Florida Can Give Credit to J. Bush

Florida has gone through radical educational changes over the years. Jeb Bush did a lot to further education in Florida. While not everything passed, he did get several great things past. Now that he is out of office, he is starting a foundation that focuses on education. According to the Herald Tribune in Southwest Florida:

Jeb Bush forms foundation to back his education goals

BY BILL KACZOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TALLAHASSEE -- Former Gov. Jeb Bush announced the formation Tuesday of a second organization to advance his education policy goals, including school accountability, teacher merit pay and vouchers that allow children to attend private schools at public expense.

The new Foundation for Excellence in Education will focus on carrying out programs to demonstrate such policies including cash awards of at least $2,500 for up to 100 of Florida's top teachers and their classrooms. Selection will be based on how much their students have improved on standardized reading and math tests.

Unlike Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, which advocates education policy, the new organization will qualify for tax-free contributions, said Tiffany Koenigkramer, a spokeswoman for both groups.

"Reform is never finished and success is never final," Bush said in a news release. "A perpetual cycle of reform will lead to sustained improvement for the long-term."

Bush's most successful policy as governor was his A-Plus accountability program that grades, rewards and punishes schools based on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and other standardized exam scores. Even critics acknowledged Bush put a focus on education in Florida like never before, although they say it focuses too much on testing.

Over and over again, I see Florida in the headlines for education. Missouri should try to model some of our educational programs off what they have done. We cannot afford to do any thing less than change.