Jeb Bush: The Once and Future Reformer

Background

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pioneered many of the education reforms the rest of the country is now discussing, including data-based school and teacher assessments, school choice and charter schools. Florida student standardized test scores improved after Bush took office in 1999. The federal Race To The Top grant program takes its cue from Florida.

Bush’s plan is based on six pillars:

Grading schools on a simple A through F scale based on student standardized test scores.
High-stakes testing.
Requiring students to meet grade standards before promotion to a higher grade.
Paying teachers based on student performance.
New methods to credential teachers.
Adding charter schools, private school vouchers (since struck down by a court) and online schools to offer parents more choices.

Critics, such as a June 2011 report from the National Education Policy Institute, argue there is no evidence that the reforms Bush supported led to improvement by Florida students. Still, the Foundation for Excellence in Education that Bush founded is a national advocate for education reform and Bush is the chief face of Republican-favored proposals — increasingly embraced by Democrats — many states are now considering.

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September 4, 2012

Hollywood Dramatizes Parent Trigger Legislation At Tampa And Charlotte Political Conventions

A Hollywood drama focused on education made its way to Tampa and Charlotte in the last week. “Won’t Back Down” is a fictional movie about two moms who set out to transform a failing inner city school. Of course, this is no easy task as they must convince bureaucrats to look beyond traditional thinking. The […]

August 31, 2012

From the RNC: Jeb Bush Compares School Choice to Shopping for Milk

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was all about education during his Thursday night speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. He kicked off the speech by asking President Obama to stop “blaming your predecessor” for today’s problems. “Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s talk a little bit about our kids and […]

August 22, 2012

Jeb Bush Will Attend RNC Screening Of Parent Trigger Movie

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will attend a screening of a new movie dramatizing the national debate over so-called parent trigger legislation during the Republican National Convention. The screening of “Won’t Back Down” is sponsored by StudentsFirst, a national advocacy group which has pushed states — including Florida — to adopt parent trigger laws. The […]

August 20, 2012

Harvard Researcher Says Third Graders Benefit From Retention And Extra Instruction

Florida’s policy of retaining third graders based on state standardized test scores has a positive long-term impact on those students, according to a new study from the Brookings Institute. Retention only works when the students who are held back are provided with extra instruction and the money to fund those programs, according to Harvard University […]

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 report’s executive summary: This corporate‐funded 501(c)(3) organization…has unprecedented access to lawmakers and to the composition of the bills they pass into law. Out of Florida’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 […]

June 11, 2012

A Q&A With Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush

When former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks in other states about education, he points to policies he championed while in office. Bush recently spoke with StateImpact Florida about his role in the national education debate, why Republicans and Democrats can find common ground on education and what he’s learned . Q: Governor, how do you […]

June 1, 2012

Feedback Loop: Talking About Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney

This week we told you about former Gov. Jeb Bush’s national education role, and how many of the policies he’s taking to other states got their start in Florida thanks to a well-maintained political network. We also told you that Bush’s ideas are seeing some resistance from Floridians. Readers took to the debate. Standardized tests […]

May 31, 2012

Grades Are In For Florida’s Lawmakers

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 […]

How Jeb Bush Stood Up To ALEC For National Education Standards

Last summer, a multi-state legislative group was meeting in New Orleans to hammer out a list of education priorities. The group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, includes both lawmakers and corporate members who favor limited government and free market policies. On their agenda in New Orleans was a resolution opposing the still-developing Common Core national […]