Monthly Archives: December 2019

It’s time to end Florida’s experiment with teacher bonuses. Put the money into teacher salary increases instead.

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Paul Cottle

I don’t understand why Florida’s leaders are still considering a bonus program as part of the state’s teacher compensation package. The research on teacher bonus programs doesn’t justify the present expenditure level of $285 million per year (nor the proposed … Continue reading →

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A thank you to all who carried me forward with their encouragement and advice in 2019. Without you I wouldn’t have made it to the starting line for 2020.

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Paul Cottle

Thank you to the many people – friends, colleagues, students, collaborators in the school districts and elsewhere – who carried me forward with their encouragement and advice in 2019. For me, 2019 was a year of unusual professional and health … Continue reading →

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2019: A visual guide to the year in math and science education in Florida’s middle and high schools

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Paul Cottle

2019 started with the news that both physics and chemistry enrollments in Florida’s public high schools continued to decline in the fall of 2018. High school physics enrollment fell 12% from Fall 2014 to Fall 2018. High school chemistry enrollment … Continue reading →

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Sure my studio physics students improved their physics understanding at a world-class rate. But shouldn’t I/we be doing better?

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Paul Cottle

The students in my studio physics class posted a world-class normalized learning gain this semester. So why am I so unhappy with it? And what should I do about it? My studio physics class posted a normalized learning gain of … Continue reading →

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Will 2020 be the inflection point year for Florida’s K-12 system?

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Paul Cottle

Governor DeSantis’s teacher salary proposal has put Florida’s K-12 schools and the most important component of those schools – the teacher corps – at the forefront of the agenda for the 2020 session of the Legislature. But there are even … Continue reading →

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What I learned from elementary and middle school parents at the Orange County Public Schools Super STEM Saturday event: They are hungry for information that can help them guide their kids.

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Paul Cottle

Outreach to parents is a powerful and generally neglected way of improving the preparation of students for college STEM majors. At Saturday’s Orange County Public Schools Super STEM Saturday event, which was attended by hundreds of students from elementary and … Continue reading →

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My presentation to parents for the Orange County Public Schools Super STEM Saturday event on December 7

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Paul Cottle

I will be using the power point shown here to talk with parents at this week’s Super STEM Saturday event. The slides are displayed below. You can download a pdf of the presentation – which includes a few bonus slides … Continue reading →

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Orange County Public Schools Super STEM Saturday is coming this Saturday, December 7. And I will be there!

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Paul Cottle

The Orange County Public Schools annual Super STEM Saturday event is being held this coming Saturday, December 7, at Apopka High School. I’ll be there to visit with the parents of the participants in two presentations at 11 am and … Continue reading →

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