Scott has sights set squarely on education reform

Scott has sights set squarely on education reform

Scott has sights set squarely on education reform

JAY CONNER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rick Scott's education plans borrow substantially from former Gov. Jeb Bush, who creating private school tuition ''vouchers.''

By CATHERINE WHITTENBURG | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2011

Updated: 10:17 am

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• State Department of Education
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• More on the Legislature

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TALLAHASSEE - Should Florida offer to pay for any public school student to attend a private one instead?

That's just one of the policy debates brewing in Tallahassee about Florida's K-12 education system, which Gov.-elect Rick Scott appears ready to turn on its head.

From the moment he is sworn in Tuesday, Florida's new "Let's Get to Work" governor will be under pressure to create jobs and invigorate the economy. But those aren't Scott's only priorities. The governor-elect is also talking up education reforms, some of which borrow substantially from his predecessor-before-last, Jeb Bush.

Bush aggressively pursued conservative reforms of Florida's school system, partly by creating private school tuition "vouchers" for children in various categories of need.

Last month, Scott signaled his desire to take school choice in Florida to the next level, possibly by making vouchers available to all students. At a school vouchers rally in St. Petersburg, he called the upcoming

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools

Parents 4 democratic Schools

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Teacher’s Guide to a New Year’s Revolution | theteachingwhore

Teacher’s Guide to a New Year’s Revolution | theteachingwhore

Teacher’s Guide to a New Year’s Revolution

by theteachingwhore

Being an overview of the latest title from TWP, soon to be on bookshelves across the country

The day before returning to school in January, most public school teachers A) question their sanity, B) stock up on gin, C) update the resume, or D) start planning the revolution. Resolutions are for failures and motivational speakers.

Step One in the revolution: Get Oprah on board.

With her new network just starting up, Oprah will need some help with her programming. Teachers, unite! Infiltrate the ranks from every angle—writing, editing, stuntwork (those of you from the South, chef up and cook the chick some first-rate biscuits and gravy), etc. With an all-out effort, we can turn OWN into TOW (Teaching Oprah Winfrey). When she sees how good we are, she will buy us all new cars AND abolish the national education department. She has that kind of power, you know.

Step Two: Pimp out the principal.

Band together within your school and find avenues for pimping out your principal to keep him out of the building

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by Fred Klonsky

Progressive candidate for mayor, Miguel Del Valle, visits our neighborhood blues joint, Rosa's Lounge.

Whatever happened to the “ground zero mosque” story. The Teapublicans used it, got what they needed and moved on. It didn’t matter to them who it hurt or what it cost. Same old same old.

My brother Mike sent me this happy new year present. I share it with you. Enjoy!

What’s up with the latest developments in the Chicago mayor’s race? Is the whole world watching? It

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

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Jiang Xueqin: The Test Chinese Schools Still Fail

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Overlapping cycles of time and memory

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Schools Matter: Wow, There's a Chicago Mayoral Candidate that Favors Democratically-Controlled Public Schools

Schools Matter: Wow, There's a Chicago Mayoral Candidate that Favors Democratically-Controlled Public Schools

Wow, There's a Chicago Mayoral Candidate that Favors Democratically-Controlled Public Schools

by Jim Horn

No, it's not Reptilian Rahm or Mosely-Braun or Gery Chico. It's Danny Davis for Mayor. From the Chicago Tribune:

The major candidates in the Chicago mayor's race are split on today's proposal that the city’s school board be elected instead of appointed by the mayor, though none of them embraced the plan wholeheartedly.

Three candidates --- former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, ex-U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun