Education Issues

Reader Mail: Race Isn't an Issue With Latin Builders' Charter School

Uncle Luke: Latin Builders Association's New School Has No Diversity

Latin Builders Association Academy Lacks Diversity

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke probes a new charter school started by a special interest group.The Latin Builders Association is one of the most powerful lobbyi ... More >>

Manuel Alonso-Poch Won't Fix Conflicts of Interest at His Charter School, New Audit Finds

Convicted Felon Demetrio Perez Jr. Gets $110 Million in Bonds From Miami-Dade Commission

Convicted Felon Demetrio Perez Jr. Gets $110 Million In Bonds From County Commission

You'd think that after Demetrio Perez Jr. pleaded guilty in 2002 to defrauding a trio of frail elderly tenants in his low-income Little Havana apartments, Miami-Dade politicians would steer clear of the felonious former school board member. But then they couldn't grease up to Perez and his deep pock ... More >>

Strictly Ballroom

"Leaked": Charlie Crist's Gubernatorial Platform

Homestead Teacher Andre Martinez Arrested for Sex with Former Students

Andre Martinez, a teacher at a charter school in Homestead, was arrested yesterday on allegations that he carried on long-term sexual relationships with two former underage students. Martinez taught cinematography at Keys Gate Charter School, and the abuse is believed to have started back in 2010.

Lawsuit: 7-Year-Old Charter School Student Was Molested by Classmate, Tried to Commit Suicide While School Did Nothing

The Downtown Miami Charter School is being sued by a mother of a 7-year-old boy who claims her son was repeatedly harassed and sexually assaulted by an older schoolmate. The mother claims that harassment and molestation got so bad the boy attempted to commit suicide, while the school did nothing to ... More >>

Sports Illustrated Tackles Luther Campbell's Fight To Coach at Miami Northwestern High

You'd think the Florida Department of Education has more important things to worry about like the FCAT debacle. Instead, state education officials are working hard, wasting taxpayer money, to make sure Luther Campbell -- former 2 Live Crew front man and current New Times columnist -- doesn't get to ... More >>

Red Flags

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Turned Down a Job in the Obama Administration

Most local officials would jump at the chance to take their talents to Washington. Who wouldn't want national influence? Apparently not Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. He claims he turned down a job offer from Obama's secretary of education Arne Duncan.

Mavericks charter schools don't live up to big promises

Rick Scott Still Mum on Casinos, Wants More Lotto Sales

​The debate over whether Florida should allow destination casinos is certainly one of the biggest in the state. Yet Gov. Rick Scott has remained mostly silent on the issue. That's not to say he doesn't have some form of gambling of the mind. To fund a $1 billion increase in the education budget, h ... More >>

Paul Michael Mira, Charter School Athletic Director, Allegedly Raped 12-Year-Old Girl

​Paul Michael Mira, the athletic director of Archimedean Middle Conservatory and Archimedean Upper Conservatory, two associated Miami-Dade charter schools, is on the run after being accused of committing sexual battery on a 12-year-old girl. Police report that Mira has told relatives that he' ... More >>

In FCAT Workshop, Miami-Dade Teachers Asked to Arrange Words For "Fatness"

​A group of Miami-Dade Schools public teachers at a recent FCAT workshop were given a sample test that will not restore your faith that the finest minds are running our school district. The teachers were asked to arrange synonyms for varying extremes of "fatness" from "most formal" to "most infor ... More >>

Ghost World

Kids aren't racist, schools are

Charles Hankerson, Former Miami Northwestern High Principal, Embroiled In Grade Changing Scandal

​A Miami-Dade Public Schools principal credited with turning around a storied inner city high school's academic performance is under investigation for illegally changing student grades. The allegation against Charles Hankerson is the latest black eye for Miami Northwestern High School, which earli ... More >>

Achievement Gap Between White and Hispanic Students Still as Wide as it Was in the 1990s

Some children are apparently still left behind. ​Nearly 10 years ago President George W. Bush signed into law the "No Child Left Behind" act. Among other goals, Bush believed his education reforms would help close the achievement gap between white and minority students. Well, the Department of Edu ... More >>

