette, Hamilton, Jefferson and Dixie will remain closed through Friday, September 1, according to the Florida Department of […]
FL mobilizes rescue services as Idalia’s eye passes over state; some roads still impassable
As Hurricane Idalia’s eye has crossed into Georgia, parts of the state remain inaccessible as officials begin recovery and inspection efforts, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday. “The state is still being impacted by the storm’s bands, and we’re seeing that particularly in the northern part of the state,” DeSantis said at a press conference at […]