The new chair of the Florida House Education Committee is Jennifer Sullivan, a fervent supporter of vouchers, charters, and home schooling.
She herself was home-schooled. She apparently attended a private Christian college and dropped out without a degree.
She has no experience in education.
Florida is not a model for anything to do with education.
Under Jeb Bush’s leadership and with millions of dollars in donations from the DeVos family and the Walton family, the state has plunged into privatization, with large amounts of money diverted from public schools to support for-profit charters (half the charters in the state are “for-profit”) and vouchers for religious schools (even though the State Constitution forbids sending public money to religious schools and the voters rejected doing so).
On NAEP, Florida fourth-graders do relatively well only because the state holds back low-performing third graders, thus falsely inflating fourth grade scores.
On NAEP for eighth grade, Florida shows its true colors:
In eighth grade math, Florida is below the national average, scoring #35 out of 50 states plus DC and the Department of Defense schools.
In eighth grade reading, Florida scores at the national average. Nothing to brag about.
Florida is a model of mediocrity.
And with education policy now controlled by a home-schooler, the race to the bottom will continue.

How fitting.
But she is hardly alone.
Bill Gates is also a college dropout.
It seems to actually be a plus in the deform game. Lends you credibility among your deformer colleagues.
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Yeah but nobody elected Gates to run ed policy. [Like Napoleon, he crowned himself.]
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In Florida, voters actually prefer the clueless.
I think it makes them feel smart in comparison.
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Could you tell me what message Mr. Gate is trining to spread here 👇
~If you are born poor it’s not your mistake but if you died poor it’s your mistake .~
He is trying to say do wherever you have to do but grave money 💰, and what about if it’s not your money ? Or if it’s tax-payer money ? I’m an specialist doing researching regarding in Education in Hialeah Gardens Fl .
dianeravitch.net/2018/12/05/flo… via @dianeravitch Worts CitiesTo Raise And Educate Your Kids .
1-Jackson ,MI
2-Birmingham, AL
3-Detroit, MI
4-MIAMI,FLORIDA ✅
5-Baton Rouge, LA
6-Mobile,AL
7-Shreveport, LA
8-FORT LAUDERDALE,FL✅
9-New Orleans,LA
10-Washinton, DC
11-HIALEAH,FLORIDA
The 11 Best American Cities To Raise And Educate Your KIds
1-Overland Park,KS
2-Pla ,TX✅
3-Virginia Beach,VA
4-Lincoln,NE
5-Sioux Fall , SD
6-Madison, WI
7-FREMONT, CALIFORNIA ✅
8-Chesapeake,VA
9-Colorado Spring, CO
10-Grand Prairie,TX✅
11-IRVINE ,CALIFORNIA ✅
NO FL📍
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I have little hope for Florida for the next four years. DeSantis, a Tea Party conservative with ties to white nationalist groups, will continue the same disinvestment policies of Scott, and Jeb Bush will run around selling his fake miracles. Voters are going to have to be vigilant as the profiteers will look for any way to undermine public schools and transfer the money to private interests. Thank goodness for the ever reasoned and vigilant League of Women Voters that will defend public schools any possible legal way.
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Next four years?
Florida is a basket case.
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
Apparently, that is the goal of this country, make the rich richer and everyone else mediocre. UGH
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I think you may be optimistic in arguing that the uber rich will even allow for mediocracy — their policies of late appear to be ONLY based upon taking all money, every single penny, for the few, and that likely presages a massive 1930s style overwhelming depression where the masses have no money, and thus cannot keep the rich richy rich….which might then slowly force the money to once again be redistributed.
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The fact that these people were misfits in the educational process does not mean that they are not to be taken seriously when they have ideas. The undermining of their credibility comes from their acceptance of the doomsday thesis of American public education and the quasi-intellectual approach to solving the problems they perceive. There are plenty of people who got a Ph.D. Who act like idiots when it comes to educational reform.
All those who accept the “Nation at Risk” thesis (that includes me at one point) are walking down a path not controlled by logic. Divorced from logic, it is a small wonder that we find ourselves where we are now.
I am not making an argument in favor of homeschooling or any other idea. I mean only to suggest the need to focus on the issues rather than the personal history of those who take a silly stance on the issues.
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I agree there are lots of people with PhDs who push idiotic policies, but I think criticizing someone who has no background or education in an area is not only legitimate but necessary because the latter sorts of people are simply incapable (even in principle) of making informed decisions.
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Nothing wrong w/critiquing vacuous ed CV of chair of statehouse ed committee. Same thing goes for DeVos, secy of natl DofEd.
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My actual point was not to defend the criticism leveled at Sullivan, but to point out that the policy is the thing. The best boss I ever had claimed to be the least educated. He told me when he hired me that he wanted teachers smarter than himself. He surrounded himself with a stellar faculty and tried to do what they told him to do. We had a strong program.
The problem with reformers like Sullivan and Gates is the same. They are filled with hubris, statues to themselves with feet of clay.
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If someone were in charge of the American Dental Association, I would certainly hope that person would have studied dentistry and be a dentist. It would be important. Dropouts putting themselves in charge of schools? Nonsensical.
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Good analogy. Imagine a president of the American Dental Association who never went to a dentist and had rotten teeth.
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During Mao’s Cultural Revolution, he launched what become known as the Bare Foot Doctors program. Anyone that wanted to become a doctor could. It didn’t matter if they could read or not. It didn’t matter if they had never attended school.
The Party had real doctors put together illustrated pamphlets and short films to instruct the Bare Foot Doctors how to do specific surgeries.
The only element of that program that worked well was the training to improve sanitation in cities and rural villages but that didn’t go all that well either. Some idiot had the idea that birds carried diseases and many villages in rural areas slaughtered birds until hardly any were left.
