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.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

May 30, 2012

Jeb Bush Taking Florida Education Ideas Nationwide

Indiana education superintendent Tony Bennett was new to office and looking to make dramatic changes to his state’s schools. The biggest? Require third graders pass a state reading test or get held back. But the state lawmakers were hesitant. So Bennett and Gov. Mitch Daniels, both Republican, called in some help: Former Florida Gov. Jeb […]

March 13, 2012

Wrapping Up Education Bills In The 2012 Florida Legislative Session

The big school issue was the budget, and Gov. Rick Scott threw out a challenge early on — add $1 billion to K-12 funding or risk a veto. Lawmakers hit that target, though schools say the new money won’t make up for rising enrollment and past budget cuts. Here’s a wrap-up on the other big […]

March 9, 2012

Walton Foundation Funding Florida Education Groups

The Foundation for Excellence in Education received $1.55 million from the Walton Family Foundation in 2011, according to a rundown on the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush started the Foundation for Excellence in Education to push new education policies — some of which were pioneered in Florida during Bush’s two […]

February 27, 2012

7 Questions About Changing Florida’s School Grading System

Florida’s Board of Education is meeting tomorrow to debate changing the state’s school grading system. The proposal has drawn criticism from educators and parents — particularly a proposal to include students with disabilities in the formula. Here’s seven questions about what’s being proposed, how it could affect schools and why it matters. 1. Why is […]

February 15, 2012

Should Students Repeat Third-Grade if They Can’t Read Well?

Florida has been holding back third graders who fail the state reading exam since 2003. Now Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico and Tennessee are trying to mirror Florida’s policy, according to The Wall Street Journal. But is Florida’s policy a good one? Jaryn Emhof, with the Foundation for Florida’s Future said third grade is the most important […]

January 27, 2012

How The GOP Field Disagrees With Florida’s Education Plan

Do the Republican candidates for president support the ‘Florida model’ for education? On issues of accountability and school choice the answer is yes. However, many in the field criticize the federal role in education and would reduce or eliminate the agency. That puts some of the candidates in conflict with former Gov. Jeb Bush, a […]

November 22, 2011

Article Rebuts Assertion That Online Learning Companies Bought America’s Schools

A recent article in The Nation magazine accused business leaders of using legislative tactics to hide their true intentions, which include privatizing virtual public schools. Writer Lee Fang talked about Florida as a leader in the pursuit of privatized education through vouchers and charter schools. But another writer says Fang got it wrong. Fang cited […]

November 1, 2011

Jeb Bush: “Protect Funding for Public Education”

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has weighed in on Tuesday’s National Assessment of Educational Progress results. His solution to stalled progress: Raise the standards. But Bush may have buried the lead in his statement, advocating against further budget cuts. Florida cut the sixth-most from the K-12 budget since 2008, according to one survey. “And investing in […]

October 26, 2011

Three School Ideas Ohio Should Import From Florida

In the trade balance between Ohio and Florida, the Sunshine State usually imports far more than it exports. (Those imports are usually in Clearwater wearing Ohio State jerseys on Saturdays) But School Choice Ohio believes the Buckeye State should import some education ideas from Florida. The group released a Friedman Foundation report today that argues […]

September 29, 2011

Q & A: Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathon Hage

Charter Schools USA is one of Florida’s largest for-profit management companies, with 25,000 students in three states. The company was just awarded a contract to help turn around three Indiana schools taken over by the state. Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathon Hage is a one-time adviser to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and helped draft […]