You might have heard today about a new study just released comparing voucher students with their public school peers.

The study, done by former University of Florida economist David Figlio, shows that students in private schools on vouchers are perfoming in line with their peers in public school.

Voucher supporters make a key argument: The test scores are the same, but, for the state, the price tag is a lot smaller. The state spends about $7,000 per year per student, whereas a voucher costs the state $3,950 a year.

Those who don't support vouchers argue that the program hasn't been a success, failing to raise participating students test scores. Mark Pudlow of the FEA, an organization against vouchers, commented that the report echoes the sentiment long held by the organization, calling vouchers a "quick fix for struggling students."

Voucher programs have long been controversial. Despite the controversy, the legislature has made strong moves to widely expand the voucher program, which is currently available to all students eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. In Florida, vouchers serve 23,259 students.

Florida schools have a zero tolerance policy, meaning that there's very little distinction in schools between a minor incident, like throwing an eraser, or a major incident, like a serious threat to another student. So, the punishment, which is often an offender's first interaction with the law, doesn't fit the crime.

But, that's going to change in Florida come later this week when a new bill, recently signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist, goes into effect. Under the new law, Florida school districts will revise their zero tolerance policies, and the Orlando Sentinel calls the new law "sensible".

"For most (students), it was their first brush with the juvenile-justice system, which can be a life-altering experience, and not necessarily for the good. State officials say that once children go that route, they're more likely to become a fixture in the state's justice system."

The zero tolerance policy in Florida exacerbates a problem Florida is already facing: a serious juvenile incarceration problem. For children aged 10 and up, for every 100,000 children 451.8 are incarcerated. In fact, we rank 48th in the nation for juvenile incarceration.

Under the new law, schools must not only make a distinction between minor and major incidents. Schools are also encouraged to not expel students, in place of looking to other remedies for poor student behavior.

The entire bill signed into law by Governor Crist is available here.

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The Gainesville Sun penned an editorial today thats worth a read.

"Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a bill that gives the state the option of exporting inmates to out-of-state prisons in the event that Florida's own penal system gets too crowded.

"Call it the out-of-sight, out-of-mind bill.

"Whatever you call it, it's a terrible idea. It diffuses state accountability and it hinders rehabilitation by removing prisoners ever further from the possibility of contact with family members.

"Here's a better idea.

"Stop investing in new prison cells and start investing in things that will keep people out of prisons: Job training, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and the like."

This is similar to what Worst To First advocates for: investing in children by ensuring every child has access to a good school and adequate healthcare now so that they don't end up incarcerated later. In fact, Florida is 48th in the nation in juvenile incarceration rates, partially because we don't invest in education. In real terms, more than 450 per 100,000 children aged 10 years and up in Florida are incarcerated.

It's an interesting editorial, raising some worthwhile questions.

Homeless advocates are encountering "the new homeless": former blue-collar workers, home and business owners; folks who have lost it all in a collapsing economy.

And a disturbing new trend: Florida jails packed with an alarming number of pregnant women, generally without criminal records, now turning to crime to get into jail. Why jail? For those who have lost their home and health insurance, jail can be a good solution, so the thinking goes, with 3 square meals a day and a roof overhead. And for the impregnated there is a plus- free medical care for their unborn children.

Judy Martin, a discharge planner for the Manatee County jail, told the Brandenton Herald, “These people had homes and businesses...The economy changed, they lost it all.”

If these "new homeless" had homes and businesses prior to the economy tanking, why have they fallen through whatever safety nets exist to catch them from falling; falling into homelessness and choosing crime just for a bed to sleep in and free medical care to access?

Looking at the numbers, we find answers- safety nets in place, but worn thin and worn through. With Florida ranking 47th nationally for the percentage of women receiving prenatal care, and 31st for numbers of children living in poverty, it's clear the systems are failing to meet all the needs in Florida's communities. And in light of today's economic challenges, the nets already worn thin won't do the job they are meant to, especially with a growing number of "new homeless" needing to be caught in them as well.

The result: mothers without prenatal care are more likely to have sick babies. Children living in poverty, or who don't have access to medical care, don't perform as well in school as those who do. Poor school perfomance in the early years has a lasting impact on these children, truly affecting the rest of their lives. The result: worn out, overburdened nets hard pressed to stop the fall into this new category of homeless.

The St. Petersburg Times editorializes, " A student is in school barely six hours a day. What happens during those other hours of the day matters at least as much."

The Times piece centers around a truth: when schools fail, individual students fail as well. But, we can't write off schools because we can't write off students, especially the ones struggling and in need of assistance. So, the argument goes- it's time for parents and local communities to honestly assess student performance and reexamine their commitment to "student achievement."

And in light of Florida's deficient FCAT scores, this argument seems like a good one. The numbers suggest that student performance is not on the way up, but down. The numbers suggest we aren't doing better for our kids as a state or a community.

If Florida is to seriously sit down and address education in the state, what more can we do? How can we make education not only a priority for our children but for our communities? How can we encourage our communities to more honestly assess the state of education locally?

Florida is working with the Department of Education to persue raising education standards. But, it will be up to the state to institute the new standards, which may not happen. Will raising standards help, if only 59% of current students can meet the graduation standards in place? How will new standards help the failing ones succeed?

