The Hispanic student population is nearing 30 percent and black students account for 17 percent of students but minorities are noticeably under represented in the ranks of teachers and administrators in Highlands County district schools. ...more

November 23, 2009

More than 100 years ago St. Peter Claver Catholic School became the first private school in Florida with a mission to teach black students. But school officials say the landmark school faces a $250,000 budget shortfall for 2009-10. ...more

August 27, 2009

Student performance at Florida's charter schools falls far below that at traditional public schools, according to a Stanford University report. ...more

June 17, 2009

Six women from Avon Park spent several hours passing photographs back and forth a few days ago while they talked about friends and family. ...more

March 29, 2009

Otis Anthony has dedicated his life to improving conditions for the black community in Tampa. One of his many contributions is a collection of oral histories, articles and transcripts that he gathered in the 1970s and has since donated to the University of South Florida for preservation. The following are excerpts from an interview he did with G.V. Stewart, a black educator in Tampa before and after integration. ...more

February 7, 2009

Florida continues to outperform the national average on most measures of success in Advanced Placement exams, according to data released Wednesday. ...more

February 5, 2009

Florida continues to outperform the national average on most measures of success on Advanced Placement exams, according to data released today. ...more

February 4, 2009

Jan. 20 marks the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. And the first time in U.S. history a black president will be sworn into office. With Inauguration Day only weeks away, Tampa residents are preparing for the trip of a lifetime. Here, they share their reasons for wanting to trek to the nation's capital. ...more

January 2, 2009

While the statewide graduation rate improved significantly in 2007-08 compared to the previous year, Highlands County's public school graduation rate dropped. ...more

November 20, 2008

When movie producers approached Gina Prince-Bythewood seven years ago to write the screenplay for "The Secret Life of Bees," she didn't have time to read the 300-page novel. ...more

November 1, 2008