The average lifespan did improve thanks to the improved sanitation. It went from 34 years to 56 years by the time Mao died and the population almost doubled. No telling how many died from botched surgeries.
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These quote say a lot about Mr. Gate .
~If you are born poor it’s not your mistake but if you died poor it’s your mistake .~
Mr. Gate love money it’s clearly here !
Sadly a few will die riche , people should realize that money it’s one of the problems students and the school sistem it’s failing because money it’s the problem or priorities for Charters Rulers . Sadly the truth hurt but it’s the truth!
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Shame for those who are not only destroying the good education , Shame because they are destroying students future , even if those reformers can improve the way they teach students , the end will be the same a Shame for new reformers, they are very good but with they evil filosofía of Mr. Gate , born poor it’s not our fault but died poor it’s our fault , it’s a ah evil quote from Mr. Bill the villano ,
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Deform makes no sense
Makes no sense
But lots of dollars
Seeking rents
Instead of scholars
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Diane no wonder FLORIDA is in my list of
11 Worts Cities To Raise And Educate Your Kids .
Here is the fact from me and on the bottom from the fact ( Diane is an specilist I’m not just learning and exposing the truth! Thanks Diane !
1-Jackson ,MI
2-Birmingham, AL
3-Detroit, MI
4-MIAMI,FLORIDA ✅
5-Baton Rouge, LA
6-Mobile,AL
7-Shreveport, LA
8-FORT LAUDERDALE,FL✅
9-New Orleans,LA
10-Washinton, DC
11-HIALEAH,FLORIDA ✅ dianeravitch.net/2018/12/05/flo… right✅
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11 Worts Cities To Raise And Educate Your Kids .
1-Jackson ,MI
2-Birmingham, AL
3-Detroit, MI
4-MIAMI,FLORIDA ✅
5-Baton Rouge, LA
6-Mobile,AL
7-Shreveport, LA
8-FORT LAUDERDALE,FL✅
9-New Orleans,LA
10-Washinton, DC
11-HIALEAH,FLORIDA ✅ dianeravitch.net/2018/12/05/flo… right✅
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Great! Another moron with the power to hobble public schools.
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It’s a big club and growing bigger every day.
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And you ain’t in it!
(Which is a huge compliment, of course)
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And so I take it, SomeDam–and thanks!
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This malignant cancer once it has taken over a state refuses to let the state go. It is shredding the fabric of the US Constitution and fragmenting the cohesion that has held the Untied States together for more than two hundred years — one state at a time.
One symptom is when one of these blood red states starts to turn blue and before the red cancer loses its total hold on power, it passes legislation to strip power from the new blue government taking over.
Then it is up to the courts to deal with that legislation if the justices in those courts haven’t been taken over by the blood red cancer bleeding the United States dry.
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Lloyd you deserve a lot of respect for many things you have done for many students in United States, people should know that you are one of the most fierce person fighting yssbe the good education, I can tell that a few people knows that Dade County FL. It’s
not a good place to educate kids , why not ? Lloyd could you please let others knows what is the meaning of Choice ? I mean a little more details about how Charters operated nation wide . Thanks Lloyd for your kindness kindness and support I’m been working by myself down here in Hialeah Gardens FL. Since my Son future was destroyed by the city of Hialeah Education Academic. Inc ( a Charter schooll operated by Academica ) .
I want to let others know that if they file a law sue against Charters Schooll they got a little change to win but a huge range of loss everything, it’s better exposing the crime they comité rather than waisting time and money !
I read about Bill Gate .👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
If you are born poor it’s not your mistake , but if you die poor it’s your mistake ~ Bill Gate ~
Lloyd could you please use your hight IQ , your huge knowledge and wisdom and explain what the message that Mr.Gate tried to spread
With that quote about born poor or die ? I think 🤔 Bill Gate always was thinking about green and I think Bill Gate’s brain $$🧠$$ is trapped between 💰💰💰🧠💰💰💰💰.Poor Gate , he should tell that money don’t make people happy . Lloyd thanks for taking your priceless time to read my message even though my English it’s terrible but you don’t discriminate as those individuals who destroyed my Son and stoled the money I was saving for the education of my children’s, it’s sad stay inside a city where everything it’s controled by Charters Schoolls Suporters . They don’t want me exposing the truth trough worldpress , maybe that is what I should move to Europe because Cuba is still running by an evil sistem , they don’t want me , then I have no other choice than die where my ancestors were from ( Europe ) , I never was especting the way this city is treat me and my family, the only reason tell the truth and stay on the same page . Lloyd worldpress need more people like you and the world to, regarding Florida is in America but I think could be called another country inside the United , sound insane but the fact is never insane . As well numbers never lie , the fact is telling that Florida is ruling the Education and using the law , Dictatorship way .
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Bill Gates is a steaming mountain of moldy, toxic garbage.
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I don’t know how people like that cab sleep knowing that the world is not only for people like him , I was told that people like that have no conscience. Sadly they are getting richer and more poor people with out a $ 1 dollar a day to buy food for them and they families.
As the Bible say the love of Money is root of bad things
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narcissists, malignant narcissists, psychopaths and sociopaths have no trouble sleeping no matter how much suffering and damage they cause to others.
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https://ilovemyfreedom.org/watch-don-lemon-compares-trump-to-hitler-chris-cuomo-explodes-and-defends-potus/
Lloyd Trumpadolfhitleriano it’s not good spelled , Castristas , narcisistas , Comunistas and trumpistashitlerianos. Spanglish but those dudes are bad guys . Pretty bad who can be the worst , hijo de putín ? O little finger it’s the worst ? Wow
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My Gawd! The absurdity is overwhelming.
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Yep.
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