by Ron Matus and Travis Pillow

While some ed reform and parental choice organizations are working hard to increase diversity, there still aren’t enough people of color in leadership positions, says longtime parental choice activist Howard Fuller. And unless that and related concerns are addressed, the ed reform movement could be on shaky ground.

“The other thing that we have to do on that score is how we go into communities, and the discussions that we have with the people in those communities,” Fuller told redefinED, describing recent discussions he had with a cross-section of African Americans in New Orleans about ed reform. “And the thing that kept coming across clearly, no matter who I talked to was, we feel like this has been done to us and not with us. We have got to change that kind of idea about ed reform. And if we don’t, I’m worried about the long-term sustainability.”

Here is a mini-index of highlighted excerpts from an interview with Dr. Fuller about his book, "No Struggle, No Progress."

On clearing up misconceptions about what brought him to his position on parental choice 

The reason I started out (the book) with the meeting with President Bush - other than shock value - was, it really did explain ... this man is sitting down talking to me. He really thinks he knows me, but he doesn't know me. And all kinds of people think they know me, but they don't really know me ... I really don't worry a lot about clearing up misperceptions. But what I really did want to do was to tell my own story in my own way, and whatever comes of that, fine.

On not knowing much about Milton Friedman until he became a voucher supporter 

I actually got in a debate with Milton Friedman at a dinner in honor of Milton Friedman ... He didn't agree with me that it should be focused on low-income parents, because he believed in universal vouchers, which I will never support. It is true, I really did not come to it from the free-market standpoint. For me, it has always been an issue of social justice, and so that means that the framework that I use to look at it is probably very different.

On diversity in the education reform movement 

We have to have more high-performing schools and networks of high-performing schools led by people of color. And then within TFA and KIPP and all of this, we've got to have more people of color. I do think that (Wendy Kopp of Teacher for America and Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin of KIPP) and all the people in KIPP and TFA have actually done that ... There's a lot more people of color in both those organizations. We still have not done the second part of this, and that is to have a significant number of high-performing schools and networks of schools led by people of color. We have simply not done well on that, nor have we done well on having more people of color in power positions, within some of our charter organizations in particular.

On giving parents greater control of the education reform movement 

They have to own this. But if they have to own it, we have to make sure they feel good about what it is they're owning. Not only, therefore, do we have to talk about diversity. We have to talk about power. Constantly, you've got to increase people's power to control their own destiny. As our schools and our reform effort evolves, how people participate and what level of power they have is something we're going to have to address.

On why publicly funded private school choice makes sense - even though it did not exist to help him attend Catholic schools as a child 

At one point in time, we didn't have a Pell Grant because people said, "If you want to go to colleges you ought to be able to do it on your own." But some enlightened group of individuals said, "You know what, in order for people who don't have resources to be able to have access to these great schools, we need to create a Pell Grant." The last I heard, a Pell Grant is, like, government money that you can use to take to religious schools. I think we made that change because we said it would be good public policy to be able to make sure that our low-income people in this country could gain access ... Why can't we make that policy decision at the elementary and secondary level?

On the definition of public education 

Public education is a concept - an idea that we want the public to be educated. The system that we created to make that happen was not created by God.

On debating former Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama on whether vouchers constitute a "distraction" from the struggle to improve public schools 

It's distraction, unless you're poor. If you're poor and you lack resources, it's not a distraction, because it impacts you and your kids ... Rather than see that as a distraction, (Obama) and others ought to see it as a part of a three-sector approach to reforming education in America, because you've got a private sector that has to be a part of the solution to the educational crisis that we have in this country.

On vouchers for the middle class 

I could envision a program that would use a model like the earned-income tax credit, where you say we'll have a sliding scale, on the income basis. Now, there's got to be a ceiling. There's a point at which you're not going to get any government money. I don't understand why someone like me would get a voucher. That's ludicrous. ... Even with a sliding scale, the poorest people have to get the full benefit ... It's my belief that if you do not focus on the needs and interests of poor people, that they will get lost in the conversation.

On comparing the parental choice movement to a "rescue mission" for children in struggling schools 

I have a Harriet Tubman view of the world. Harriet Tubman got up every day and said, "I want to end slavery, but in the meantime, I'm going to rescue every slave that I can." I get up every day saying, "I want the whole system to get better.” But in the meantime, I have a responsibility to rescue every single kid that I can.

