Monthly Archives: September 2010

Business-Higher Education Forum Report on STEM Education: Is an exclusive focus on programmatic changes to undergraduate STEM education really the fastest way forward?

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Paul Cottle

Quick and easy is seductive.  Just look at the new report from the Business-Higher Education Forum on STEM education (press release here). In a recommendation section titled “Focusing on undergraduate education yields an early and significant return on investment,” the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Rick Scott releases education plan: Should high school graduation requirements equal university admission requirements?

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Paul Cottle

Rick Scott released an education plan today (hat tip to Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida Political Pulse blog). Allow me to dig this out of the weeds of the Scott education plan: Due to a lack of post-secondary readiness, a Florida … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida universities, High School Graduation Standards | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Is “pretty good” good enough?

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Paul Cottle

This morning, a colleague of mine shared this poem written by Charles Osgood about 25 years ago.   It is relevant to everything, but particularly education. Pretty Good By Charles Osgood There once was a pretty good student. Who sat in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

President Obama sets goal of recruiting 10,000 more math and science teachers (but so what?)

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Paul Cottle

Hat tip to Leslie Postal at School Zone: Curriculum Matters reports that President Obama announced this morning that he has a goal of recruiting 10,000 new math and science teachers. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan added this afternoon that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

What’s college for, anyway?: Students comment on block tuition

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Paul Cottle

The Gainesville Sun has an article on block tuition, the idea that students would pay for 15 credit hours each semester, regardless of how many credits they take.  At present, many students take 12 hours per semester, the minimum to … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida universities | Tagged | Leave a comment

Five depressing years: “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” committee issues sequel

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Paul Cottle

From yesterday’s press release: The outlook for America’s ability to compete for quality jobs in the global economy has continued to deteriorate in the last five years, and the nation needs a sustained investment in education and basic research to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Florida TaxWatch releases piece on STEM-ready high school grads

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Paul Cottle

Florida TaxWatch has released my piece on ensuring that the state’s university-bound high school grads are STEM-ready. From the Florida TaxWatch “E-communique”: According to a recent report, Florida state will need “100,000 more science and technology professionals than we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bright Futures Scholarships, Florida Advanced Studies high school diploma, Florida Legislature, Florida universities, State University System | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Textbook selection committee filters out anti-evolution material from marine science textbook

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Paul Cottle

The publisher of a marine science textbook being considered for Florida adoption by the state’s grade 9-12 science text selection committee has agreed to remove overtly anti-evolution material after the committee highlighted the materials and insisted on its deletion, according … Continue reading →

Posted in science education standards | Leave a comment

Will the Florida Legislature retreat on new high school graduation requirements?

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Paul Cottle

Alachua County School Superintendent Dan Boyd certainly hopes so. So does Leon High School Principal Rocky Hanna. The State of Michigan did indeed retreat.  Florida’s new graduation requirements in math and science are a carbon copy of the ones Michigan … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida Legislature, High School Graduation Standards | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Warning: funding cliff ahead – State Board of Ed teeters toward the edge

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Paul Cottle

From Leslie Postal at School Zone: The Florida Board of Education had a vigorous debate about its budget request to the 2011 state legislature at its meeting yesterday.  Commissioner Eric Smith had submitted a budget that would have resulted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Florida Department of Education | Tagged | Leave a comment