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Sarasota Magazine

Education

Suncoast Searchlight

‘Hostile Takeover’: Charter Operator Files to Occupy Three Sarasota Schools

In three nearly identical two-page notices, the charter school laid out plans for takeovers at Brookside Middle, Emma E. Booker Elementary School and Oak Park School, a K-12 campus that serves students with disabilities.

10/09/2025 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight, Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight, and Josh Salman/Suncoast Searchlight

Water World

Mote's New Science Education Aquarium Is Open

Years in the making, the $132 million facility includes 1 million gallons of aquatic exhibitions, including  sharks and stingrays, manatees, otters, penguins, a giant octopus, sharks, otters and more, plus three state-of-the-art STEM teaching labs.

10/08/2025 By Megan McDonald Videography by Joshua Bodkin

Room to Breathe

At Booker Elementary, Revamped Sensory and Motor Rooms Offer Students a Way to Rest and Reset

The updated rooms give children short breaks to regulate their nervous systems so they can return to class ready to learn—tools that many schools struggle to provide.

09/25/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Seeding Knowledge

Sarasota County Schools Has Launched Its Newest Education Initiative: a Working Farm

The $8 million agricultural complex sits on 39.1 acres next to McIntosh Middle School, where county students can get down and dirty while learning about agriculture.

09/18/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Campus Memorial

New College of Florida Plans Statue of Charlie Kirk

The Sarasota school is commissioning a privately funded monument to the slain activist as other campuses weigh tributes following his murder in Utah.

09/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Mo' Mote

Mote's New Science Education Aquarium (SEA) Is Set to Open Oct. 8

The $130 million, 146,000-square-foot aquarium marks Mote Marine Laboratory’s 70th anniversary and ushers in a new era of science education, research and public engagement.

09/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Suncoast Searchlight

Privatization Push Emerges at New College as Ex-Insider Breaks With DeSantis Allies

New College alum Nathan Allen has laid out a multi-million-dollar proposal to wean New College off taxpayer dollars over the next decade

09/05/2025 By Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

Exit Interview

As Ringling College President Larry Thompson Prepares to Retire, He Leaves a Legacy of Art and Ambition

After 26 years, Thompson reflects on transforming a modest art school into a global creative force—and what comes next.

05/08/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Unity Awards

Kathleen Sullivan Gives a Helping Hand to Children and Families in Need

“When anybody asks me about Head Start, I tell them it changed my life.”

03/03/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Unity Awards

Dr. Lisa Butler Grain Is Creating a New Generation of Leaders

“Our efforts are rooted in our belief that education is a transformative tool that can change lives.”

03/03/2025 By Megan McDonald

Popular Content

    'Fill Your Brain': An Appreciation of New College Professor Arthur Mc.A ('Mac') Miller

    New College Neighbors Head to Mediation Over Disputed Campus Master Plan

    Dr. Lisa Butler Grain Is Creating a New Generation of Leaders

    Goodbye to USF Sarasota-Manatee—and New College

    John Oliver Takes Aim at New College of Florida

    USF Sarasota-Manatee Will Be Transferred to New College

2024 Year in Review

A Look Back at Some of Our Best Stories of 2024

Editor in chief Cooper Levey-Baker selects his personal favorites.

12/19/2024 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Pie Day!

Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods Helps Local Students Make Thanksgiving Pie—With an Educational Twist

Woods, the first chef to launch former First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" cooking series, taught students at Visible Men Academy how to make a delicious apple pie from scratch.

11/26/2024 By Lauren Jackson

Education

Sarasota, Manatee County School Districts Announce Reopening Plans

Sarasota County schools will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Manatee County schools will reopen tomorrow, Oct. 15.

10/14/2024 By Staff

A Place to Grow

How Sarasota's Cyesis Program Helps Teen Parents Stay in School

“Cyesis was built to wrap expectant and parenting teens with the support they need most,” says program director Meredith Piazza.

09/01/2024 By Stephanie Churn Lubow

Year One

Inside New College of Florida’s Radical Transformation

New College's first full academic year under its new Board of Trustees is almost over. Elizabeth Djinis looks at how the institution has changed, and what the future might hold.

05/08/2024 By Elizabeth Djinis Illustrations by Michael Byers

Unity Awards

David Wilkins Brings Black History to Students Who Aren’t Learning It at School

Freedom School is a series of free lessons on African and African American history for students in grades K-12 that launched last February and was renewed and expanded last fall.

01/01/2024 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Ringling Rising

Here's What's Coming to the Corner of North Tamiami Trail and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Ringling College of Art and Design is raising $175 million, in part to build its new Signature Academic Building.

12/01/2023 By Kim Doleatto

Reading Rainbow

Sarasota's Rocket Phonics Works With Local Kids to Boost Reading Scores

The pilot program meets at Janie's Garden in Newtown and aims to build the project toward its 20-student capacity.

10/09/2023 By Catherine Hicks/Community News Collaborative

The Body Electric

At Ringling College, Figure Models Play an Integral Role in Teaching Art Students

We often forget the people behind the works of art; the statues we pay money to see. Figure models remind us.

10/02/2023 By Caleb Guedes-Reed

Education

Evacuation Centers Close in Sarasota County, Schools Plan to Reopen Tomorrow

Sarasota County schools serving as Idalia evacuation centers have closed and are prepping for school reopening tomorrow. The School District of Manatee County is still determining its reopening date.

08/30/2023 By Staff

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September-October 2026

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