Did FL Legislators Make the Grade?

Education reform is not a turn-key operation. You don’t pass legislation, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and walk away.

reportcardblogEducation reform is not a turn-key operation. You don’t pass legislation, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and walk away.

It is a work in progress. Nowhere is this more evident than in Florida. The state is a national leader in education reform, but every year still deals with a large agenda of new issues.

This year was a particularly productive one:

Effective legislation requires effective legislators. There were plenty of them this year.

Senators Andy Gardiner, John Thrasher, and Jason Brodeur championed the legislation for students with disabilities. Sen. Anitere Flores and Rep. Michael Bileca were instrumental in ensuring students have access to effective teachers. Sen. Legg sponsored legislation to ensure our students are truly college and career ready and Rep. Manny Diaz pushed for providing more students in Florida access to a quality, customized education.

The list of reform champions goes on and on, which is why we see continued progress in academic outcomes in Florida. You do not get ahead by standing still.

Given that the Foundation for Florida’s Future supports grades for schools, it’s only fitting that they also have grades for legislators. And so they present “Florida’s Education Report Card 2013,” the sixth annual grading of state legislators based on their votes on reform issues.

We are happy to report more A’s than F’s, but still wish all legislators would show the same progress in raising their grades as our schools have shown.

Please follow this link to learn more.

About the Author