Southeast
How teacher autonomy helps students and staff succeed at this top Florida school
When teachers at A.D. Henderson School, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Nationally, most teachers report feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work, according to a Pew Research Center survey of teachers last fall. Waning job satisfaction over the last two decades has accompanied a decline in teachers’ sense of autonomy in the classroom, according to a recent study out of Brown University and the University of Albany.
But at this South Florida school, administrators allow their staff high levels of classroom creativity — and it works.
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A public school of 636 kindergartners to eighth graders on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, Henderson scored in the top 1% to 3% in every subject and grade level on the state’s latest standardized tests, with the exception of sixth grade math, where students scored in the top 7%. In almost every subject, 60% or more of Henderson students score significantly above the state average.
“There is a lot of our own individual input allowed in doing the activities that we want to do in the classroom,” said Vanessa Stevenson, a middle school science teacher finishing her third year at the school. She plans to start an equine medicine class next fall even though the school has no stables — she believes she will find a way.
“It’s a bit of trial and error because there’s nothing being handed to you saying, ‘Do it this way.’ You just have to figure it out,” she said.
Math interventionist Jessica Foreman, center, works with a small group of first graders at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Florida, on April 16, 2024. Teachers at the K-8 public school, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, say their autonomy helps them succeed. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Joel Herbst, superintendent of Henderson and its sibling FAU High School, calls the faculty his “secret sauce” and argues the school’s success can be duplicated anywhere — if administrators cede some control.
When that happens, he said, teachers create hands-on programs that help students “not only show their understanding, but gain more depth.”
“Give (teachers) the freedom to do what they do best, which is to impart knowledge, to teach beyond the textbook,” he said.
Portland State University education professor Madhu Narayanan, who studies teacher autonomy, said independence has a high correlation to faculty morale and success. But autonomy must be paired with administrative support.
“It can’t be, ‘Here is the classroom, here is the textbook, we’ll see you in six months.’ Those teachers have tremendous autonomy, but feel lost,” he said.
‘THAT LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA’
Henderson emphasizes science, technology and math, using arts and humanities to help with those lessons. About 2,700 families enter a lottery each year for the 60 spots in Henderson’s kindergarten class and openings in other grades. There is no screening — some children entering Henderson are prodigies, most are average learners and some have learning disabilities like dyslexia.
The only tweaking is to comply with a Florida law requiring the student population at university-run “laboratory” schools match state demographics for race, gender and income. Because families apply to attend, parental involvement is high — an advantage Herbst and his staff concede.
Selected kindergartners are tested months before arrival so any needs can be immediately addressed.
“Some of them come in reading and some know five letters — and it is not just reading, but all subjects,” said Lauren Robinson, the elementary program’s vice principal. “We are going to provide every opportunity to close those gaps before those gaps grow and grow, instead of waiting until a certain grade level and saying, ‘Now we’ll try to close them.’ It’s Day One.”
In Jenny O’Sullivan’s art and technology classroom, kindergartners learn computer coding basics by steering a robot through a maze. Fourth and fifth graders make videos celebrating Earth Day. Students learn design by building cardboard arcade games like Skee-Ball for their classmates. Legos teach engineering.
While her new classroom has the latest technology, she insists such classes can be taught anywhere if the teacher is allowed creativity.
“My grandmother is from Louisiana and there’s a (Cajun) saying: ‘Lagniappe,’ that little something extra,” O’Sullivan said. “I get to be the lagniappe in (the student’s) education. Could you do without it? Yes. But would you want to? No.”
Working in small groups while dressed in white lab coats and goggles, the sixth graders in Amy Miramontes’ Medical Detectives class solve a mystery daily. They have examined strands of rabbit muscle under a microscope, using safe chemicals to determine what neurological disease each animal had. They have tested fake neurotoxins to determine which ailments afflicted their imaginary patients.
Miramontes hopes the class not only piques the students’ interest in medicine, but implants knowledge needed in two years when they take the state’s eighth-grade science test.
“They’re always learning by having their hands on something,” Miramontes said. “If they mess up, it’s OK — we start over. But then we learn a great life lesson that we have to be very diligent.”
Marisha Valbrun, 12, took Medical Detectives because she might want to be a doctor. She’s learned that while science is challenging, by seeking assistance she can overcome obstacles.
“I feel like if I just ask any person in this room for help, they can give you that right answer,” she said.
USING ART TO TEACH SCIENCE
Even at a school where teachers exude enthusiasm, elementary art teacher Lindsey Wuest stands out — she can’t stand still while describing how her lessons center on science.
On this afternoon in her Science as Art class, Wuest and a visiting artist are showing third graders how to make clay bobblehead dolls of endangered species — while also teaching the chemistry of why glazes change color in the kiln.
