[BioAdoptMom3]

I am a teacher (26 years), a parent of two who have already graduated and one who is in fourth grade and a graduate of the FL public schools.

First, do not take a lot of stock in test scores. Those are generated simply because of the No Child Left Behind Act. This act does not take factors into consideration like the free and reduced lunch rate of the school, the number of students who do not speak English, the transient rate, whether or not the school provides services for the gifted, etc., all which effect the test scores. The grades are also generated in such an unfair way. If your school has literally two special ed students who didn't improve their scores enough from one year to the next, your school drops a letter grade. I am not exaggerating. If the teachers wrote more referrals for behavior issues this year than they did last year, and it might not even be a significant number, that factors into whether or not your school makes adequate yearly progress. If you do some research and look up what it takes to make AYP, you will see why many schools aren't able to make it.

As for FL's ranking in comparison with the other states, some things that really bring our averages down are, one, our spending per student ranks like 47th or 48th among the states, yet our tax burden is one of the lowest in the country, our teacher salaries are some of the lowest in the country and our drop out rate is high, not because we really do have a lot of HS dropouts, but because we are a very transient state. When a family starts a child in 9th grade at such and such a school, then moves to Alabama when the child in 11th grade, that child is counted as a drop out. In some districts in FL our transient rate is 50% or greater.

I also wanted to add as a parent of a gifted child, our programs in place are some of the best in the nation (at least in my county, Volusia, they are). Since FL places gifted under the ESE umbrella, all of the students receive an IEP and some type of services must be offered to the child. The parent does not have to accept them (our child was not happy being one of the many and wasn't motivated when she wasn't at or near the top, so we pulled her out which places us in that group). Its great to know they are in place though if we want to take advantage of them.

All that said, the economy here is really in trouble, and that has filtered down in a big way to our public schools. Next year class sizes will be larger, newer buildings will still have OLD furniture, some programs, even HS athletics, may be drastically cut or even eliminated, etc. and I just wanted to warn you of that issue.

Please don't dispair though. Things are not nearly as bad as they look on paper.

Nancy

[Margel]

I moved to Florida expecting the worse when it came to my children's education. I came to Florida as a teacher expecting the worse when I got hired in the public school system (Pasco County). What I can tell you is that my girls...one in middle school and the other in high school....are learning and succeeding. I have not had one complaint in either school. As for me, the school I am teaching at is well run with great teachers as well. There are always going to be complaints, especially from parents who take no time with their children's education and expect the teacher to do everything. Parents are, and have always been, the child's primary teacher. We, as teachers, are the on-going facilitators of continuing that education. The best advice I can give is do your research. Find out the differences in school districts, and investigate the schools. I even went to the schools and talked to the people there as well as students way before I moved. If you research, you won't be disappointed.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by cmj_fla

I will tell you the same thing I told my brother-in-law who has the same worries: If you are proactive with your child's education then they will be fine. Just supplement the areas you are concerned about at home, take an active part in their school and keep the communication lines open between your child and their teachers. I am a graduate of the Florida Public School system and I am doing pretty well in life (its been 10 years though) and my children are doing pretty great also.

Why should you have to supplement your child's education? IMO kids should be able to go to school, complete their homework and indpendent assignments and then be free to pursue whatever they want (sports, music, art, drama, writing whatever). They should not be forced, by an inadequate school system, to focus on school, and then focus on what they really should have learned in school.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Why should you have to supplement your child's education? IMO kids should be able to go to school, complete their homework and indpendent assignments and then be free to pursue whatever they want (sports, music, art, drama, writing whatever). They should not be forced, by an inadequate school system, to focus on school, and then focus on what they really should have learned in school.

and never had to spend that much time outside of school doing homework or studying. If it is adequate in the classroom, they should not have to spend that much time outside of it. She was mainstreamed, got a B average and Regents (NY) diploma, graduated from college, and now is working on her Masters. She played HS sports and travel hockey where we travelled all over weekends, breaks, summers, etc. It did not affect her grades because the foundation was built in school. Hell, when I was in college it never took me more than an hour or two outside of class to do papers, or homework.

