This week the controversial parent trigger bill died in the Florida Senate on a tie vote — for the second year in a row. Supporters quickly announced they wouldn’t give up on the bill, but their attempts to fire up an online campaign didn’t quite work out the way they planned.
The Foundation for Florida’s Future isn’t giving up on the parent trigger bill. They’re asking people to announce their support on Twitter and other social media with ready-made post to cut and paste. The bill — officially titled Parent Empowerment in Education — would give parents more power in choosing how to change a chronically [...]
Patricia Levesque runs two foundations created by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — the Foundation for Florida’s Future and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Levesque and Bush are a powerful team advocating for school choice, the controversial parent trigger bill, and Common Core standards being implemented nationwide. Levesque is a divisive figure, drawing criticism [...]
A loose-knit network of education activists generally opposed to the direction Florida has been taking its schools recently is attempting to organize into a more potent political force. The groups include parents, people who want more state funding for schools, and others who are fed up with the brand of testing-based school accountability that Florida [...]
A band of activists is trying to organize Florida education groups toward a common purpose. To do so they are forming two non-profit groups, one a 501(c)3 and the other a 501(c)4. What does that mean? Under Internal Revenue Service rules, a 501(c)3 is a non-profit for religious, charitable or educational purposes. These types of [...]
The House Education committee unanimously approved a bill creating three high school diploma options for Florida students. Students could choose from scholar, college and career and industry options. The scholar option requires high-level courses — such as Physics and foreign language — while the industry option lets students opt for professional training classes and certification. [...]
House Speaker Will Weatherford says Florida needs to be ready in case the test accompanying new education standards isn’t ready by a spring 2015 deadline. The standards, known as Common Core State Standards, are scheduled to be taught in every Florida grade beginning with the 2014-15 school year. The standards are a new way of [...]
Supporters of the parent trigger bill held a briefing with reporters today near the Capitol. The briefing was hosted by Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future. The foundation was created by former Gov. Jeb Bush. The group is staunchly behind proposed legislation titled Parent Empowerment in Education (SB862/HB867). It’s much better [...]
If Don Gaetz gives you a task, he will make sure you get it done. That’s how Cindy Frakes remembers Gaetz, whom she worked with in the Okaloosa County schools. Gaetz was the superintendent then, in the early 2000s. Frakes was, and still is, a member of the school board. Gaetz kept a list, Frakes [...]
The grades are in, and 17 Florida lawmakers were named to the honor roll on the Foundation for Florida’s Future 2012 report card. The foundation was started by former Gov. Jeb Bush, and graded lawmakers based on their votes for a handful of bills. The group supports raising standards for students, holding teachers and schools [...]
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