Directors of Florida's developmental research (lab) schools told the Senate Committee on Education Postsecondary on June 12 about progress using Live Healthy funding to create articulated pathways into postsecondary health programs, stronger career-and-technical education (CTE) offerings and new research partnerships.

The presentations outlined program results and next steps from the University of Florida's PK Young Developmental Research School, Florida State University Schools, Florida A&M University Developmental Research School (FAMU DRS) and Florida Atlantic University Laboratory School (FAU). Committee Chair Kalati Ude opened the hearing and confirmed a quorum before the updates began.

The lab schools are using the Live Healthy initiative to expand CTE and dual-enrollment routes into allied health careers, develop new high-school course sequences and industry certifications, and to create replicable curriculum blueprints for other districts. "We were charged to accelerate the enrollment of lab school students into articulated health care education programs," said Dr. Linda Hayes, interim director and past director of PK Young Developmental Research School. Hayes described PK Young's Healthy Lives blueprint, which pairs K–12 preventative health work with a new Health and Human Performance (HHP) high-school pathway and a planned, research-informed gymnasium to test personalized, AI-assisted fitness interventions.

Dr. Christopher Small, director of Florida State University Schools' Tallahassee lab, described the HERO (Health and Emergency Response Opportunities) program, noting it was built to prepare high school students "for entry into healthcare programs at multiple postsecondary institutions, career and technical colleges, as well as additional high school diploma avenues." Small said FSU lab schools have reported a 100% participation rate among their high-school students for CTE credits, 100% pass rates in certified nursing assistant (CNA) programs and a 98% pass rate on the national food-manager certification for enrolled students.

Michael Johnson, representing FAMU Developmental Research School, said FAMU DRS has already placed students into certifications and is increasing dual-enrollment opportunities with the university. Johnson said the program baseline will serve at least 100 students in grades 6–12 and engage roughly 40 faculty and staff in professional learning; he also described community-school partnerships to extend health programming to families and local organizations.

Dr. Joel Erfz, director of Florida Atlantic University Laboratory School, highlighted FAU High's research and early-college outcomes, saying the school's model has produced students who finish high school with college degrees and extensive student-authored research. Erfz reported FAU students have published in peer-reviewed journals (87 publications cited across 78 countries with roughly 1,700 citations), secured about $350,000 in student-authored grant funding and received six patents. He described partnerships with institutions such as the Max Planck Institute, UF Scripps, Baptist Health and JPL/Caltech for projects ranging from neuroscience to astrobiology and robotic agriculture.

Program scale and goals were repeated across presentations: PK Young reported about 40 high-school students currently enrolled in its HHP pathway with a projection of more than 100 by 2027; FSU aims to increase student participation in its HERO program by 25%; FAMU DRS said it has seen dual-enrollment numbers nearly double; FAU described statewide dissemination plans including curriculum blueprints and teacher professional development workshops.

Committee members asked how lab schools are coordinating with state colleges to ensure graduates are prepared for two-year nursing and allied-health programs. "We will pull from all around Gainesville, including Santa Fe College," Hayes said, describing a June convening PK Young will host with university, college and industry partners to align curriculum maps and identify articulation opportunities. Hayes said PK Young will also update its articulation agreement with Santa Fe College to include direct access to health-related training and college credit for workforce certifications.

On implementation and dissemination, presenters emphasized the lab-school role as a "living laboratory" to design, test and share curricula. Small and Erfz described reserved-seat agreements with technical and state colleges and with university programs as one mechanism to move students from CNA and CTE training into RN and other degree programs. Several presenters noted that dual-enrollment capacity and competitive program seats at local colleges affect how quickly students can be funneled into postsecondary training.

Formal action: toward the end of the hearing Senator Feynman moved to adjourn. "Is there any objection? Seeing none, show the motion adopted," Chair Ude said; the motion carried by voice consent and the committee adjourned.

The lab schools asked the committee and staff for continued state support to expand program scale, fund curriculum development and share blueprints statewide. Presenters said they will continue convenings with local colleges (Santa Fe College and other state colleges), the Florida Department of Health, university partners and local employers to develop internships, paid placements and reserved seats that would make articulated pathways more reliable for graduating students.

While the hearing focused on program development and early outcomes, presenters noted remaining tasks: finalizing articulation agreements with multiple postsecondary partners, aligning K–12 curricula to college-entry requirements in anatomy/chemistry, and expanding dual-enrollment seats so more high-school students can access credentialing before graduation. The committee did not take further votes on policy or budget at the hearing and the presenters committed to return with additional data and outreach plans as their initiatives develop.