Miami Northwestern Students Get Shaft From Education Bureaucrats

Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith says no to Miami Northwestern.An assistant principal's mistake led Miami Northwestern High to get graded a D instead of a C last year. But the state's education commissioner won't grant Miami-Dade Public Schools' request to give Northwestern the higher grade. As ... More >>

Obama Cordially Greets Jeb and Scott But Fails to Land Man-Hug

​Used to be when the president came to Florida, it was customary for our governor to man-hug him, but with Charlie Crist out of office, that tradition is long gone. During his quick day trip in Miami today, President Obama met both Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush and had cordial interacti ... More >>

President Obama and Jeb Bush to Make Joint Appearance at Miami High School

​Politics and publicity opportunities make strange bedfellows. President Barack Obama and former Gov. Jeb Bush will appear together this Friday at Miami Central High School. Obama will be in town for a Democratic fundraiser but will swing by the school with Bush to address ways to turn around low- ... More >>

Florida Legislature Sponsoring Showing of Biased and Inaccurate Education Documentary Waiting for "Superman"

​We wouldn't expect state government debate on health care to include a screening of Michael Moore's Sicko anymore than we would debate on teen pregnancy to include a viewing of MTV's Teen Mom, so why are both houses of the Florida legislature sponsoring a viewing of the biased and inaccurate educ ... More >>

Rise Academy, Miami-Dade's most improved school, closed

UCF Developing Abstinence Video Game With Hundreds of Thousands of Tax Dollars

​If you're liberal you probably don't like the idea of public schools using "abstinence-only" education. If you're conservative you probably don't like the federal government wasting tax dollars on stupid things. Finally the University of Central Florida has brought us a project that everyone can ... More >>

On L.A.'s Skid Row, a generational war over how to teach the American children of illegal immigrants

Mitt Romney Will Endorse Marco Rubio, Hopefully Won't Quote Castro While Doing So

​Ol' Mittens Romney will endorse Marco Rubio. The once, and probably future, presidential candidate was sitting on the sidelines of the Senate primary between Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist, but has decided to side with Rubio after Crist vetoed an unpopular, but conservative-backed education bill.&n ... More >>

Is Jeb Bush Still in Charge of Florida?

​Jeb Bush left office four years ago, but Associated Press writer Martin Merzer thinks he may still be in charge of the state -- or at the very least still the most influential voice in the governing Republican party."He's become a legislative Wizard of Oz -- thunder and lightning and pulling the ... More >>

Read, Listen, Love

Of Luna and Lunatics

Gun on a plate? THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!!​My post last week about Luna PIzza's opening party and the entertainment provided by students from The Miami Charter School generated quite a strong reaction. I think crazy strong. Here is, in its entirety (I've added CAPS to a few words I think might have been ... More >>

No Child Left To Die

Miami Book Fair Preview: Q&A with Art Spiegelman

Schoolhouse Rock!

The School of Rock kids aren’t just another brick in the wall.

Proud to be Average

Goy Gevalt

In Her Shoes is pretty but useless, a Prada with a broken heel

Ags to Riches

Can rural Homestead find deliverance from rampaging developer Steve Shiver?

Black Gawk Down

Paint peccadilloes and a Trump soiree sans Trump

Meet Mr. Arza

In four short years, state Rep. Ralph Arza has gone from schoolteacher to powerful politician, and now he's about to take control of public education in Miami

An Army of One

No, Rosa Kasse isn't crazy to do battle with state Rep. Ralph Arza -- it just looks that way

Smaller Is Better

The case for breaking up the grossly dysfunctional Miami-Dade County school district

Strange Days at FIA

A black charter school was supposed to lead African-American youth into a bright future. It hasn't happened.

Resegregation Now, Resegregation Forever!

Are charter-school conversions the vanguard for public education or a scam for resegregating the learning experience and making a lot of money?

Lesson the Damage

The disastrous demise of Techworld raises questions about how we should navigate the uncharted waters of private-public education

Letters to the Editor

From the issue of September 21, 2000

Schoolhouse Knocks

Although the Liberty City Charter School helped make Jeb Bush governor, four years on it's barely passing

Gone with the Web

Fear of Reading and Chronicle of a Going-Out-of-Business Sale Foretold top local best-seller lists

Standing Pat

The school board may vote to name a school after a powerful union boss. That's politics, baby.