Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Shannon NickinsonJune 1, 2015

For many children, Escambia County is a hard place to grow up. A story in The New York Times, based on data gathered by the Equality of Opportunity Project, highlights the impact that a child’s ZIP code can have on his or her economic prospects. (Read UWF economist Rick Harper’s thoughts on the study here.) […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 17, 2015

They are a bright bunch, the class of 2028. The students in Emily Ellis’ VPK class at Lincoln Park Primary School are as warm and bubbly as any crop of 4- and 5-year-olds you are likely to meet, quick with a hug and big on teamwork as they work to “keep the Earth clean” raking […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 14, 2015

There were lots of great questions at the Studer Community Institute’s education town hall on May 5 in Pensacola. Questions about what skills our students lack when they go to Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida to further their education. Questions about how we can address the educational, emotional and physiological impacts […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 12, 2015

Cassandra Smith measures progress one after-school function at a time. One family literacy night, one book club meeting, one school program after the next. Smith is in her second year as principal at Lincoln Park Primary School in Pensacola, which serves slightly less than 200 students from preschool through third grade. The school was on […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 11, 2015

Cassandra Smith measures progress one after-school function at a time. One family literacy night, one book club meeting, one school program after the next. Smith is in her second year as principal at Lincoln Park Primary School in Pensacola, which serves just under 200 students from preschool through third grade. The school was on the […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 4, 2015

Stormwater – at least for now – is no longer a dirty word in Escambia County. The question is, how long will that last? Two years ago, talking about stormwater and low-impact design in polite company was a guaranteed snooze-fest. Now it’s what all the cool government officials are talking about. And for once, the […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 6, 2015

9,071 years. That is what Escambia County lost in a year based on the health outcomes reported in by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That measure – years of potential life lost before the age of 75 – is the bottom line of the county health rankings released March 25. Many […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 30, 2015

This is no way to run a railroad — or a state education system. In recent weeks, problems with the Florida Standards Assessment writing test made headlines. Schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties reported problems and testing was suspended for a time. After nearly three days of complaints from districts across the state about […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 25, 2015

It’s almost time to let the tilt-a-whirl of state standardized testing spin anew. Next week, Escambia County students will begin Florida Standards Assessment testing in reading and mathematics. Santa Rosa students will start their testing in April. Third- and fourth-graders will take the tests on paper. For fifth-graders on up, the tests will be online. […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 22, 2015

There is always a story behind the data. The Uniform Crime Report data is what every law enforcement agency turns in to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and ultimately to the FBI. The data provide a snapshot of the level and type of crime in a community. This year the data for both the […]

Tag: Shannon Nickinson

Shannon Nickinson: Support from Escambia business community is key to creating Children's Services Council

Shannon Nickinson: Early Education Summit's goal is tax money to create Escambia Children's Services Council

Shannon Nickinson: What is the future of the Pensacola community worth to you?

Shannon Nickinson: How opening the door to parents revived one primary school

Shannon Nickinson: How opening the door to parents revived one primary school

Shannon Nickinson: After April deluge, Escambia County makes stormwater a ‘big deal’

Shannon Nickinson: Preventing the loss of thousands of years of life

Shannon Nickinson: Educational testing in Florida: This is not good business

Shannon Nickinson: High-stakes testing thrill ride ready to resume

Shannon Nickinson: Statistical gods fiddle with Uniform Crime Reports