“Hopefully those students who love art can also develop a love of science,” she said. “Project-based learning sticks with the kids for longer.”
Third grader Maximus Mallow said that by working on his leopard bobblehead, he learned how the animal’s camouflage works.
“We have fun while we create stuff about science,” the 9-year-old said.
Henderson’s success leads to grants — and nowhere shows that better than the middle school’s drone program, which recently won a national competition in San Diego.
Henderson’s drone teams have a room to practice flying the 3-inch-by-3-inch, four-rotor devices through an obstacle course, plus flight simulators donated by the local power company.
The drone program is a chance to compete while using the physics and aeronautics learned in the classroom, teacher James Nance said. While expensive equipment is a benefit, Nance said, drone classes can be taught on a shoestring. At a previous school, he made a flying course out of PVC pipe and balloons.
Eighth grader Anik Sahai pulls out his cell phone in Stevenson’s science classroom, an act at Henderson that usually means a trip to the office. But he is demonstrating an app he created that uses the camera to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. It took first place in the state’s middle school science fair and is being considered for commercial use.
The 14-year-old credits his success to his years at Henderson, beginning in the preschool program.
“The teachers here, they’re amazing,” he said. “They’ve been trained on how to get us to the next level.”
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Southeast
Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms
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Ahead of the rapidly approaching 2026 midterms, Republicans and Democrats in states across the country are engaged in heated redistricting battles. What started with Texas’ effort to redraw its congressional map earlier in 2025 has led to other states, including California and Missouri, to do the same.
Now, redistricting battles are shaping up in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland and Virginia.
Florida
Florida Republicans are engaged in a fight over the creation of a House map that has the potential to net the GOP several seats, The Hill reported. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts.
Despite the fact that a Florida House redistricting panel has already met twice to begin the process, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and state Senate Republican leadership appear to be interested in holding off on the discussion until a special session in spring. However, some fear that this could be too late, as April 20 is the deadline for federal candidates to qualify and file paperwork.
Florida Republicans are also facing challenges because of language in the state’s constitution that puts tight restrictions on gerrymandering, NBC News noted.
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Florida Republicans face challenges due to language in the state’s constitution that puts tight restrictions on gerrymandering. ( Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Illinois
Democrats could possibly pick up more seats in Illinois, but the move has gained little ground. Black lawmakers have expressed concerns that a new map could undermine minority representation, according to NBC News.
Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., said his state could be forced to respond if neighboring Indiana were to move forward with its own redistricting effort. However, he later applauded Indiana when it rejected a new map.
“Our neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump’s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what’s right for their constituents and our democracy,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Illinois will remain vigilant against his map rigging — our efforts to respond and stop his campaign are being heard.”
After Indiana rejected their map, Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D, urged Pritzker to drop the idea, The Hill reported, noting that others have suggested that the Prairie State is still mulling the move.
Jon Maxson, a spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, told The Hill in an email that “all options remain on the table in Illinois.”
Illinois faces a larger issue, as the November candidate filing deadline has already passed.
Trump once said aboard Air Force One he could invoke the Insurrection Act to tackle violent crime in Chicago and urged Pritzker to “beg for help,” escalating their political standoff. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images; Talia Sprague/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Kansas
Kansas is the other major redistricting target for Republicans.
GOP lawmakers in the Sunflower State have said that they would discuss redrawing the map when they reconvene this month. However, just last year, lawmakers tried but failed to bring the issue forward.
Kansas Republicans need two-thirds support in the Legislature to hold a special session to address the map. While State House members didn’t have enough support for the issue, Republicans were able to secure enough signatures in the state Senate, The Hill reported. Additionally, they will need to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Kelly recently told the Kansas Reflector that she would be “surprised if they even really bring it up.”
“I don’t think a lot has changed in terms of where legislators stand on the issue,” she added.
In November, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (R), who’s running for Kansas governor, claimed in a statement that “California Democrats are working overtime to silence Republicans and steal the House majority.”
“Even Governor Laura Kelly admitted that there’s a bigger risk in doing nothing. On that, we agree. States across America are standing up, and Kansas will be part of that fight,” he added.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore holds a press conference in Oct. 2025 outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))
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Maryland
Maryland Democrats have resisted pressure to redraw maps. In November, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, formed a redistricting commission to explore the issue despite a lack of appetite for the move within his own party. The commission voted in secret to move forward with the plan, to the dismay of Democrat critics.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, has been a vocal opponent of redistricting.
“The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map,” Ferguson said in a statement, according to The Hill. “They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration.”
The commission is asking the public about congressional map proposals ahead of the state’s Feb. 24 candidate filing deadline.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Virginia
In late October, just before the state’s gubernatorial election, Virginia Democratic lawmakers took a major first step in a complex political maneuver aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map.
