Regarding "The Ugly Truth About Graduation Rates" (Our Opinion, June 7): A recent analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that 51 percent of Florida high schools had graduation rates below 60 percent. That's a deplorable statistic. More progressive overall strategies in the classroom would be an asset. But it's not only the school environment per se, but the parental home which is crucial. Good homes with loving people who are dedicated to the development of their kids usually spawn students who are stunningly successful. They motivate their kids to apply themselves in the classrooms and discipline them to be obedient to authority. ...more

June 10, 2008

SEBRING — Ross Lewis will graduate in a few weeks, then he is headed off to Tuskegee University in Alabama to study political science, and someday become a lawyer. He's not sure where he would be without the Boys and Girls Club, though. A statewide study recently found that young people who attend Boys and Girls Clubs show higher graduation rates, greater achievement on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, lower rates of absenteeism and lower rates of criminal offenses. Ross, who has spent his afternoons at the Boys and Girls Club in Sebring for as long as he can remember, said he thinks the study is right on the money. ...more

May 21, 2008

TAMPA - The University of South Florida's efforts to overhaul its academic support for student-athletes persuaded the NCAA to withhold penalties the school would have faced in its latest progress report. ...more

May 6, 2008

By the time Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, the face of FSU's athletic program, strolls to the podium Wednesday to talk about the Seminoles' performance on National Signing Day, Bowden's future boss is expected to have been hired. ...more

February 3, 2008

For 29 years, the state of Florida has provided tuition grants for Florida residents attending a private Florida college or university full time. ...more

January 19, 2008

When Gov. Jeb Bush left office a year ago, Florida public schools ranked somewhere between the Bermuda Triangle and Petticoat Junction. ...more

January 19, 2008

TALLAHASSEE Prior to the start of the spring semester, famous class-skipper Ferris Bueller had a chance to make it as an athlete at Florida State. As of Wednesday, he would be kicked off the team by the time the first exams rolled around. ...more

January 10, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's schools ranked 14th nationally with a grade of C-plus on a report card issued Wednesday by Education Week magazine, although the state placed 38th in public education spending. ...more

January 9, 2008

Now is the time to recognize the critical contributions private nonprofit and for-profit, regionally accredited colleges and universities have made over the years, and more importantly, their great potential in being part of the solution to the financial woes currently beleaguering Florida's higher education system. ...more

December 6, 2007

The Tampa Tribune's recent editorial "Dropout Rate Might Improve If Schools Measured It Precisely" (Our Opinion, Nov. 28), which discusses Florida dropout and graduation rates, uses a flawed report from Johns Hopkins University as the basis for many of its claims. ...more

December 5, 2007