Educators across Florida and the nation have talked about their successes in overcoming student learning losses caused by inconsistent schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recovery has been uneven, though, with a clear achievement gap among demographic groups. One analysis showed that students who started off behind fell even further behind.

Efforts to eliminate the achievement gap among students of different races have been a priority for Florida schools for several years.

The Hernando County school district aims to turn things around by giving its principals, along with district administrators, more security. The board recently agreed in principle to give multi-year contracts to its top leaders.