Jeb Bush, Accountability And Support On Reading

Andrew Rotherham:

Getting students reading well by 3rd-grade is again emerging as a policy priority in many states. WaPo's Lyndsey Layton took a look at the trend in March and Reading Partners' Michael Lombardo responded.

What's interesting is that a focus on early-learning was a key part of Florida's success over the past decade (along with accountability, choice, and some other elements). Today, Jeb Bush's advocacy on education is one reason states are adopting these reading policies. But while some states are now simply adopting the hard-edged policies around retention, the former Florida governor makes clear that the policies should be paired with support. I've asked experts on reading policy why they think some states are ignoring the support side and while answers vary, "selective listening based on underlying ideology on spending," as one person put it, is the consensus response.

When I interviewed Bush for TIME late last year, I asked him about what had worked in Florida and why? Here's what he said about coupling hard-edged policies with supports for students:

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 4, 2013 12:06 AM
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