Today on Context Florida:
Peter Schorsch answers 10 big questions Florida politics faced in the summer; before Donald Trump, that is. The questions include what does Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign rollout look like; Can Marco Rubio remain in the top tier of presidential candidates and is Florida ready for Hillary?
Michael Preston asks if there any greater struggle between instructor and student than the dreaded “group assignment”? By working together, employees harness the power of multiple brains. Collaboration adds to the cognitive complexity of the group. Every person brings a different set of skills and experiences that can assist with critical thinking and problem solving. And the more diverse the group, the better the result.
Those still teaching are not at all surprised about the teacher shortages across the country, says Catherine Martinez. All college graduates have to take on enormous debt, and teachers are the lowest paid, in close competition with preachers of any other college graduates. Teachers need to feel that they are valued and secure members of the system. Martinez notes that the direction of the federal government and local state governments means the teacher shortage will get worse, not better.
Marc Yacht believes accepting the challenge to address homelessness requires cooperation among community agencies including health, law enforcement, schools, and municipal services. Ignoring these people puts the entire community at risk for crime, the spread of communicable disease, and the untreated mentally ill. However, Yacht says agencies currently addressing these issues are typically underfunded and have marginal effect on a very large problem.
