Jeb's *new think tank* urges school reforms, no class-size limits

[seafan]

Oh, yes, our little Jebbie is STILL TRYING to reverse the FL Supreme Court's recent decision that his school vouchers are unconstitutional AND to reverse the voters' strong decision for SMALLER CLASS SIZES.

He will NEVER give up manipulating the rulings of the Supreme Court and the will of the voters. He will be booted out of the Governor's mansion at the end of this year, but, undaunted, he will forever try to micromanage from the shadows.

This is one individual who will not adjust well as his power is stripped from him. There will be painful consequences if we lose track of what he is doing after he leaves power, now just over 3 months away.

Operation: CONSTANT VIGIL




Gov. Jeb Bush talks about the recommendations for the Florida education system that were made by the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education, during a news conference in downtown Orlando on Tuesday.
(JOE BURBANK, ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Sep 12, 2006



Gov. Jeb Bush (right) talks with Florida education commissioner John Winn during a news conference about the recommendations for the Florida education system that were made by the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education on Tuesday.
(JOE BURBANK, ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Sep 12, 2006



Think tank urges school reforms, no class-size limits

By Erika Hobbs
September 13, 2006

New educational reforms could be ahead for Florida schools now that a conservative think tank has called for better-qualified teachers, tougher reading and math standards and an end to the state's constitutional directive to reduce class sizes.
Gov. Jeb Bush looked on approvingly in Orlando as experts from Stanford University's Hoover Institution released results Tuesday of their nine-month review of the educational policies he championed for Florida's public-school system.
The 11-member panel called Florida a "trendsetter" and "national leader in education reform," but it warned policymakers they still had a long way to go to create a stronger academic culture.

snip

"The class-size straitjacket needs to be lifted," said Paul E. Peterson, a senior fellow at Hoover who edited the report.
Another recommendation, to restore taxpayer-supported vouchers that allowed children at low-performing public schools to attend private schools, would have to circumvent a ruling earlier this year by the Florida Supreme Court.

Critics of Bush's school policies, from class-size supporters to the teachers union, characterized the report as an invalid effort that serves only to document Bush's efforts to be remembered as an "education governor" when he leaves office in January.
Kevin Franck, senior education-policy analyst at People for the American Way, which helped lead the campaign to shrink classes, dismissed the recommendations as "fancy academic talk" by a group with a clear agenda to "privatize schools."

Voters won't accept a move to stuff children into already crowded classrooms, he said.

snip

Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association, said the report's findings could have been predicted.
"Gov. Bush asked for the report, secured funding for the report and went to a group that totally agrees with his approach to education," Pudlow said. "Why wouldn't they praise his public-education policy?"
Bush invited the Hoover experts, known as the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education, to evaluate the programs and policies implemented during his two terms as governor, from school grades to school choice.

snip

[William769]

1. Two peas in a pod, just like his brother.

[seafan]

2. Yet another conservative think tank applauds Jebbie's *efforts*.

Jeb's calling in all his favors, it seems. It's for *his legacy*, don'tcha know. (P. S. It never was for our kids.)


(Yet another) Think tank: FCAT-based promotion requirement working

ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's requirement for third graders to pass a standardized reading test before being promoted has resulted in significant learning gains by pupils who have been held back, the Manhattan Institute said a report issued Thursday.

It is the second time this week that a conservative think tank has praised Gov. Jeb Bush's education policies, but critics have challenged its findings.

snip

Florida Education Association spokesman Mark Pudlow said a co-author of the report, Jay P. Green, is "one of the go-to guys for the governor" who frequently questions traditional public schools. Pudlow said other studies agree with the Chicago findings and cited an Arizona State University review of the Manhattan Institute's Florida study that concluded it had "several major flaws."

One is that the control group of third graders tested in 2002 before the retention policy went into effect had much lower scores than the 2003 class that was subject to the holdback requirement so that a fair comparison of their subsequent progress cannot be made.

The governor Tuesday had joined members of the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force at a news conference in Orlando to announce that panel's findings supporting the use of voucher programs and standardized testing to grade school performance.

Yep, our Jebbie is a busy little bee.

[greenbriar]

3. why don't he just sit his happy little (fat) ass in my room of 30

of mixed diversity students of 7th grade with raging hormones and try to teach...


yea right...

[CarlVK]

4. Doesn't a THINK TANK entail THINKING?

I do believe that "rightwing think tanks" is one of the most delicious oxymorons in existence.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

5. My son-in-law is a Florida teacher.

You should hear how he and his fellow teachers talk about Jeb. They think he is one major horse's ass. Not to mention how pitiful teacher pay is in this state.

[AJ9000]

6. No class size limits, that's a great idea.

What we could do is hook all the kids up to electrodes. If any of them get out of line you just start zapping them.

Then we could fire all the lazy unionized teachers and replace them with Indians who teach via satellite on a classroom monitor for half the price.

Let that free-market solve all the problems.