Not many people in the U.S. are as enthusiastic about the Common Core as Jeb Bush and his far-right Chiefs for Change.
One of his chiefs is Tony Bennett, who lost his superintendency in Indiana because of a popular revolt against the Common Core.
No problem, Bennett landed on his feet in Florida (thanks, Jeb!) where he could continue the battle for Common Core. Why is Jeb Bush so excited about Comon Core? He told business leaders last year hat he expects the new standards and tests will show just how dreadful public schools are. This opens new opportunities for new products, charters, and vouchers.
But Florida has a problem. It doesn’t have the money to pay what the Comon Core will cost. What to do?
Education leaders worry schools won’t be ready for new standards
By Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel
6:00 PM EST, February 18, 2013
Florida schools are scrambling to be ready for new Common Core academic
standards – and the new computer-based tests that go with them – by 2015.
At their meeting Monday in Orlando, some members of the State Board of
Education questioned if schools had made enough progress training teachers
on the language arts and math standards and on preparing for a new batch of
online tests.
“It’s now February. We have be ready to roll the next calendar year,” said
board member Kathleen Shanahan.
The state’s new “readiness gauge” shows more progress on the standards than
the technology, as many schools still don’t have the computers, bandwidth or
high-speed Internet access needed for the tests and the state’s overall
“digital learning” push.
The State Board requested more than $400 million for new school technology
in the next year, but Gov. Rick Scott has proposed a smaller hike of $100
million.
“One hundred million won’t get done everything we need to get done,” Barbara
Jenkins, superintendent of Orange County schools, told the board.
Education Commissioner Tony Bennett praised the new standards, which 45
states have adopted, as academic guidelines that “will transform the way our
students learn.” The new tests, he said, were key to making sure they are
well taught.
But he said there are “complexities” to implementing both, among them the
“technology readiness” of the 22 states, Florida included, that plan to use
the new tests from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Career. They are to replace FCAT math, reading and writing exams.
He said within the next few months his staff will devise a “Plan B” in case
implementation cannot proceed as planned by 2015.
orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-schools-common-core-technology-201
30218,0,5142892.story=
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Plan B, eh? Having worked on a project to provide broadband access to rural schools and households in NH I can assure you that these states will run into problems with the telecom folks if the government gets involved and shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for the private sector to provide services for a reasonable rate… the privatization of the telecom industry SHOULD be a cautionary tale for public schools but when a profit can be made unregulated capitalism doesn’t help those without money…
Well said.
I recall it took two years for AT&T to implement our district’s e-rate project.
It is strait out of Naomi Klein’s book Shock Doctrine. First, create a crisis. Second, sell some service that will solve the manufactured crisis. Third, profit and look for a place to repeat.
Jeb Bush couldn’t give a rat’s patoot if the state has enough money to implement the Common Core. So long as they have enough money to test it and “prove” that public schools are failing, that’s all he cares about. And I guarantee enough money for testing will be found somehow.
Can you review for us your perspective of Michelle Rhee’s “Students First”? She was on the radio this morning and seems to have some momentum with her philosophy about education, specifically teacher evaluation. I know this is a hot button for educators. I am interested in your thoughts.
She should rename her organization, “Rhee First,” but I imagine it doesn’t have the same marketing punch.
I am not aware of her organization advocating for actual students, or ever consulting actual students, in any of its initiatives. She has contributed a fair amount of money to political candidates through this organization.
Diane has had plenty of thoughts on Michelle Rhee already on this blog – none of them complimenary.
Diane – it might be helpful to add Rhee and/or Students First under your “blog topics” list so all your posts can be found in one handy place.
Dienne, those topics exist.
Diane
When I scroll down the list, I don’t see anything specifically related to Rhee or Students First. I see a general “Education Reform” category, but that’s the closest I see. Am I missing something?
I don’t know the answer. Every time I post anything related to Rhee, it is in that category. Maybe you should look at categories, not topics. But never ask me a question about how the mechanics of the blog work. I write and post, and the rest is a mystery.
Rhee has no philosophy of education. She thinks like someone running a business: get results or you are fired. Her idea of results: test scores.
Does that even work in the business world?
The only thing you need to know about Rhee is that, to my knowledge, absolutely none of the ideas she has promoted and browbeaten states to adopt have raised student achievement at all. Not one. When Students First rolls into town it reminds me of the old snake oil salesmen who had a potion that would cure everything from the common cold to rheumatism (maybe Rheematism is a disease) and made sure to get out of town by sunset so the rubes didn’t know they had gotten taken. But, actually, this comparison is kind of unfair to snake oil salesmen because as far as I know they had some ethics and didn’t try to make money off of children, something that doesn’t seem to trouble Rhee.
One of the highest performing districts in Florida predicts many of its teachers will receive low scores under the new evaluation system.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-merit-pay-teacher-changes-20130227,0,2212156.story
Not only does Florida not have money for Common Core, but it will not have the money to give teachers “merit pay.”
I don’t see how conservatives can complain about federal involvement in public education while its top politicians advocate for mandatory federal standards.