Meanwhile, Bennett’s – and Florida’s – Charter Schools USA Problem Explodes
While Tony Bennett was resigning today from his post as Florida’s education commissioner, Indianapolis Star reporter Matt Tully dropped this bomb: In June of 2011, Tony Bennett, then Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction, picked a for-profit education company in Florida to run a group of Indianapolis public schools. The company, Charter Schools USA, set up operations in Indianapolis soon
In Resigning Bennett Calls Email Story “Unfounded, Malicious and Politically Motivated”
A bitter, emotional and defiant Tony Bennett took to the podium at the Florida Department of Education today and resigned as Education Commissioner of Florida saying that “when education becomes about the adults, it’s time for the adult to get out.” Fair enough. Too bad more ed reformers, like say, Michelle Rhee, don’t leave when they become the story. Bennett insisted that the decision to leave w
REPORT: Bennett to Step Down Today
From Peter Schorsch in his Saint Petersblog: Embattled education commissioner Tony Bennett has notified Governor Rick Scott he intends to resign today, according to a source close to the state board of education (the Tampa Bay Times‘ Steve Bousquet is now also reporting that Bennett will resign). Just yesterday, Scott told Channel 5 in West Palm Beach that Bennett is “doing a great job.” Bennett h
Bennett’s Break to Charter Schools Could Have Saved Two Public Schools From Takeover
From IndianaStar.com reporter Scott Elliott:
Two Indianapolis Public Schools might never have been taken over by the state if then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett had offered the district the same flexibility he granted a year later to the Christel House Academy charter school.The issue was similar in both cases. Christel House had recently added ninth and 10th grades, and IPS’ Howe and Arlington had added middle school grades. The students who filled those seats posted poor enough scores to drag down the schools’ overall ratings.In the case of Christel House, emails unearthed by The Associated Press show Bennett’s staff sprung into action in 2012 when it appeared scores from the recently added grades could sink the highly regarded school’s rating from an A to a C. Ultimately, the high school scores were excluded and the school’s grade remained an A.But in 2011, after IPS’ then-Superintendent Eugene White demanded Bennett consider the test scores of high school students separately from those of middle school students so the high schools could avoid state