The Florida Senate

229.59  Educational improvement projects.--

(1)  Pursuant to rules adopted by the Commissioner of Education, each district school board, or each principal through the district school board, may submit to the commissioner for approval a proposal for implementing an educational improvement project. Such proposals shall be developed with the assistance of district and school advisory councils and may address any or all of the following areas:

(a)  The improvement of school management;

(b)  The improvement of the district and school advisory councils;

(c)  School volunteers;

(d)  The professional development of teachers;

(e)  The restructuring of educational programs to meet the needs of diverse students; and

(f)  Global awareness.

Such projects may also address any other educational area which would be improved through the encouragement of closer working relationships among the school principal, the teachers, and the parents and other members of the community. Priority shall be given to proposals which provide for the inclusion of existing resources, such as district educational training funds, in the implementation of an educational improvement project.

(2)  For each project approved, the commissioner shall authorize distribution of a grant from funds available to the Department of Education for educational improvements projects. Promising innovations resulting from the implementation of such projects shall be disseminated through publications, training programs, and conferences. Projects that are determined to be exceptional and innovative by the department may be further used as demonstration and training models for other projects. The Department of Education shall initiate field-based research to assess the impact of education improvement efforts.

History.--s. 2, ch. 78-416; s. 1, ch. 89-278; s. 81, ch. 90-201; s. 24, ch. 91-5; s. 12, ch. 91-283; s. 92, ch. 97-190.