Legislative agenda will focus on student success in college and careers Governor Rick Scott today announced his College and Career FIRST (Focusing Investments on Results for Students and Teachers) education agenda for the 2013 legislative session at the Market Watch Education Summit. During last month’s education listening tour, Governor Scott met with parents, teachers, students, […]
Today, I visited Fort Walton Beach High School and Davidson Middle School in Crestview to meet with teachers and students where I heard ideas about how we can make sure our students are successfully prepared for college and the workforce. Many of the teachers expressed the need for an efficient testing system that would effectively […]
Today, Governor Rick Scott met with students, teachers and parents at Fern Creek Elementary and Ocoee Middle School in Orange County. He also met with the Florida Association of District School Superintendents in Orlando.
“Fern Creek Elementary, a school that has a large homeless youth population, has a faculty and staff that deeply care about the safety of their students. Many teachers expressed that while it is sometimes challenging, the ability to get parents involved is key to getting students to succeed in their math and reading abilities. Ann and I also had the opportunity to read to students at Fern Creek and it is clear the teachers there create a positive leaning environment for all grade levels,” said Governor Scott.
“Parents in Ocoee today talked about the need for their kids to be prepared to enter the workforce when they graduate. It was great to see students developing those skills at an after-school program at Ocoee where students were learning to design and create video games.”
For photos of this event, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/flgovscott/tags/education/
Yesterday, I visited Lexington Middle School in Fort Myers and Madeira Beach Fundamental School in Madeira Beach to hear ideas from parents and teachers on how we can improve Florida’s education system. At both schools, parents and teachers talked about creating a path for students to gain needed career skills in high school. Ensuring our students are best prepared for the workforce, whether after college or immediately following graduation from high school has been a common goal I heard throughout my meetings.
Teachers also suggested ways for the state to make sure that assessments can maximize student achievement. Later in the day, I was fortunate to meet with members of the Florida Parent Teacher Association who discussed the need for students to be prepared to get jobs after they graduate. Today, my education listening tour continues with meetings in Ocoee Middle School followed by dinner with the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
Ann and I talked with students, administrators and teachers at Southwest Miami High School yesterday about how to best prepare Florida’s students for college and careers. We were welcomed by Southwest Miami High School Principal Carlos Diaz.
We visited classrooms where Southwest seniors were taking AP calculus and English. Students were also involved in the school’s Banking and Finance Academy – learning skills for future careers. While visiting the classrooms, I was asked by students about what the state’s outlook on jobs will be once they leave high school and college. Thankfully, Florida’s economy is heading in the right direction, with the largest drop in unemployment of any state over the last 20 months and growing tourism and other economic indicators.
After visiting classrooms, we talked to a group of teachers. Each of them offered great suggestions on how requirements and regulations from the state could be changed to allow them to focus more on student learning. The Southwest faculty also shared that they often could use help to purchase supplies for their classrooms that they now pay for personally. We ended our conversation by discussing the state’s accountability system. Just as I experienced in business, teachers rely a great deal on measurement to assess student progress. They stressed the need for consistency in the assessment system as the state transitions to Common Core standards in order to keep students on track to graduate.
I look forward to more great conversations with parents, students and teachers on how to improve our education system in Fort Myers and Madeira Beach today.
Today, Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott met with students, administrators and teachers at Southwest Miami High School to hear ideas about how to best prepare Florida’s students for college and careers. The Governor and the First Lady were joined by interim Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart and Southwest Miami High School principal Carlos Diaz.
“Kicking off the second day of my education listening tour in Miami was beneficial, as I heard teachers express their ideas on state requirements and regulations that could be reformed to allow them to focus more time on preparing students for college and careers,” Governor Scott said. “The teachers I met with also discussed the need for a consistent measurement system so we can fairly hold all students and teachers accountable.”
For photos of this event, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/flgovscott/tags/education/
Click Here to Listen to Governor Scott’s Address
As a parent and a grandparent, I know how important it is for our children to get a great education. A quality education is the key to unlocking the door of opportunity in America. There is nothing our children cannot do if they are given the tools they need to succeed – and that begins in the classroom.
This week, I am traveling all across Florida to meet with teachers, parents and students in order to get their ideas for ways we can strengthen our education system. Our goal is better prepare our kids for college and careers. Some of my meetings will be roundtables where I will sit down and have a conversation on the types of policies we need to put in place at the state level.
Other times, I will chat with teachers over breakfast or lunch when they have a break from the classroom. I look forward to having these discussions on our state’s education policy and I am excited to get feedback from the people we meet with.
As a parent and a grandparent, I know how important it is for our children to get a great education. A quality education is the key to unlocking the door of opportunity in America.
There is nothing our children cannot do if they are given the tools they need to succeed, and that begins in the classroom. This week, I am traveling all across Florida to meet with teachers, parents and students in order to get their ideas for ways we can strengthen our education system. Our goal is to better prepare our kids for college and careers.
Some of my meetings this week will be roundtables where I will sit down and have a conversation on the types of policies we need to put in place at the state level. Other times, I will chat with teachers over breakfast or lunch when they have a break from the classroom. Read More…
Today, Governor Rick Scott began his Education Listening Tour at Pinedale Elementary, where he met with students, teachers and parents and listened to their ideas on how to best prepare students for college and careers. The Governor was joined by interim Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart and Pinedale’s Principal, Alicia Hinson.
“It was great to meet with teachers and parents today who gave me ideas and suggestions on how to best prepare students for college or careers. The teachers also expressed ideas on how to retain talented educators in our schools and to provide consistent and fair measurement so that both teachers and students can understand what they will be measured on and how it relates to preparation for college and careers. The teachers also talked about the importance of rewarding educators for learning gains achieved through the school year.”Read More…
Beginning this Monday, Governor Rick Scott will embark on a tour across Florida listening to teachers, students and parents share their ideas to improve Florida’s education system. Governor Scott wants to hear Florida’s education stakeholders voice their ideas on how to improve the education of our state’s children.
“By listening to teachers, parents and children, we will gather ideas to strengthen our education system to better prepare students for college and careers,” said Governor Scott.
The cities and dates of the tour will be announced throughout the week. Also, starting on Monday, Governor Scott will be blogging about each day’s listening tour events on this page.
As the Governor visits different schools every day, a student film crew will document the event on video, which will be posted on the Governor’s Education Blog once the students edit and finish the video.
