Jeb Bush Bangs His Own Drum at ALEC Conference
From Orlando Sentinel reporter Leslie Postal:
The resignation of Tony Bennett in Florida — and the controversy over school grading in his home state of Indiana — has led to plenty of calls for an end to the Sunshine State’s model of school reform. But former Gov. Jeb Bush, who ushered in that plan, sees no reason to do anything but push ahead.In a speech today at the ALEC conference in Chicago, Bush defended Florida’s system of setting standards, grading schools and holding students back if they couldn’t read decently at third grade.“We began demanding the best. And we became national leaders in learning gains instead of spending gains,” he said, according to a copy of his speech.Since his departure from the governor’s office in 2007, Bush has remained an influential player in Florida education and become one on the national stage.ALEC is an influential, and sometimes controversial, group of conservative