Monthly Archives: May 2023

Occasionally, we must remind ourselves what the primary purpose of school should be. The primary purpose of school should be to give each student the opportunity to fulfill her or his potential. The primary purpose of school is not to … Continue reading →

Florida’s charter schools have a slightly more affluent student population than the non-charter public schools. Nevertheless, students at Florida’s charter high schools take physics and calculus at lower rates than students in non-charter public high schools. The rates at both … Continue reading →

Why is it that so many of Florida’s high school students and parents hate physics? The physics enrollment rate in Florida’s public high schools has always been low. But this year physics enrollment plummeted 6.6%. This past fall, only 4.3% … Continue reading →

At which educational stage should we begin making a push to coax more women to pursue careers in physics, engineering and computer science? In all three of these fields, only about 20% of new bachelor’s degree graduates are women. Is … Continue reading →

One out of every six of Florida’s large (that is, more than 1,000 students) public high schools did not teach physics this past fall. That’s really bad news, given the importance of a high school physics course for students who … Continue reading →

I really like the way that Seminole County handles upper level math and science at its traditional high schools. Taking chemistry, physics, precalculus and even calculus is the norm for the district’s students who are bound for four-year colleges. Enrollment … Continue reading →

I have always told the students in my calculus-based introductory Studio Physics classes (using the SCALE-UP design) that I will not teach math in my class, but that they can only be successful in my class if they have a … Continue reading →

The educators who help Florida’s public high school students prepare for bachelor’s degree programs in STEM majors don’t get much help from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). This week, the FLDOE handed those educators a win with its approval … Continue reading →