The Jeb Bush Education Policy and Common Core

In a speech last November before the Foundation for Excellence in Education created by him, Jeb Bush once again defended part of the Common Core, which has become a rallying cry for conservatives who see the standards as federal overreach into state education. This could prove to be Jeb's greatest liability if he runs for President. But Bush delivered a talk in November that was typical of his Foundation’s work. School choice, flexibility for states, higher standards, digital learning -- that’s what America needs, he said, not more bureaucracy and stronger politicized monopoly unions : “Education should be a national priority, not turned into a federal program. Most of the time, it will require a political fight. Monopolies don’t go quietly into the night. The federal government has to stop tying every dollar to rules written in Washington. And more federal programs..." ~~~~~ Jeb Bush's Foundation is a strong supporter of school choice. And as Florida Governor, Bush signed into law the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which current Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott is working to expand while fighting lawsuits filed by teachers unions and school boards. Bush defends Common Core standards in math and English language arts, which were developed not by the Obama administration but by state education chiefs and governors across the country. He said Common Core needs to be "the minimum standard for excellence and rigor. If states are looking to adopt something else, then they need to aim even higher." When Jeb Bush announced his support for Common Core back in 2010, it wasn't a controversial position to take. Dozens of governors from both parties endorsed the Common Core, along with business leaders, teachers unions and the Obama administration. All that has changed. So if Bush runs for President as the “education governor,” his Republican rivals will be happy to hang what has become a divisive label around his neck. For years, Bush’s stature as a leading voice for education reform, and his successful education program as Florida Governor, were seen as a tremendous asset to his national ambitions. But his opponents now have good reason to hope it could become an albatross, as many of the policies he is championing are now being attacked by conservative activists and suburban parents. ~~~~~ As Florida Governor, Bush pushed hard to expand charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately managed. Bush also promoted a voucher program to subsidize tuition at private and religious schools that was struck down by the state Supreme Court as unconstitutional, but Bush worked with the legislature to enact other subsidies for private school tuition. “Jeb Bush had a stellar education reform record as governor of Florida,” said Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank : "What made it so compelling and so effective was how comprehensive it was. No state in the country showed larger gains for poor and minority children than the Sunshine State under Bush’s tenure.” It is a matter of public record that Jeb Bush was vowing to create a public school system in Florida “to ensure that no child is left behind” before that became the inspiration for federal legislation under his brother, President George W. Bush. In addition, Jeb Bush has long been on record as believing that the most effective place for school reform is the states, not the federal government. In 2011, Jeb Bush told a group at Harvard : “By federalizing education policy you create resistance at the classroom, school, school district -- and even the state level. I think you’re getting more dynamic results by having the states play the policy role and holding local school districts accountable for actual learning.” This is what Jeb Bush did in Florida, with positive results. It didn’t happen in a day, and the difficulty in sustaining the gains made in lower grades through high school in Florida show how difficult it is to sustain excellence in education. Yet, the Jeb Bush voucher program and other elements supporting school choice are much like those of his fellow governors, such as Jindal and Walker, who tout their own successes at expanding voucher programs and charter schools. In Congress, Rubio, Paul and Cruz have all been passionate advocates for school choice. And Bush joins most of his fellow Republicans in calling for more federal education funding to be turned into block grants that states can use for their own priorities, rather than following rules dictated by Washington bureaucrats. Bush was also an early promoter of online education, talking often about the power of technology to transform schools and help every child reach his highest potential. ~~~~~ Dear readers, US childhood education is badly in need of both reform and a strong voice to lead the reform. Jeb Bush is urging state action, not federal mandates tied to funding. Conservative Republicans should support his effort to take back from Obama the education agenda and put it where it belongs - in each state. If the federal mandates and tied funding are deforming the original goals, open a debate and change or eliminate them. If required tests are using too much of the time available for subject-based studies, review and adopt new test requirements. If states have varying goals for the content of their education programs, every state should be free to adjust curricula. But, to refuse to improve the education of American children because it has become tarred with the political words "Common Core" is to be penny wise and pound foolish. Toss out the two divisive words and their federal mandates and funding mechanisms that Americans find objectionable. But, keep working to improve American childhood education. And don't reject Jeb Bush's expertise simply because he uses the phrase 'Commom Core.' Listen to his ideas and review what he has actually done. That is the only basis for judging Jeb Bush's proposed education policies.