Florida public schools rank No. 7 in K-12 achievement this year, which, considering their unfortunate rep, is good news with a pigs-fly twist, right?

And yet, across the state’s newspapers and TV stations, the ranking spawned a total of three short stories, two blog posts and one TV report, averaging less than seven paragraphs each. Florida’s school boards, superintendents, PTAs and teacher unions didn’t acknowledge the news either. Not even a tweet!

I wish it weren’t true, but that pattern has been in place for years. The volume is often cranked when there’s a negative story about Florida ed reforms and/or student performance. But when evidence suggests reforms may be working and/or Florida students are moving up, the amp gets switched off. That’s not healthy for the debate we’re having about our schools and kids.

So, for the record, here’s a little more detail about the good news: The No. 7 rank comes from Education Week, essentially the national newspaper of record for ed news. Its quality is top notch; its reporters, excellent. Every year, it ranks state education systems in a variety of ways.

With K-12 achievement, it looks at NAEP scores, AP results and grad rates, and considers proficiency, progress and achievement gaps. The No. 7 rank is based on a formula that incorporates all of that. But Florida looks good in the achievement subcategories, too. It ranks No. 4 in closing achievement gaps and No. 5 in improvement over time. In proficiency, it ranks No. 22, up from No. 30 last year.

The last part may sound middling, until you see how Florida is moving past states with lower rates of poor kids. In fact, no state outperforms its demographic more. To see, just put the proficiency ranks side-by-side with the percentage of kids in each state who are eligible for free- and reduced-price lunch. (See chart below.)

The Sunshine State ranks No. 43 in the latter, at 56 percent. But again, it ranks No. 22 in proficiency. It’s passing states with better academic reps, like Iowa (No. 23 in proficiency; 39 percent FRL), and closing fast on others like Utah (No. 18 in proficiency; 38 percent FRL). (more…)

Editor's Note: Alabama's new tax credit scholarship for low-income students has created a stir among opponents, including the state teacher union, and one of the latest attacks was aimed at Florida and its scholarship program. Doug Tuthill, redefinED blog host and president of the nonprofit that administers the Florida scholarship, responded in an oped published today in the Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and the Mobile Press-Register.

By Doug Tuthill

As Alabama introduces a scholarship program that empowers low-income parents to choose a school that best fits their children's needs, the apprehension of traditionalists in public education is understandable. But allow me to rebut a false accusation launched at your neighbor to the south: no one who administers Florida's scholarship for underprivileged children is profiting from it.

I should know. I am the president of the only remaining nonprofit organization still administrating tax credit scholarships in Florida. We originally had eight nonprofits doing this work, but Florida's scholarship funding organizations get no reimbursement until they operate for three years with clean audits, and then they can only keep up to 3 cents on each tax-credited scholarship dollar they collect. Little wonder that only one has been able to raise sufficient funds to survive.

Our nonprofit, called Step Up For Students, has raised dollars privately to help keep its doors open for 12 years. So I laughed when I read that at least one newsletter columnist and some public educators in Alabama think our nonprofit has enriched John Kirtley, the Tampa businessman who has personally funded much of our efforts. The columnist was particularly blunt: "This man Kirtley down in Florida has made $6.3 million last year managing that fund." The scholarship, he wrote, "has resulted in a very lucrative business for him."  How absurd.

Pick up any of the publicly available state-mandated annual audits of Step Up or any of its annual IRS nonprofit tax returns, and it is clear that Kirtley, our board chairman, has never received a penny in compensation. In fact, these statements show he has repeatedly opened his wallet to keep the scholarship operation alive.

Read the whole commentary here at AL.com.

Editor's note: Julio Fuentes is president and CEO of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options. This is the fifth post in our #schoolchoiceWISH series.

K-12 education is one of the hottest issues during every state’s legislative session. But when it comes to ed reform, bipartisanship does not come easy. Too often, when that reform bill hits the floor, whether it’s on accountability, choice or funding, civility goes out the door and the mentality of “us against them” takes over.