There are so many important questions to be asked about education in Florida. But one thing is certain: once asked these questions must be answered. Florida must provide its students with the strong education needed in order to compete in an ever-changing and global economy. By taking an honest look at where we are as a state and by encouraging communities to do the same, viable solutions to enhanced student performance and achievement might likely be found.

FCAT school grades were released yesterday, with an alarming reality: High school grades dropped.

In Leon county, every high school dropped at least one letter grade. Both high schools in Gadsden county failed.

But, throughout Florida, grades aren't on the rise. "According to the state Department of Education, high school reading, writing and science scores were down this year statewide and that played a role in the overall drop in high school grades."

FCAT school grades- which are done on the same scale as student tests on an A-F range- have always been one of the more controversial facets of FCAT testing. The math and reading comprehension tests, used to grade an individual student, are also used to grade the school and the district, as a way of tracking progress. The thought is simple: more students get A’s, more schools get A’s.

School officials often protest that the grading system is too simplistic, and can't possibly explain what's really going on in a school. A local principal in Tallahassee, Rosanne Wood, stated,"This simplistic approach of assigning one grade of A-F to a school trivializes and over-simplifies the complexities, challenges and accomplishments of very diverse schools."

But what the FCAT is showing is that high schools in Florida are in crisis. Too many children are already at a failing school. Florida and it's leaders have to do something to turn this around and prevent even more kids from having to attend a failing school in the future.

Ever wondered what the real price of underage drinking is? Besides the obvious emotional and physical tolls on kids, the real price is $3 billion. That's according to a new Department of Children and Families study.

That breaks down to $165 per Floridian in the costs of crime, traffic accidents, and associated health care.

Here's the breakdown on the expenses associated with underage drinking:
Risky sexual behavior — $291.1 million
Fetal alcohol syndrome — $75.4 million
Medical and other costs for alcohol-related injuries — $202.5 million
Suicides and suicide attempts — $48.3 million
Alcohol abuse treatment — $2.8 million.

Underage drinking is not just something we've got to warn our kids against. The crime, health care costs, and traffic accidents amount to a serious amount of money that the state is having to spend on Florida's kids drinking.

But, cost aside, underage drinking is an indicator of more serious problems. Children not being involved in their education. Children becoming involved in crime. And, we see the results in Florida. Florida ranks 48th nationally in average ACT scores. Florida also ranks 48th nationally in juvenile incarceration rates- the result of which is directly linked to underage drinking.

Laura Vanderkam writes in USA Today her memory of changing schools, watching her As change 'to consonants' as well. She sank from a 'good' student to an average student just by changing schools.

There's an argument to be made that moving and the sheer difficulty and stress associated for students changing schools might have caused Vanderkam's grades to drop. But, what she's alluding to is an entirely different problem in American schools.

What makes a student 'good' at one school isn't the same at another school. Just like a 'good' school might not really be so 'good' in the scheme of things. Worst To First talked about this before when discussing graduation rates in Florida. The state says we're doing well, with nearly 70% of students graduating. The national statistic, based on No Child Left Behind, tells us a different story: only 59% of students are graduating. But, it’s the state statistic most Floridians hear about, the one our leaders talk about and the one that feeds into the 'Florida schools are fine’ mentality held by many Florida residents.

Here's an interesting statistic from a Phi Delta Kappa/ Gallup poll: 22% of Americans rate our schools as an 'A' or a 'B'. But, ask them about their eldest child's school, and 72% of Americans give the school an 'A' or 'B'.' So, its clear what Americans think: We do have an education problem, but the problem just isn't at my child's school.

Statistics aside, we've got to examine the real impact of underperforming schools. McKinsey and Co., a management consulting firm, did another study tying education and student success with real economic impact. McKinsey and Co. found that "If the United States had in recent years closed the gap between its educational achievement levels and those of better-performing nations such as Finland and Korea, GDP in 2008 could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher. This represents 9 to 16 percent of GDP."

It's important to recognize that we've got to honestly evaluate our students and our schools, and that investing in education is more than just upping the number of students who gradaute this year, but about making investment in a strong economic future.

Today was a sad day for Florida. Ten years of failed economic policies have brought us to where we are. The state of Florida raided $700 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund today. More than $1 billion has been taken in total from the fund that supports children's programs, the elderly and cancer research.

We aren't doing well in this state. Too many sick children flocking to emergency rooms because they have no insurance. Mothers without access to prenatal care. High school graduates who aren't ready for college classes. We've lost sight of our values.

It's time for our leaders to take responsibility for their failure to lead; a failure that has diminished Florida, making it one of the worst states in the nation for children to live in and thrive.

Look at what happened to the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund. The fund went towards the annual revenue, generating as much as $100 million in any given year. It wasn't a rainy day fund.

My friend, Sen. Bill Nelson, described the situation best when he said the fiscal mismanagement in Florida "caused the Florida Legislature to bust open the kids' piggy bank."

That's why it's time we organize. Getting mad isn't enough. And, as one of our first organizing efforts, Worst To First is establishing the Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps, a two-day conference on August 8-9th at the University of Central Florida that will bring student leaders from all around the state together. I'm encouraging everyone from high school students to college age students to apply.

Every child should have the opportunity to explore their potential, but we're shrinking our resources for children to such a level that it's embarassing. That's why I'm working hard to move Florida from being one of the worst states for children to being one of the best.