Education News

Collier County public schools will host their first Mathcounts competition from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Gulfview Middle School, 255 Sixth St. S. It’s the first competition district officials have had in years. Full story »

Zach West, a handsome nine-year-old, stands with his trophy and framed certificate for “Doing the Right Thing.” Full story »

The League of Women Voters of Collier County will present "The State of Public Education in Collier County ... and Why You Should Care" at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at the Naples Hilton, 5111 Tamiami Trail N. Full story »

The Gulf Coast High School Key Club will host a yard sale/ fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, in the parking lot of the school, 7878 Shark Way. Full story »

Florida education gets high marks for standards, assessments and accountability and its teachers, but a new study notes a significant performance gap between those students who are fluent in English and those still learning the language.
This year’s report added a new group — English Language Learners — to its analysis of states’ efforts to hold schools accountable. The number of English Language Learner students increased by 57 percent nationwide between 1995 and 2005. There are now about 5.1 million English Language Learner students in public schools today. Full story »

The Gulf Coast High School Key Club will host a yard sale/ fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, in the parking lot of the school, 7878 Shark Way. Full story »

The Lee County School Board heard the grim forecast for the coming fiscal year Tuesday, as they entered the homestretch of a year marked by a budget $80 million slimmer than the previous. District Budget Director Ami Desamours painted a picture for the board of the possible $40 million to $50 million in reductions the district would be forced to make given the current financial situation surrounding reduced property tax revenue and declining enrollment. Full story »

The Just Read, Florida! office recognized 13 school districts for being in the top 25 percent of all Reading First districts in the state. The Collier County and Lee County school districts are two of those top performing districts. The districts were honored for increased percentages of students reading at or above grade level and a reduction in the percentage of students with serious reading difficulties. Full story »

This month is named for the two-headed Roman god Janus who guarded the entry to many homes in those days, looking inward and out. Full story »

The Collier County School Board approved a contract that allows academically ineligible students to continue participating in sports and extracurricular activities if they commit to improve their grades. The board voted unanimously to make freshmen and sophomores eligible for the program. Students whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.0 at the conclusion of a semester become academically ineligible to participate in sports and extracurricular activities. Full story »

Sunshine could help lower the cost to power Palmetto Ridge High School. It could help the Manatee and Marco Island schools, too. The Collier County School District is ready to take its exploration of solar power to the next level. “The idea is to utilize capital dollars while bringing down operational costs,” said Superintendent Dennis Thompson. The idea is viable now, Thompson said, because the state has extended the solar tax credits to 2016. While the school district cannot take advantage of those tax credits, businesses who want to partner with the district can, Thompson said. Full story »

Parents of students at Marco Island Charter Middle School elected three new board members on the eight-member Charter school board Wednesday evening. Full story »

Collier County School District Superintendent Dennis Thompson and the Marco Island based company United Energy Technology (UET), whose president is Gary Elliott, has developed a plan to build a solar demonstration on Tract K on Marco Island. The 11.6 acre parcel of land commonly known as Tract K is located adjacent to Tigertail Court., and is owned by the Collier County School Board. Full story »

Lely High School will host the Pepsi Shootout this weekend. Eight teams from south Florida will compete at the school, 1 Lely High School Blvd. Full story »

Students and teachers at Marco Island Charter Middle School found creative ways to be generous this Thanksgiving. Full story »