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Florida Sets National Standard for Responsible AI in Classrooms—From VPK Through College
Florida Department of Education Awarded $6.6 Million Grant to Expand Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Florida Students
Tallahassee, Fla., September 14, 2026 – Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) announced the award of $6.6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to expand work-based learning opportunities for Florida students. This investment will allow the FDOE to build on the success of Florida's official career planning and work-based learning platform, Xello— a free statewide, immersive solution for students of all grade levels to explore careers in the industries that are hiring. The federal award will give students, especially those in rural communities, access to virtual work-based learning, pre-apprenticeships, and other workforce training opportunities in Florida's in-demand sectors.
“Florida’s workforce strategy is simple: every student should graduate with a clear path to a good job, not just a diploma,” said Dr. Henry Mack, Commissioner of Education. “These funds strengthen the strategy by giving millions of middle and high school students direct exposure to the kind of work in industries critical to the future of the Florida economy.”
Xello is Florida’s official K-12 and adult learner career planning and work-based learning coordination platform, providing students and adults with tools and resources to explore careers and plan for their futures. More than 1.1 million active students currently utilize the platform. Expanding its capabilities will make high-quality work-based learning experiences available to Florida residents who face geographic or transportation barriers to traditional work-based learning opportunities. This includes students in Florida’s 29 Rural Economic Development Initiative designated counties, as well as transportation-limited students in urban communities.
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Education chief to school districts: Remove sexually explicit books before anyone complains
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s education commissioner is directing school districts to set stricter rules for reviewing library and classroom books or face “corrective measures.”
In a seven-page memo sent Wednesday evening, Commissioner Henry Mack told superintendents and charter school leaders to continuously audit books, review their collections and remove instructional materials that contain sexually explicit material, even if a parent or county resident has not submitted a complaint in that district.
“Reactive review,” is insufficient, wrote.
“Make no mistake, the Department will hold districts, and the superintendents who lead them, accountable for failing to protect students from inappropriate content and material,” Mack added.
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Florida Department of Education Awarded $6.6 Million Grant to Expand Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Florida Students
Florida Department of Education Awarded $6.6 Million Grant to Expand Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Florida Students
Tallahassee, Fla., September 14, 2026 – Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) announced the award of $6.6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to expand work-based learning opportunities for Florida students. This investment will allow the FDOE to build on the success of Florida's official career planning and work-based learning platform, Xello— a free statewide, immersive solution for students of all grade levels to explore careers in the industries that are hiring. The federal award will give students, especially those in rural communities, access to virtual work-based learning, pre-apprenticeships, and other workforce training opportunities in Florida's in-demand sectors.
“Florida’s workforce strategy is simple: every student should graduate with a clear path to a good job, not just a diploma,” said Dr. Henry Mack, Commissioner of Education. “These funds strengthen the strategy by giving millions of middle and high school students direct exposure to the kind of work in industries critical to the future of the Florida economy.”
Xello is Florida’s official K-12 and adult learner career planning and work-based learning coordination platform, providing students and adults with tools and resources to explore careers and plan for their futures. More than 1.1 million active students currently utilize the platform. Expanding its capabilities will make high-quality work-based learning experiences available to Florida residents who face geographic or transportation barriers to traditional work-based learning opportunities. This includes students in Florida’s 29 Rural Economic Development Initiative designated counties, as well as transportation-limited students in urban communities.
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Florida tops in conservative Education Freedom metrics, group says
The conservative political think tank behind Project 2025 has again named Florida its top state for education freedom.
The Heritage Foundation’s 2026 Education Freedom Report Card ranked the Sunshine State No. 1 for a fifth consecutive year, citing its strength in education choice, academic transparency, teacher freedom and civic education.
“In the backdrop of the Trump administration working to wind down the U.S. Department of Education, states like Florida and Iowa have met the moment by reclaiming more education responsibilities, which our nation’s Founders always intended, and providing families with more education choice,” Heritage president Kevin Roberts said in a press release.