If you kids have to spend hours and hours on schoolwork outside of class, something is very, very wrong.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

Why should you have to supplement your child's education? IMO kids should be able to go to school, complete their homework and indpendent assignments and then be free to pursue whatever they want (sports, music, art, drama, writing whatever). They should not be forced, by an inadequate school system, to focus on school, and then focus on what they really should have learned in school.

You don't have to SUPPLEMENT their education, but you DO have to make sure they are INTERESTED in learning, and encouraged to learn.

Fact is that elementary schools in Florida perform well. Where they lose it is in the late middle school/high school years. By high school, however, the class is already segregated by intelligence level, with the college bound separated from the underperformers..... Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, IB classes, Honors Classes..... vs. "Regular" classes.

If your kid is in at LEAST Honors, they will have a far superior learning environment than if your kid does not take honors classes. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure they are challenged with the most rigorous curriculum they can handle.

I went to Public high school, and the only classes I had that were not advanced were things like gym or "Health" for which no honors were available, and I don't remember learning a d*** thing because it was like a zoo. However, that sort of stuff didn't fly in dual enrollment college level British Literature, or College Algebra....taken AT the high school.

[Concerned Parent NY]

Originally Posted by newteacher

If Florida is so awful, then go home. I hate it when people come on here and talk about how everything back "up north" is so much better than in in FL. You fail to mention any negatives about the north, NY in particular... gang violence, racial tension... ring any bells? Schools up north have the same problems as here, and the teachers here are doing the best they can. It isn't easy trying to do your job with all the insane requirements resulting from by NCLB. FCAT pretty much is your life until February. I came from Jersey, and I know the NJASK is pretty much the same deal. The school grades are bogus, and it is NOT a level playing field. You can't expect all students to perform at the same level. It's just ridiculous. Anyway, to end my tirade, I would like to say that the schools here are not the best, but they are not the worst either, it's up to parents to work with teachers to help their kids achieve at whatever level is appropriate for the child.

For the person that wrote "If Florida is so awful, then go home. I hate it when people come on here and talk about how everything back "up north" is so much better than in in FL!"...well let me tell you something. A parent has all right to be concerned about the education of their child. If anyone is being negative here, it's YOU. You seem miserable and I do feel bad for you. Maybe, YOU should go home to Jersey. I really hate people like you. But I agree with the original post, Florida schools SUCK! I went to public school all my life in NYC and I loved it. They do care about the students but FL schools only care about FCATs and their paychecks.

[Swimmom32]

I will say I went to public school all my life in brooklyn, my kids went to school in NJ, NC and now Florida and for MY KIDS im talking about so far, its working the best for them...NC gave us a place to start which was awesome and both kids did really well there and they are doing just as good here in Boca...so again the WHOLE state's schools do not suck, as that can be said about all 50 States...my son is doing the same thing as far as cirriculum as he would have in Union County NC where we lived...and again the schools there were awesome....my kids arent scholars but they aren't stupid either and my son will be going to college as well as my daughter.....

[Blue717]

I agree with most replies, coming from Pa in Lancaster County where the school system was excellent, and moving here was a big disappointment. I was so happy when my daughters were done. When my grandson went to a Marion County Elementary school, he might have well been in a inner city abandonned school. I had never seen such a staff and run down building. EX: They had an open house so you could see what the children were working on near the end of the year. The class room doors were locked and most of the teachers did not show up! I'm so glad my daughter has moved to St Johns county! World of improvement!

[StilltheSame]

If I were moving back to Florida I would include private school tuition in my budgeting.

[jdoty]

I live in Palm Bay. The schools here really aren't that bad. While I didn't grow up here, I do know many people who went through the schools here and I've volunteered at one of the high schools in town. I assure you, you can absolutely get a quality education from any of the public schools in Brevard County. Because of the presence of NASA and other large engineering companies like Harris, the schools tend to be stronger when it comes to math and science. Every HS has a FIRST robotics team, and there are numerous AP classes offered (which use the standard AP curriculum taught everywhere in the nation). You'll have to be proactive though. Because the schools are so large, there is a wide variety of programs and classes offered, but your children won't get as much personal attention. It will be up to you (and not the teachers) to make sure your children stay focused on their school work. Otherwise it is possible to slip through the cracks.