Thursday, November 20, 2008

A Special Message from Governor Charlie Crist, November 20, 2008

 

November 20, 2008

 

Dear Friends,

 

This week I unveiled a comprehensive proposal to reform our state university system in a way that provides access for you and your families while giving Florida’s 11 institutions the resources and governance they need to prepare a strong workforce for our many businesses and industries.

 

Every Floridian should have access to a high-quality and affordable higher education. As Governor, and as a graduate of Florida State University, I am committed to supporting Florida’s public colleges as they prepare graduates for the increasingly competitive global marketplace.

 

For decades, we have looked to Florida’s universities to make our great state better by educating future doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, scientists and entrepreneurs. Many of you are graduates of this system. Your success in life is proof of how important these universities are to our quality of life here in the Sunshine State. As Governor, I am committed to giving our universities the resources and support they need to excel.

 

That is why I am proposing a set of reforms that will strengthen Florida’s universities now and for decades to come. By establishing clear lines of governance at the individual institution and the state level -- and by balancing universities’ financial needs with affordability for families -- our universities and our students can flourish.

 

I remain as committed as ever to keeping our universities affordable. But I also understand that our institutions must be able to set tuition at levels that enable them to maintain the strength and competitiveness of their faculty and degree programs by recruiting the best professors. My proposal balances these two ideals.

 

Under this proposal, the boards of trustees at each of our 11 state universities would have the option to establish, with final approval from the Board of Governors, a tuition plan that is higher than the base rate charged to in-state undergraduates. This could not exceed 15 percent each year.

 

Base tuition would continue to be covered by the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Also, the tuition changes would not affect families that have purchased contracts through the Florida Prepaid College Plan. To help families with financial needs, 30 percent of the differential tuition would go toward need-based aid. The remainder of revenues would be used to retain and recruit professors and researchers, programs that improve graduation and retention rates, and other areas identified by the individual schools. The result will be stronger Florida universities that prepare graduates for the increasingly global marketplace.

 

My proposal also would clarify governance of the universities, by giving individual boards of trustees the authority to oversee daily operations and university-level matters including the selection of presidents, budgets, and growth planning. The Board of Governors would have authority to approve trustees’ tuition requests, as well as their requests for curriculum changes, program expansions, and long-term strategic plans.

 

A well-educated workforce opens the door to endless opportunities for every Floridian, and for the Sunshine State. I look forward to working with the Legislature and the higher education community to make our universities stronger than ever.

 

God bless you and God bless Florida.

 

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

SECRETARY SPELLINGS RELEASES WHITE PAPER ON EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

SECRETARY SPELLINGS RELEASES WHITE PAPER ON EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

This is not the snooze-fest that it probably sounds like, and it's worth a look. She chose to announce the white paper via Eduwonk, a very well-known blog run by Andy Rotherham, a member of the Virginia state board of education who is also an advisor to president-elect Obama. The Secretary made extensive comments on the blog posting, which is a notable event in itself. Although the paper is definitely not a manifesto for Web 2.0 or authentic use of social networking tools, it does note significant changes in expectations (e.g., students and parents now expect access to educational services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), supports next-step research into leveraging technology for educational benefit, and calls for changes in E-rate, among other things.

Full blog entry and link to white paper at http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/11/guestblogger-margaret-spellings.html

 

FORMER NCLB ADVOCATE EXPLAINS WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT TO DO NEXT

FORMER NCLB ADVOCATE EXPLAINS WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT TO DO NEXT

Diane Ravitch, the educational historian and former assistant U.S. Secretary of Education who was once of NCLB's most distinguished, scholarly, and fervent supporters, has written a short, simple, but potent call for the abolition of NCLB in Forbes magazine. I don't think I have ever seen any article so short capture so much about NCLB in all the years people have been writing about it.

This is a big event in the policy wonk world, even though it's not the first time she has signaled her belief that we need to make significant changes in NCLB. Ravitch is well-known for being an independent thinker: she manages somehow to be affiliated with both the conservative-libertarian Hoover Institution and the (slightly) left-of-center Brookings Institution, she has received important appointments from President H.W. Bush and from President Clinton, and she's pals with both Checker Finn and Deb Meier. Because of this, perhaps, Ravitch's support for NCLB was once used to great effect to make the law acceptable to skeptics. We will now see if her influence works in the other direction.

I know I forward a lot of articles, but this article really can be useful. It is extremely short and written in jargon-free format for non-educators, so it could easily be used as the basis for all sorts of communications, especially briefings and communications with elected officials, parents, and citizens. It would be an outstanding piece for most local education reporters to read, since it so neatly and simply summarizes what did and didn't happen as a result of NCLB. It concludes with a simple but compelling vision of how the new version of the law ought to be written.

Full text at http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/09/obama-education-president-oped-cx_dr_1109ravitch_print.html

 

FLORIDA HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERS ASSUME OFFICE

FLORIDA HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERS ASSUME OFFICE

This morning, the Florida House unanimously elected Ray Sansom (R-Destin) as the chamber’s new Speaker. An FSU Seminole, Sansom is an economic development representative for the Northwest Florida Region Alabama Electric Cooperative. His recent education votes were in support of school vouchers (SJR 2170), the "65% solution" (SJR 1150), and prohibitions against exposed underwear in Florida schools (SB 302).

Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) also took over as the Senate's new President. A Florida Gator, Atwater is market president of Riverside National Bank. His recent education votes were in support of protecting teachers who express criticisms of evolution (SB 2692), expanding tax credits to businesses for providing scholarships to private schools (HB 7145), and expanding eligibility for the Florida KidCare health insurance program for underprivileged children (HB 7189).

Florida's Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has called for a special session of the new legislature to deal with the state's budget shortfall. Sansom does not support the special session, but Atwater has declined to rule it out.

A Miami Herald article discusses the challenges before these new leaders at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/story/776597.html

 

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

In Florida, Virtual School Could Make Classrooms History

In Florida, Virtual School Could Make Classrooms History (OrlandoSentinel.com)

A new law that takes effect next fall requires every district in the state to set up an online school for kindergarten through eighth-grade students. More...

 

 

Full Story from Orlando Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-virtual1008nov10,0,978666.story

 

Friday, November 07, 2008

Obama's Possible Candidates for Education Secretary

By PAUL BASKEN

If history is any guide, Barack Obama will spend several weeks chugging through higher priorities on his presidential to-do list before choosing an education secretary.

 

And if he follows past trends, Mr. Obama is not likely to choose a secretary on the basis of higher-education policy. His nominee will be the ninth U.S. secretary of education, and nearly all of the previous eight were known more for their backgrounds at the elementary and secondary levels.

Read more:

http://chronicle.com/free/2008/11/6631n.htm