Tag Archives: FCAT

The Unfunded Mandate of Florida’s Test-Dominated Education System and the Potential for Crony Capitalism

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

It’s FCAT week around Florida and schools still are scrambling with logistics. Allison Ross of the Palm Beach Post has more: Ridge High School got a special delivery this month: nearly 400 new laptop computers. But that still may not … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Florida’s Ed Reformers Are Only Telling Half the Story on Common Core

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

Fresh of her stint as interim Education Commissioner for Florida, Pam Stewart is out working on her ed reformer bona fides as has penned a gushing column on Common Core for the St. Augustine Record: In a guest column in … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Another Reason to Doubt FLDOE and FEE Cherry-Picked Charter School Study

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

Scathing Purple Musings challenged the veracity of the recent FLDOE report which touted test data to claim superiority of charter schools over public schools. As top policy advisor, Matt Ladner tweeted,  “Florida charter school students outperforming district school peers,” it’s clear … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s Time to Call the FLDOE and the Bush Foundation on Their Latest Charter School Study

Posted on March 16, 2013 by

I have no idea why Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) writer Mike Thomas is whining about the lack of media coverage on the latest FLDOE study which found that Florida’s charter schools are outperforming public schools in just about every … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Court Ruling Puts Part of Parent Trigger at Risk

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

Within current parent trigger legislation is a provision which requires parents be notified if their child’s teacher has been rated as “ineffective” for two straight years. But a Tallahassee circuit court judge’s ruling yesterday raised doubts about using the value-added … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do Florida Republican Lawmakers Revere or Fear Jeb Bush?

Posted on February 24, 2013 by

Few pundits have been willing to say publicly that the current chaos of Florida’s education accountability systems is of Jeb Bush’s doing. But Palm Beach Post writer Jac Versteeg has done just that this morning. Former Gov. Jeb Bush has … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Another Bush Chief For Change, Another Misinformation Campaign

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

It appears that another one of Bush’s Chiefs for Change, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi, is on a similar state-wide tour to advance another Bush policy. And like Robinson in Florida last year, Barresi is spinning to protect his agenda. From … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Bush Foundation’s “Air Cover” Hack and Flack

Posted on February 17, 2013 by

Reporters across the nation are sifting through the emails which In the Public Interest released two weeks ago. It’s that drip, drip, drip you hear. Now this Associated Press story about contacts Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

About Those Curious Foundation for Excellence in Education “Scholarships” for FLDOE Employees

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Whether or not the practice runs afoul of any  Florida statute is unknown, the FEE’s recruitment and reimbursement for FLDOE staffers to attend and present at an event that promoted their agenda is questionable. At least four FLDOE staff attended FEE’s 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sen. Don Gaetz on Florida’s Ed Accountability System: “There’s a danger of all this imploding”

Posted on January 26, 2013 by

In a story by Florida Current’s James Call, powerful Florida senate president Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) made a some stunning admissions. “If you have a C school, 90 percent of the teachers in a C school can’t be highly effective. That doesn’t make … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, FLORIDA POLITICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments