ERIC Number: ED508323
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Sep
Pages: 17
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Florida's Lessons for Indiana K-12 Reform. School Choice Issues in the State
Ladner, Matthew
Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
Jeb Bush campaigned for Governor on a clear and bracing set of education reforms in 1998. Having won office, he immediately pursued a dual track strategy of education reform: standards and accountability for public schools, choice options for dissatisfied parents. Florida lawmakers followed these reforms with additional measures, including instructional based reforms, curtailing social promotion, merit pay for teachers, and additional choice measures. Governor Bush met fierce resistance. Ten years after his election, this study lays out the evidence on the cumulative impact of his reforms. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) tests representative samples of students in every state on a variety of subjects and is the nation's most reliable and respected source of comparable K-12 testing data across states. In 1998, 47 percent of Florida fourth-graders scored "below basic" on the NAEP reading test, meaning they couldn't read. By 2007, 70 percent of Florida's fourth graders scored basic or above--a remarkable improvement. After a decade of strong improvement, Florida's Hispanic students now have the second-highest reading scores in the nation; and African-Americans score fourth-highest when compared to their peers. This paper lays out the Florida reforms, and suggests how they could be emulated and/or exceeded in Indiana. (Contains 4 figures and 45 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Private Schools, Public Schools, Elementary Secondary Education, School Choice, Politics of Education, Scholarships, Educational Vouchers, Public Policy, Educational Policy, Parent Attitudes, Enrollment Trends, Tax Credits, Educational Quality, Virtual Classrooms, Special Needs Students, Merit Pay, Educational Improvement, Competition, Parent Role, Expenditures, Family Income, Racial Differences, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Whites, Accountability, Student Behavior, Parent School Relationship, Gender Differences, Educational Change, Change Strategies, Academic Achievement, Grade 4, Reading Achievement, Minority Group Children, Teacher Qualifications, Teacher Selection, Mathematics Achievement, Grade 8, Disadvantaged Youth, Access to Education, Social Promotion, Program Effectiveness
Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Available from: Foundation for Educational Choice. One American Square Suite 2420, Indianapolis, IN 46282. Tel: 317-681-0745; Fax: 317-681-0945; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 4; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
Identifiers - Location: Florida; Indiana
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A