Sparking the evolution of education choice
Twenty years ago, Dennis DiNoia taught middle school math in typical classrooms, in typical Florida public schools. Now his classroom is a local church, or bookstore, or online. Students come from public schools, private schools, and homeschooling co-ops. Lessons are based on a curriculum he designed and put on video.[Read More…]
In mid-June, Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett visited a modest retreat on the outskirts of Tampa where a University of Notre Dame program was hosting a symposium on school choice. Fewer than 40 people were in attendance, but Bennett spoke and answered questions for an hour. “I will never ever[Read More…]
Editor’s note: Jason Bedrick is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. Earlier this week, Doug Tuthill, the president of Step Up for Students, argued that Common Core can help school choice. Tuthill is a champion of school choice whose organization has helped hundreds of thousands of[Read More…]
For practical reasons, many Florida private schools are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready for the new Common Core State Standards for math and English/language arts. This fall, our nonprofit, Step Up For Students, will help about 140 private schools and their parents implement these new standards, and based[Read More…]
Questions have arisen in two large Florida school districts about the fees some charter schools are charging parents, putting a bigger spotlight on a gray area involving charters in Florida and beyond. Last month, the 200,000-student Hillsborough County School District sent letters to 11,170 charter school families, telling them fees at some schools[Read More…]
My colleagues at Democrats for Education Reform are planning a panel discussion with the Fordham Institute on July 25 on how charter schools are – and should be – held accountable. This is an important topic that too often suffers from confusion about what we mean by accountability.Accountability is comprised[Read More…]
Editor’s note: It’s no secret that Patricia Levesque, the executive director of both of Jeb Bush’s education foundations, has a reputation as a hard-charging ed reformer. So it’s definitely noteworthy to hear her take on possible changes to Florida’s school grading formula. “With Common Core coming online and a lot of[Read More…]
After seven years of decline, Florida private school enrollment ticked up modestly for a second year in a row last year. Enrollment grew from 316,745 in 2011-12 to 320,423 in 2012-13, an increase of 1.2 percent, according to a report released last month by the Florida Department of Education. The[Read More…]
