The Miami Herald published a column by Myriam Marquez over the weekend who opines that it would be a mistake for Florida education officials to reduce the number of training hours that reading teachers who work with English-language learners need to receive on how to teach such students. (Hat tip to HispanicTips.com.) Last year, Gov. Charlie Christ vetoed a bill that sought to decrease the number of training hours for reading teachers to 60 from 300.
Florida has educators on both sides of the issue who have been very feisty in making sure their views are heard, which is why, I imagine, this issue is not going away anytime soon.
The columnist reports that Florida Department of Education officials are meeting today with a small group of educators including Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, to review the training standards for reading teachers.