The nasty and insulting remarks that are hurled would send any child in school straight to the principal’s office. But bickering over whose agenda is more robust won’t get things resolved. And at the end of the day, we all want the best for our children.

So this is my school choice wish for the year 2014: I wish legislators across the country would work together to approach education reform with a bipartisan mindset. I wish for them not to let their party’s viewpoints blind them from making the best decisions that are beneficial for our children.

It’s clear that’s what the public wants.

According to the Pew Research Center’s recent policy survey, “Overall, 66% [of Americans] say either that the education system in this country needs to be completely rebuilt (21%) or that it requires major changes (45%).” When the findings are narrowed down to political parties, they show “about two-thirds of Republicans (65%), Democrats (67%), and independents (67%) agree that the education system needs at least major changes.”

Our legislators need to react to these numbers. They represent us. We elect them and rely on them to make decisions that will ensure a better future for our students. Education reform is not just a Republican agenda; Democrats too want to see changes in America’s neighborhood schools. Instead of all this fighting on the floor, our leaders need to change to make real transformation. (more…)

Editor’s note: Jon Hage is founder and CEO of Charter Schools USA. This post is the first in our #schoolchoiceWISH series.

Now that the education reform movement has grown to nearly 2.3 million students in charter schools and hundreds of thousands more in other reform alternatives, it is my wish that education reformers avoid becoming like the very system we want to transform.

We don't want to be driven by adult interests. Nor do we want to become just another blob of regulation and red tape filled with political subterfuge that closely resembles the current broken K-12 traditional education system. The Ghost of Ed Reform Past would remind us that the traction the movement gained was due to the unwavering focus of putting students first; serving parents; our fortitude to challenge the status quo; and the determination to compete, grow and replicate no matter how hard the battle.

That wise old ghost would remind us of our nation's founders, who empowered the individual citizen to control government, not the other way around. Our past reveals hard-fought battles to protect the right of students to receive a great education regardless of economic status or geographic challenges.

The Ghost of Ed reform Present shows us current realities we don't want to admit. Arguments about who is right are trumping arguments about what is right. Millions of students every year miss out on a better educational option because the progress of reform laws and regulations lags far behind demand, with little outcry or protest from reformers themselves. It's as if we have our schools now and are afraid to risk fighting the next level of conflict for more choices, more funding and more educational freedom. Tragically, there are millions of students who will never recover from that missed opportunity. Even still, the ed reform movement grows, but only because destiny is set by the potential of our children. We owe it to them to reaffirm that the possibilities of education reform match their limitless potential.

So, what does the Ghost of Ed Reform Future have to say? (more…)

Three years into his term, Florida Gov. Rick Scott should get an “incomplete” grade on education, in part because he is seeking political cover rather than providing clear leadership on key issues, an influential member of the state Board of Education said Thursday.

“His clear and directional leadership is needed to continue to advance Fla’s success,” two-term BOE member Kathleen Shanahan wrote during a live chat on redefinED. “If he continues to seek political cover in creating more noise and not enough clarity he will not gain anyone’s support in his re-election effort.”

Shanahan’s criticism of Scott was not entirely surprising, but more direct than it has been in the past. An ally of former Gov. Jeb Bush, Shanahan has been increasingly critical in recent months of ed policy shifts under Scott, including a “safety net” for school grades and a decision to distance Florida from Common Core-tied tests developed by a respected consortium.

“The teachers are excited about Common Core, the parents need to be educated on why this is the best next step for their kids to succeed and Gov. Scott can lead that effort or sit back and listen his way to complete confusion,” Shanahan wrote.

On other topics, Shanahan said Florida, a national leader in education reform for more than a decade, is at a “tipping point.”

“We are the leader in choice and performance across many forums, we need to challenge ourselves to maintain that,” she wrote. “Having all this noise about we are FOR higher standards, but not clear as to why and what higher standards we support (aka Common Core) is creating and adding to the negative noise and parents are confused and questioning the facts.”

Shanahan also offered her take on what former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist would mean for ed reform if he were re-elected as a Democrat. (The Republican Crist appointed Shanahan to her second term on the BOE.)

