JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools was recently awarded the District Summer Learning Initiative grant through the Walmart Foundation in the amount of $750,000 over two years to serve 800 youth in the 2012 Superintendent’s Summer Academy Programs. At a time when school districts around the country are curtailing summer learning programs in response to budget cuts, the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) received a $4 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to provide more than 7,000 summer learning opportunities for middle school students.

The U.S. Department of Education today approved Florida’s request for a flexibility waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Florida was one of 11 states asking for flexibility with regard to accountability standards mandated by the No Child Left Behind legislation implemented in 2001. The state requested the waiver to be able to move to a single statewide accountability system that would eliminate duplicative regulation and make Florida’s system easier to understand.