Democrats were able to pass an amendment to the state’s Constitution to allow lawmakers to temporarily redistrict mid-decade by 2030, The Hill noted. The amendment will need to be passed again in the spring or summer before voters can have their say. The lawmakers now have the help of additional Democrats in the state’s Legislature following the November 2025 elections.
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“Our congressional delegation is 6-5 — six Democrats, five Republicans. Ten-1 is not out of the realm,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said in early December, according to NBC News.
If voters approve of the referendum, lawmakers would be able to pass a new map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Hill noted that Republicans are highly likely to challenge a new map in court.
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The suspect accused of plotting a New Year’s Eve attack on a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina worked at a Burger King and hid knives and hammers under his bed despite his grandparents trying to secure the potential weapons, prosecutors revealed Friday.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a town outside Charlotte, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said.
“What we do know is that the grandfather secured the knives in the home, secured the hammers, tried to make sure that Mr. Sturdivant did not have them. And, yet, when we executed the search warrant, they were found under his bed,” Ferguson told reporters at a news conference Friday.
Ferguson added the attack was planned to take place in Mint Hill, and the suspect worked at a Burger King.
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Christian Sturdivant, the 18-year-old suspect from Mint Hill, N.C., accused of plotting an attack on New Year’s Eve in support of ISIS. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
“He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. And we were very, very fortunate they did not,” Ferguson said. “I can tell you from his notes he was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals.”
James C. Barnacle, Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Friday that Sturdivant first caught the bureau’s attention in January 2022, when he was still a juvenile.
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Prosecutors said “law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden-handled hammer and two butcher knives hidden underneath the defendant’s bed.” On the right is a note titled, “New Years Attack 2026,” that prosecutors said law enforcement found during a Dec. 29, 2025, search of Sturdivant’s home in Mint Hill, N.C. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
“He was in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas. Sturdivant received direction from this unidentified ISIS member to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors, and attack them with a hammer. In fact, Sturdivant did dress in all black. He left this house with a hammer, and fortunately his family stepped in,” Barnacle continued. “No charges were filed at that time. He was referred for psychological care, and he underwent psychological care.
“Christian Sturdivant pledged his loyalty to ISIS and committed himself to commit to killing Americans on New Year’s Eve.
“Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack,” prosecutors said. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
“We do have some intelligence that he was looking at a grocery store because there would be a lot of people there. He knew there would be a lot of people there grocery shopping. … He was looking for a high-profile place,” Barnacle added.
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“There’s a couple grocery stores in Mint Hill. He wasn’t set on just one. He was looking at multiple, whichever one had the most people in it.”
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Southeast
Georgia teen charged with murdering Uber driver in suburban carjacking, leaving him to die
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A 15-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with murder after an Uber driver was found shot to death early New Year’s Day after a carjacking in a suburban Atlanta community, authorities said.
The victim was identified as Cesar Tejada, 58, of Grayson, Georgia, who was working as an Uber driver at the time of the shooting, according to a release from the Lawrenceville Police Department. Authorities said that Tejada was a father of two.
Police responded around 5:20 a.m. Jan. 1 to a report of a person lying in the roadway in the suburban community of Lawrenceville, which is approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. Officers found Tejada suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that Tejada had picked up the suspect around 4:13 a.m. and transported him to Groveland Parkway. Police said the suspect exited the back seat, shot Tejada and left him in the road before fleeing the scene.
An Uber driver was found shot to death in the roadway of the nearby 600 block of Groveland Parkway in the Meadow Grove subdivision Jan. 1, 2026. (WAGA-TV)
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Using FLOCK camera technology and working in partnership with Uber, detectives tracked Tejada’s vehicle back to the area where the trip originated. Officers later detained the suspect, identified as 15-year-old Christian Simmons, after observing him walking in the roadway near his residence, police said.
Simmons has been charged as an adult with murder. Police initially withheld his identity due to his age.
Christian Simmons, 15, was charged with murder as an adult after Uber driver Cesar Tejada, 58, was found shot to death in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on New Year’s Day. (Lawrenceville Police Department/Facebook)
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, an Uber spokesperson said the company is saddened by Tejada’s death.
“We’re saddened by this devastating loss, and our condolences go out to the driver’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve been in contact with the Lawrenceville Police Department to help support their investigation.”
Uber confirmed the rider account associated with the incident has been permanently banned. The company said it employs former law enforcement professionals to assist with investigations and offers in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button, GPS trip tracking and rider verification.
The Lawrenceville Police Department discovered a deceased Uber driver in the roadway of the nearby 600 block of Groveland Parkway in the Meadow Grove subdivision Jan. 1, 2026. (WAGA-TV)
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Police described Tejada as a husband and father of two and extended condolences to his family. The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Lawrenceville Police Department.
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