“Charlie Crist has stated some regrets in his education selections made when he previously was in elected office. If he acts on those stated regrets, YES there will be a setback for Florida on ed reform,” she wrote. “A key part of Fla's leadership is the fullness of the system we offer, choice, tax scholarship programs, dual enrollment, Florida Virtual School and an excellent public system - all engaged with each other competing for the best education delivery for the kids to excel.”

“I do not think Charlie Crist if he is the Democrat nominee for governor, based on his supporters, would be able to support these programs in their entirety.”

To read the full transcript of Shanahan’s remarks, just check out the live chat below.

A close ally of former Gov. Jeb Bush, Kathleen Shanahan has been a leading voice for education reform and school choice in Florida, arguably the leading state for both. And coincidentally or not, as her second and final term winds to a close on the state Board of Education, she’s been increasingly critical of ed policy shifts under Gov. Rick Scott.

This week, Shanahan voted against another extension of a “safety net” for school grades, calling it “sad” the board was “voting on something that’s going to have no integrity.” She also lit into the Department of Education’s reticence to use the term “Common Core,” dubbing it “sort of mushy.”

What else does the outspoken Shanahan think about the past, present and future of education in Florida? Ask her. She’ll be our guest next week for a live, written chat.

As we’ve said before, the chat is like a press conference with a typewriter. We ask questions. You ask questions. Our guest types furiously. 🙂

To participate, come back to the blog on Thursday, Oct. 24. We’ll start promptly at 10 a.m., so click in to the live chat program – which you’ll find here on the blog – a few minutes before then. In the meantime, if you have questions for Shanahan that you’d like to send in advance, you can leave them in the comments section, email them to rmatus@sufs.org, tweet them to @redefinEDonline, and/or post them on our facebook page.

If Florida’s education system was a big airport runway, John Legg would be one of its top air traffic controllers.

Legg is the influential state senator who chairs the Senate Education Committee. Last year, in noting how many sweeping changes to Florida’s education system were happening all at once, he likened the policy changes to jumbo jets.

“We’ve got to make sure all these big planes land in the right order and in the right way,” he said. If not, “all the planes can kind of crash in on themselves.”

Are the planes landing safely? Legg, R-Lutz, will join us next week for a live chat to talk about it. And if you have a question for him, by all means join us and/or send it over.

Plane analogies aside, there’s no doubt these are especially challenging times for Florida education reform. Common Core is under fire. Key pieces of the accountability system need a tune-up. And ever-growing parental demand for charter schools, tax credit scholarships and other school choice options continues to create friction with districts, lawmakers, teacher unions and you name it.

Few know the shifting landscape better than Legg. (more…)

A dramatic – and some would say opportunistic - reversal on a sweeping teacher pay and evaluation bill is among the top reasons why many Republicans have no love for former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. So it’s no surprise they don’t see a rosy future for education reform in Florida if Crist were to end up back in the governor’s mansion as a Democrat or independent.

“I think it would be a sad day. Whatever is the flavor of the month is what he’d do,” state Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, told redefinED. Wise has chaired both the senate education and education appropriations committees but is term-limited out this year.

Speculation about Crist’s intentions – and the possibility of another run for governor - became a subplot at the RNC this week after he announced in the Tampa Bay Times that he will support Obama for president. Crist is also scheduled to be a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next month.

Elected governor in 2006, Crist quietly supported the school accountability vision of his predecessor, Jeb Bush, even as he fostered friendly relations with the state teachers union. One exception was school choice, where Crist was a visible proponent.

His switch on SB 6 – a bill that would have transformed how Florida teachers are hired, fired, paid and evaluated – came as his bid for a U.S. Senate seat was faltering in the Republican primary against now Sen. Marco Rubio. He subsequently ran as an independent, drawing support from the teachers unions but ultimately finishing a distant second in a three-man race. The teacher bill, meanwhile, was passed by the Legislature the following year and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.

Under a second Crist term, “Choice for kids would be gone,” Wise said. “He’d be beholden to the teachers union.”

State Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, wasn’t sure where Crist would end up on specific issues. “That’s a hard question that I don’t even think Charlie Crist could answer for himself,” said Legg, who heads a charter school and has been an influential lawmaker on education. “It’s the riddle of Charlie Crist. When it came to SB 6, he was all for it until he was against it.” (more…)