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Putting Education Reform To The Test

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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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August 1, 2012

Florida Parent Group Offers Recommendations For Next Education Commissioner

A group thatā€™s glad to see Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson go hopes youā€™ll inundate Gov. Rick Scott with suggestions about choosing his replacement. Robinson submitted his resignation Tuesday. His last day on the job is August 31. Orlando-based Fund Education Now says they want a commissioner that will listen to parents and educators more […]

Read The Florida Education Commissioner’s Resignation Letter

Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson stunned many yesterday when he announced he was resigning at the end of the month. Robinson has held the post for only a year. His tenure was marked by a growing opposition to Florida’s regimen of standardized tests and complaints about ever-shifting state standards. After the jump, read the letter […]

July 31, 2012

Florida Education Commissioner Submits Resignation

Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson will resign his position on August 31, the Department of Education announced this evening. Robinson became Florida’s top education official about a year ago. He has faced growing criticism from school boards, teachers and parents about the state’s standardized testing regimen and school grading system. Board of Education chairman Kathleen […]

Schools Spend 1 Percent Of Instructional Time On FCAT? ‘False’ Says PolitiFact

Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson has defended the state’s standardized testing regimen by arguing the state spends just 1 percent of “instructional time” on the exams. But a new PolitiFact analysis rates Robinson’s claim “false.” Much of the ruling hinges on the phrase “instructional time.” The state Department of Education analysis Robinson based his statement upon […]

July 30, 2012
July 27, 2012

StudentsFirst Asks Florida Allies To Hit The Blogs, Win A Gift Card

Bob Sikes over at Scathing Purple Musings got his hands on an email from Florida’s StudentsFirst rep urging allies to get out and comment on blogs. The email from StudentsFirst regional outreach manager Catherine Robinson says there’s a contest for the best “rapid response” and included links to some recent stories. The winner gets a […]

Ad Compares U.S. Schools To Pudgy, Flailing Olympic Athlete

The Olympics kick off in London today (yes, soccer kicked off a couple days ago), and former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst is out with an Olympics-themed ad criticizing the U.S. education system. The ad shows a chubby man ineptly competing in rhythmic gymnastics while a commentator observes “the once-proud U.S. program has been […]

July 26, 2012

Report Says ALEC Has Growing Influence In Florida Education Policy

The conservative-leaning American Legislative Exchange Council has a growing footprint in Florida, particularly education policy, according to a new report by a coalition of liberal-leaning advocacy groups. From the reportā€™s executive summary: This corporateā€funded 501(c)(3) organizationā€¦has unprecedented access to lawmakers and to the composition of the bills they pass into law. Out of Floridaā€™s 160 […]

July 25, 2012

Judge Says California Parents Can’t Unpull ‘Trigger’ Petition

A judge has handed parents in a California desert town a major victory in their efforts to force changes at a failing elementary school. The parents at Desert Trails Elementary in Adelanto are trying to become the first school in the nation to successfully use a ‘parent trigger’ law. The law says parent can choose […]

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