Education

Mavericks High School Pocketed $160,000 in Extra State Funding, Audits Say

By Kyle Swenson Wed., Jan. 9 2013 at 9:02 AM
Categories: Education
Note: Most quality education institutions avoid using the same font as car dealerships.
On paper Mavericks High School has all the makings a good charter school. Catchy name? Check. Celebrity endorsements? Hell yes. Political pull? Right into the White House.

So what exactly is the problem? Well, there's the whole issue of proper usage of government funding, but does that really matter? Did we mention D-Wade is a fan?

The West Palm Beach-based charter school chain is no stranger to the pages of New Times. In late 2011 we cracked open the on-going legal shit-fling going on between the school's founders and former teachers in courtrooms all over the county. Now, the Palm Beach school district has weighed in with an audit draft highlighting further issues with the school's money flow.

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Education

Former Kaplan University Employee Says Recruiting is as Aggressive as Ever

By Stefan Kamph Fri., Oct. 26 2012 at 9:09 AM
Categories: Education
kaplan-university.jpeg
A few months ago, we detailed the questionable behavior of the state's for-profit colleges, and how they were under state investigation for deceptively luring students into educational programs of questionable value.

Key to the schools' success is an aggressive sales policy, in which "admissions" representatives are just salespeople in a big room battling for who can enroll the most students. These practices were supposedly tamped down after a Government Accountability Office report in 2010 that called out the aggressive sales tactics (such as bonuses tied to enrollment numbers, or sales reps lying to students to get them in the door).

But once the dust settled, says a former employee we'll call Sandra, things just got worse. Sandra is biased -- she was fired a couple weeks ago from Kaplan University for not making enough sales -- but her story is familiar.

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Kaplan University, Office of the Attorney General
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Education

Chicago Teachers on Strike: Just Be Glad You Don't Live in Florida

By Stefan Kamph Wed., Sep. 12 2012 at 6:34 AM
Categories: Education
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@DanielStrauss4
Chicago teachers are entering the third day of their labor strike, leaving kids without classes after only four active days in the school year. "I've been picketing for four hours, from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30, and we have a rally downtown at 2:30 p.m.," said Laura G., a teacher on the city's southwest side, while marching yesterday. She says the teacher's union's older organizers dragged out some dusty old signs from the last strike, in 1987, to hit the pavement once again in search of more pay and better treatment.

Meanwhile, in Florida... the Broward Teachers' Union says its teachers haven't gotten a raise at all in four years, and unions in our state aren't allowed to strike.

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Broward Teachers' Union, labor unions, Robert Runcie, strikes
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Fire Ant

Citigroup to Palm Beach County School District: Pony Up!

By Fire Ant Mon., Aug. 6 2012 at 6:13 AM
Categories: Economy, Education, Fire Ant
fireant_small.jpg

Fire Ant -- an invasive species, tinged bright red, with an annoying, sometimes fatal bite -- covers Palm Beach County. Soon, his column will appear twice a week on The Pulp. Got feedback or a tip? Contact fire.ant@browardpalmbeach.com.

Would the fine folks at an institution like Citigroup steal the pennies off a dead man's eyes? Would they stonewall the Palm Beach County School District, thereby taking millions of dollars annually away from public education? We wouldn't say that. Not yet.

But according to economists at the Florida Public Services Union, Citigroup is reaping windfall profits from a deal with the District, a deal that originally made sense but changed with changing circumstances. The union --an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union -- has urged the District to renegotiate the deal. But the District has hemmed and hawed and Citigroup has kept its cards face down. If things don't change, Fire Ant may have to revise his judgment about the bank. Here's the deal:

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Palm Beach County School Board
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Education

Complaints About For-Profit Colleges Keep Rolling In

By Stefan Kamph Fri., Aug. 3 2012 at 10:40 AM
Categories: Education
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It seems our news story this week on for-profit colleges struck a nerve. We've gotten a number of email responses from people who say they, like those in the story, feel they were misled or cheated by America's for-profit education industry.

They include Julio Lopez, who says he worked for 13 years at a number of national and local career schools, only to quit recently "because I basically got fed up with all the unethical behavior."

Lopez asked us not to name his former employers, because of agreements he signed upon leaving.

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for-profit colleges, higher education, Julio Lopez
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Education

For-Profit College Swindle: Sen. Tom Harkin Revisits Long-Standing Complaints

By Stefan Kamph Wed., Aug. 1 2012 at 9:32 AM
Categories: Education
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Tom Harkin laid a smackdown on for-profit schools this week.
We weren't the only ones to post criticism of for-profit colleges this week (see the news item: "For-Profit Colleges Cheat Students and Get Away With It").

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin has released a scathing report that criticizes the for-profit education industry, echoing many complaints that surfaced in an undercover investigation by the Government Accountability Office two years ago. Insiders say that few of the problems, like deceptive sales tactics and expensive tuitions, have been fixed.

The underlying problem? The feds have been unwilling to stanch the flow of taxpayer money and loans to schools that offer little educational value.

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for-profit colleges, Government Accountability Office, Pam Bondi, Tom Harkin
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Education

Florida A&M University President Resigns Over Robert Champion Hazing Scandal

By Rich Abdill Wed., Jul. 11 2012 at 2:52 PM
Categories: Education
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Ammons
On the same day that the parents of a student killed in a marching band hazing session filed a lawsuit against Florida A&M University, its president, James Ammons, has resigned, according to the Associated Press. The move comes a month after the university's board of trustees passed a vote of no confidence against the administrator; he initially vowed not to resign.

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Florida A&M, James Ammons, Robert Champion
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Education

Florida Teacher Lauren Orban Might Lose Her Job Because Parents Are Awful

By Rich Abdill Wed., Jul. 11 2012 at 12:27 PM
Categories: Education
Facebook-Logo.jpg
Let's all get REALLY MAD FOR NO REASON.
Lauren Orban is a music teacher at a Bradenton elementary school in Manatee County. She's at the center of a debate there that could end up costing her career: She wrote on Facebook that "I'm fairly convinced that one of my students may be the evolutionary link between orangutans and humans," you see, and Bay News 9 found out, and now people are all agitated that a teacher said this of an 8-year-old student who happens to be black.

Big fuckin' deal.

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Education

FAU Trustees Approve Tuition Hike on Same Day Florida Gets Praise for Public Universities (Updated)

By Rich Abdill Wed., Jun. 20 2012 at 11:20 AM
Categories: Education
Thumbnail image for fau-logo.jpg
Update, 12:35 p.m.: Added comment from FAU President Mary Jane Saunders.

Yesterday, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce gave Florida's four-year colleges an 'A' grade on an extensive rubric that includes efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and student access.

Also yesterday: The trustees of Florida Atlantic University approved a 15-percent tuition hike, which would ratchet up the cost of in-state tuition from $5,483 to more than $6,100 if the state approves the hike tomorrow.

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Florida Atlantic University
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Education

Mavericks Charter School Holds Job Fair, Insists Diplomas Are Legit

By Lisa Rab Wed., Jun. 20 2012 at 6:07 AM
Categories: Education, Investigations
If you've always wanted to work for a company with a shady academic track record and legal headaches, here's your chance. 

Mavericks High in Palm Springs, the newest in a chain of for-profit charter schools headed by Vice President Joe Biden's brother, is holding a job fair next Monday. According to its website, the school is seeking teachers certified in almost everything -- reading,math, special education, English, science, and social science.

This hiring spree comes after a rough first year for the school that aims to help at-risk kids
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Mavericks High School, Mavericks in Education Florida, Palm Beach County, Palm Springs
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