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Florida Prepaid Partners with Florida Department of Education to Honor Outstanding Educators

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Florida Prepaid Signs on as Presenting Sponsor
of the 2018 Florida Teacher of the Year

From left, 2018 Teacher of the Year Tammy Jerkins, State Board Member Tom Grady, State Board Member Ben Gibson, Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart, Florida Prepaid Executive Director Kevin Thompson, Florida Prepaid Director of Marketing and Communications Martha Bullock, Florida Prepaid Spokesperson Shannon Colavecchio, State Board Chair Marva Johnson, State Board Member Andy Tuck and State Board Member Michael Olenick.

At a meeting of the State Board of Education, Commissioner Stewart today recognized Florida Prepaid as the presenting sponsor of the Florida Teacher of the Year Program. The annual Florida Teacher of the Year Program celebrates one of the most important professions in the world: teaching.
“We are grateful for Florida Prepaid’s commitment to Florida’s future, and we look forward to working together toward our goal of Florida being the best place in the world to receive a great education,” said Education Commissioner Pam Stewart. “The Teacher of the Year Program is a wonderful opportunity for teachers from every school district to be recognized for their hard work and to access valuable professional development to enhance their leadership skills.”
As the presenting sponsor, Florida Prepaid will support statewide teacher leadership programs and expand the influence of Florida’s most accomplished teachers; elevate teaching as a rewarding and honored career choice and help solve the teacher shortage; and celebrate excellence in one of the most impactful professions.
“We are honored to be a part of this important program for Florida educators, whose professional mission aligns so closely with ours,” said Florida Prepaid Executive Director Kevin Thompson. “Teachers prepare Florida students academically for the rigors of a K-12 and postsecondary education, and at Florida Prepaid we are helping the families of Florida students to prepare financially for college. The result is a stronger Florida.”
Proceeds from the program support professional growth programs for teachers and strategies to enhance the impact of Florida’s best educators. That effort begins with the Teacher Roundtable, a three-day series of teacher leadership training held each year in July. Following this initial orientation to the purposeful activities of being a school-wide leader, this distinguished group has the opportunity to participate in the Florida’s Teacher Lead Network, a growing collaborative of Florida’s best teachers committed to impacting positively our state’s schools and districts.
Florida Prepaid, as well as additional sponsors, also make possible the gala, including the much-anticipated Teacher of the Year announcement. The gala is the backbone of an intentional strategy to infuse every school in Florida with exceptional teachers who are prepared to lead other educators, impacting instructional quality throughout the state. The 2018 gala is scheduled for July 13 in Orlando.
About the Florida Prepaid College Board
The Florida Prepaid College Board manages the Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program and the Florida 529 Savings Plan. Both are tax-favored 529 college savings plans authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. In 1987 the Florida Prepaid College Program was created by the Florida Legislature and the commitment and dedication of Mr. Stanley G. Tate to provide Florida families with an affordable means to save for their children’s future college education. The first Florida Prepaid College Plans were sold in 1988, and were augmented with the addition of the Florida 529 Savings Plan in 2002. Florida Prepaid is the largest, longest running and most successful prepaid plan in the nation with more than 1.8 million Florida Prepaid College Plans purchased and more than $6.7 billion invested in Prepaid Plans by Florida families. The 529 Savings Plan has more than 60,000 active accounts with a market value of more than $525 million. To learn more about Florida Prepaid, visit myfloridaprepaid.com.
About the Florida Education Foundation
The Florida Education Foundation serves as the direct support organization for the Florida Department of Education. As a valued partner to public education, the Foundation’s mission is to invest in high achievement for every student to contribute to Florida’s globally competitive workforce. More information about the Foundation can be found at Florida Education Foundation.
To find out more information about Florida’s Teacher of the Year Program, click here.
For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit fldoe.org.

Registration is open for FLVC’s Open Educational Resources Summit

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Florida Virtual Campus will host Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit from Feb. 7-8 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida. FLVC is a Complete Florida Plus Program, managed by the University of West Florida Division of Research and Strategic Innovation. The summit was originally scheduled for Sept. 7-8, 2017 in Daytona Beach, but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma. Participants will hear from Cable Green, director of Open Education, as well as other national and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives.
“Not even a hurricane would prevent us from being able to provide valuable OER information to state and campus leaders,” said Dr. John Opper, executive director of Distant Learning and Student Services at FLVC. “Attendees will discuss the components of a sustainable OER program, elements of a successful faculty-driven OER program, the key concerns relating to the quality of open textbooks and how to address them, and the return on investment for students and institutions.”
Open educational resources are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning and research purposes. One state-funded resource for storing and sharing OER is the Orange Grove, an online collection of textbooks and educational materials available to Florida students for free. Using this resource, students can find textbooks for a range of courses, from English composition to oceanography to precalculus.
State and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategies and initiatives in higher education, including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators and other thought leaders are encouraged to attend this event. Registration is $100 per attendee. For more information regarding the summit or to register, visit flvc.org/oersummit.
About Florida Virtual Campus
The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC), a Complete Florida Plus program, is made up of several units which provide statewide innovative educational services for Florida’s K-adult students. Working collaboratively with Florida’s 12 public universities, 28 public colleges, K-12 school districts, and other partners, FLVC provides state-funded services to help students go to college, succeed in school, prepare for career success, and thrive in life after graduation.