I am posting a portion of the links i have collected about Jeb Bush and his support of common core. There are also stuff from the democratic side that is probably being held back in case he gets the nomination (god forbid). I have nothing against Bush but his influence means my kids are getting common core unless I can find a way to get them in private school. I will NOT let my kids take an assessment from the American Institute of Research. They will get psychological data that the the NSA could only dream of getting.
Jeb Bush is not the driving force behind common core. He probably likes the idea of government control of education because that is what he did while in office in Florida. However, Jeb Bush is supporting common core because he is paid to by Bill Gates. Bill Gates paid him through his "foundations" to support common core and even paid the operating expenses for Jeb's Foundation for Excellence in Education, which presumably should be renamed the the" Foundation for Sameness in Indoctrination" now that common core is here. The real person behind common core is Bill Gates and others higher up the food chain then good old Jeb Bush (his name is not really Jeb).
.Bill Gates, for some reason thinks he should change the way the world educates children. Whatever! He can even put out an even numbered operating system.
Here are the links, they are not in order, yet but should be searchable and they should work. This is a work in progress so if it is a mess now I working on it, and adding to it until common core is just a bad memory.
Please excuse any typos. Thank you.
Jeb Bush and Common Core
Jeb Bush And Common Core
- Chosen By Blood: Jeb Bush to present Hillary Clinton with dark medal of freedom
- Comments for American Principles ProjectComment on Video: The Changing Role of Education in America: Consequences of the Common Core by Judy RamsayComment on Weekly Standard: Lessons from Lonegan by JAN LENOXComment on Impending Disaster in American Education by Shannon SheehanComment on Jeb Bush: Common Core Delay Gives Lawmakers More Time to Study It by KelliComment on Positive Progress on Fighting Common Core by clemence cloudComment on Positive Progress on Fighting Common Core by Shane Vander HartComment on Positive Progress on Fighting Common Core by Mike alvordComment on Jeb Bush: Common Core Delay Gives Lawmakers More Time to Study It by Shane Vander HartComment on Jeb Bush: Common Core Delay Gives Lawmakers More Time to Study It by daphneComment on Jeb Bush: Common Core Delay Gives Lawmakers More Time to Study It by Shane Vander Hart
- Democrats.com Archive: Jeb Bush
Democrats.com offers independent newsletters, discussion, and activism for Democratic voters and candidates who want political change. We also sell campaign web sites, contribution processing, and other Internet services.A list of Jeb Bush scandals from 2000 to 2004- Equipping Florida Parents to Expose Jeb Bushs Florida Education Miracle ? @ THE CHALK FACE
- Jeb Bush Helps Quash Move to Oppose Common Standards - Curriculum Matters - Education Week
Former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush helped quash a move to create a model legislative package for state lawmakers to inhibit adoption and implementation of the common standards.- Jeb Bushs Nigerian Bribery Scandal Is Back in Court
Just in time for the latest round of Jeb for Prez speculation, the juiciest scandal tied to Florida's former governor...- RNC Passes Resolution Against Jeb Bushs Common Core Standards | Scathing Purple Musings
Apparently the Republican National Committee didn't check with Jeb Bush before drafting a resolution against Common Core Standards that is the cornerstone of his corporate takeover of public schools. Here's the text of the resolution as it was printed in self-described conservative website, Illinois Review: RESOLUTION CONCERNING COMMON CORE EDUCATION STANDARDS WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards…- RNC Common Core Resolution Indicts Jeb Bush and Florida’s Republican Policy-Makers | Scathing Purple Musings
I find every read of the Republican National Committee's resolution against Common Core State Standards (CCSS) more stunning than the last. Beyond the "on-size-fits-all" criticism are supporting details so condemning that they cannot be walked back now that they're out. Let's take a look at a few: WHEREAS, the NGA and the CCSSO, received tens…Jeb Busc, common core- Florida Senate Republicans Ignore Superintendents, Jeb Bush Abandons College Readiness in First Passage of New School Grade Bill
It comes as no surprise the republican-dominated Senate Education Committee didn't listen to the recommendations of two school superintendents in passing through the new and improved school grade formula. Nor is it any surprise Jeb Bush's mouthpiece finds it just swell. Reports Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory: The Senate Education Committee got right to work Tuesday…- Just About Everything Jeb Bush Says About Common Core is Untrue
- About Those Teachers in Jeb Bush& s TV Spots | Scathing Purple Musings
StateImpact's John O'Connor reported on the start of a new TV advertising campaign from one of Jeb Bush's foundations to promote Common Core Standards: The education foundation founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has launched a new web site and advertising campaign to support the Common Core math and language arts standards facing criticism in…- Scathing Purple Musings Search Results common core Search Results common coreMichelle Malkin Rips the Common Core Chamber of Commerce Pearson Triumvirate of Venture SocialismAre Floridas Local School Boards Stepping Up to Oppose Standard Charter School Contracts?Jeb Bushs Idaho Chief For Change Compromises AND Field Tests Common Core AssessmentsPam Stewarts Empty Arguments for the Status QuoRevisiting Florida Tea Party Influence on Common CoreBragging About Browards Common Core Buy-In From Broad Grad SuperintendentFamiliar Story in Tennessee: Gov, Ed Boss Want Common Core GOP Legislators, Not So MuchRed States Looking to Dump Common Core, So Wheres Jeb Bush Now?The New York Common Core Story That Frightens Florida GOP LawmakersCommon Cores Florida rebranding and messaging is largely political.”
