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Education is big business. These are stories about the politicians, businesses, lobbyists and other leaders seeking to impact education decisions.

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January 2, 2013

While You Were Out: Tony Bennett Talks About His Plans For Florida Education

The Tampa Bay Times snagged an interview with incoming education commissioner Tony Bennett. You might have missed it while celebrating the holidays or watching football games. Here’s the most interesting section to us, where reporter Jeff Solochek asks Bennett about the volume of school policy changes: There’s been talk that Florida and other states might […]

December 20, 2012

Poll Finds Voters ‘Dead-Set’ Against Education Agenda in Florida

Florida voters don’t like education proposals pushed by state leaders and Gov. Rick Scott. Really don’t like them, according to a new Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll. Quinnipiac pollsters say voters are “dead-set” against a series of school reform efforts by state leaders. The worst offender is a plan to set different achievement goals for students […]

December 18, 2012

Lawmaker Changes His Mind About Bright Futures Bill

A Florida lawmaker who filed a bill that would make Bright Futures recipients stay in Florida after graduation seems to have changed his mind. A spokesman for Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Lecanto, told the Orlando Sentinel that Smith will withdraw the bill that was filed this month. It would have required college graduates to stay and […]

December 12, 2012

Indiana Superintendent Tony Bennett Is Florida’s Next Education Commissioner

Citing his experience at many levels of education and his work on new, national Common Core standards, the State Board of Education unanimously chose Tony Bennett as Florida’s next education commissioner. Board members said there will be no learning curve for Bennett when he takes over in Florida. “I think Tony’s experience in being a […]

December 11, 2012

Top Three Education Commissioner Candidates On The Hot Seat Today

The State Board of Education is expected to choose Florida’s new Commissioner of Education this week. The three finalists will be interviewed this afternoon in Tampa. They were chosen from an applicant pool of more than sixty. Interim Commissioner Pam Stewart did not apply. She also serves as Florida’s Chancellor of Public Schools. Stewart took […]

December 7, 2012

Collier County Superintendent On Teacher Evaluations: “Get It Right”

The criticism is beginning to build against the Florida Department of Education for their botched release of teacher evaluation data this week. Collier County schools superintendent Kamela Patton was one of those unhappy with the errors. She was also concerned that some districts have yet to report evaluation — amounting to about one-quarter of all […]

December 6, 2012
December 4, 2012

Education Foundation Blogger Defends Jeb Bush’s Record

Remember that Reuters story last week which took a longer look at claims that Florida schools have improved under former Gov. Jeb Bush’s leadership? A blogger for the Foundation for Excellence in Education — one of two foundations Bush started to support his education agenda — has responded. Mike Thomas counts the Reuters piece among […]

December 3, 2012

One Interesting Tony Bennett Quote About the ‘Florida Model’

We interviewed Tony Bennett back in the spring to ask him about his relationship with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. With news Bennett has applied to be Florida’s next Education Commissioner, this quote from Bennett seemed relevant: “But I think Indiana was really the first state to really adopt the Florida model…I would say to […]

Lawmakers Take Up School Choice And Other Education Priorities In Tallahassee

It’s committee week in Tallahassee. Florida lawmakers are arriving for their first batch of committee meetings since the election. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford assigned members to committees and subcommittees, including seven panels relating to education. This week is largely about introductions and getting organized. Lawmakers will tackle preliminary work before […]

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