Steven Walker

1 day ago | orlandosentinel.com | Steven Walker

Florida public school students showed significant growth on mathematics and reading exams this year, improving their passing rates on the high-stakes tests compared to last year, according to data released by the Florida Department of Education late Wednesday. Students from Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole county public schools mirrored the state trend, passing the exams at rates between four and five percentage points higher across all grade levels.

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Steven Walker

During recent budget negotiations, the Florida Legislature backed away from a plan to slash funding for Advanced Placement and other college-level classes taken by thousands of high school students statewide. That plan, which upset parents, educators and students, would have cost school districts millions of dollars and jeopardized their ability to offer the accelerated classes students take to earn college credit.

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Steven Walker

Valencia College will halt its recruitment of international students starting in the fall semester, citing "rapidly changing conditions and uncertainties about student visas," a school spokesperson said. The college will continue to serve current and new international students, spokesperson Linda Shrieves wrote in an email. However, the college "has elected to stop proactively recruiting students from abroad," she added.

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Steven Walker

Battling on a new front in Florida's ongoing school book disputes, Orange and Osceola school districts have each pulled more than a dozen books that the state's education board called "pornographic" on a list sent to another school district last month.

2 weeks ago | orlandosentinel.com | Steven Walker

Cypress Creek High School students and alumni rallied outside of the Orange County School Board meeting Tuesday, urging district leaders to save the college-level International Baccalaureate magnet program, which is set to be cut. "We want to advocate for this program that has had so many successful leaders in the world," said Zoey Salaj, a rising senior who is in the IB program and helped organize the rally.