Education

Dr. Ken Atwater, president of Hillsborough Community College, has taken on a new leadership role as next chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges.

After being elected as the president of HCC in 2010, Atwater has taken his role to the national level.

The American Association of Community Colleges was started in 1920 when a group of presidents of various junior colleges got together to serve as a national "voice".

Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says state leaders and lawmakers are listening to teacher concerns about evaluations.

The Florida Education Association is suing Bennett, the Department of Education, and a few school districts over teacher evaluations.

The Marion County School Board has voted to reinstate paddling in county elementary schools after a three-year hiatus.

The punishment comes with a few restrictions. From the Ocala Star-Banner:

The board ruled that paddling can be used only if a parent gives a standing written OK once a year. In addition, the principal must obtain verbal permission at the time the punishment is handed down.

Right now, schools determine whether to move a student into special education classes.

But a proposed bill in Tallahassee would give parents of children with special needs more power over their education.

Fort Lauderdale sixth-grader Mariah Harris has Down syndrome, and she wants to be a veterinary technician.

“My dream is to go to college with my friends one day,” she told a panel of lawmakers.