When Ginger Stanford threw her graduation cap in the air and earned her high school diploma from Hawthorne High School in 1991, she knew she would come back to her high school after college. But, she didn’t envision herself being the principal. Stanford became the new principal at Hawthorne Middle/High School in September after being a teacher and assistant principal for more than 25 years.
Read More »Alachua County Public Schools will close Thursday as Tropical Storm Nicole upgraded to Category 1 hurricane
Alachua County Public Schools and the district’s offices will be closed Thursday, the district announced Tuesday in a press release and tweet, as north central Florida braces for impact from Hurricane Nicole.
Read More »Florida Standards Assessments’ replacement increases testing time
Alachua County Public Schools began taking standardized tests with the new Florida Assessment of Student Thinking less than a month into the school year. Students in voluntary prekindergarten through 10th grade will participate in this assessment three times a year. Florida Assessment of Student Thinking replaces the end-of-the-year Florida Standards Assessments and monitors student progress in the fall, winter and spring. Each cycle tests students’ knowledge of the entire year’s material in English Language Arts and mathematics, according to the Florida Department of Education. But critics of the new assessment say more time spent testing means less instructional time.
Read More »To become a welcoming city to immigrants, Gainesville agencies hire for new positions, pilot language access line
The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative announced Wednesday progress made in the six months since they unveiled a blueprint for Gainesville to become a welcoming city.
Read More »The Point, June 7, 2022: State audit questions accuracy of Florida’s COVID-19 data
The report was released Monday and said the numbers were inaccurate, incomplete and delayed.
Read More »The Point, May 20, 2022: UF holds evening vigil to honor the lives lost in Buffalo shooting
About 60 people gathered near Century Tower on the university's campus.
Read More »Floridians see personal finance class requirement as a positive for students
Residents across north central Florida are optimistic about the potential impacts of a new law requiring a personal finance class for graduation.
Read More »Equity concerns blocked a proposal to spend up to $1.76 million on expanding Buchholz High’s athletic facilities
Though the motion’s proponent Gunnar Paulson argued the renovations could end up saving the district money, the pressing needs of other schools, especially Hawthorne Middle/High, caused other board members to say it was not the right time for the project.
Read More »The teacher shortage in north central Florida continues
Teaching shortages in grades K-12 have been prevalent since before the pandemic, according to north central Florida school administrators. However, they say COVID-19 has increased issues for educators.
Read More »The Point, April 27, 2022: Governor schedules Florida’s special session to deal with property insurance rates
It will begin May 23.
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