- Jeb Bush | Scathing Purple Musings
Posts about Jeb Bush written by Bob Sikes- Jeb Bush | Scathing Purple Musings
Posts about Jeb Bush written by Bob Sikes- Jeb Bush
- Browards Blog: Gov. Jeb Bush Defends Corrupt Florida Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Tony Bennett
- Jeb Bush’s Privatization Plan for Indiana Public Schools
944- Charter Schools USAs John Hage: Infecting Jeb Ed at Every Level In Indy
2080- A Little Ditty Bout Jeb and Patty: Bush Ed Lobby Director Levesque Hearts Tony Bennett
1015- Miami-Dades GOP slaps down Common Core (takes stand against past chair, Jeb Bush)
.. ....Miami-Dade’s Republican Party voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to oppose the Common Core education standards as an unconstitutional “inappropriate overreach” by the federal government...The two-page resolution, part of a g...- Emails Link Jeb Bush Education Group To Officials And ALEC | Crooks and Liars
Jeb Bush on disrupting the education monopoly so he and his friends can take over. Let me see if I can keep this simple: Most of these "reform" education organizations are in it to make money. Period. They dress it up, they make inspirational- Equipping Florida Parents to Expose Jeb Bush Florida Education Miracle” | deutsch29
The purpose of this post is to provide a brief summary for Florida parents regarding the failure of the spectrum of so-called education "reforms" introduced and advanced by former Governor Jeb Bush (1999 - 2007). I have written this brief, two-page "talking points" Word doc to complement the contents of this post. Thus, parents can use the…- Jeb Bush Foundation Under Fire for Conflicts | Diane Ravitchs blog
Coach Bob Sikes reports here that Jeb Bush's Foundation for Educational Excellence is under fire by groups who claim that it is promoting the for-profit interests of its corporate sponsors. The Bush foundation, which presumably has a tax exemption, claims that 90% of its funding comes from philanthropic donors, not corporations. This investigation in Maine…- Conservative Columnist Slams Tony Bennett, Jeb Bush
Michelle Malkin is known for her strong conservative opinions, strongly expressed. In this article in the National Review, titled "Jeb's Education Racket," Malkin eviscerates Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush. She writes: [Bennett's] disgraceful grade-fixing scandal is the perfect symbol of all that’s wrong with the federal education schemes peddled by Bennett and his mentor, former…- Conservative Columnist Slams Tony Bennett, Jeb Bush | Diane Ravitchs blog
Michelle Malkin is known for her strong conservative opinions, strongly expressed. In this article in the National Review, titled "Jeb's Education Racket," Malkin eviscerates Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush. She writes: [Bennett's] disgraceful grade-fixing scandal is the perfect symbol of all that’s wrong with the federal education schemes peddled by Bennett and his mentor, former…- Another of Jeb Bushs Chiefs for Change StepsDown
Stephen Bowen, state commissioner of education in Maine, announced that he was resigning his post to take a job as "director of innovation" for the DC Council on Chief State School Officers. He is the second member of Jeb Bush's Chiefs for Change to resign in the past few weeks. Tony Bennett of Florida w…- Another of Jeb Bushs Chiefs for Change StepsDown | Diane Ravitchs blog
Stephen Bowen, state commissioner of education in Maine, announced that he was resigning his post to take a job as "director of innovation" for the DC Council on Chief State School Officers. He is the second member of Jeb Bush's Chiefs for Change to resign in the past few weeks. Tony Bennett of Florida w…- EduShyster Crashes Jeb Bushs Party | Diane Ravitchs blog
Some party! EduShyster crashed it and couldn't find many happy events. Hanna Skandera, one of the shrinking number of Jeb's Chiefs for Change, was a no-show. Tony Bennett, ex-Indiana chief, ex-Florida chief, was not sure whether to lecture on A-F grading systems. Rahm Emanuel insisted he was not a reformer, maybe just a passerby. Was…- Bush, Jeb
Posts about Bush, Jeb written by dianeravitch- Diane Ravitchs blog Chiefs for Change Chiefs for ChangeNew Mexico: Parents Organize to Boycott State TestsThe Testing Madness in Rhode IslandEduShyster Crashes Jeb Bushs PartyPrincipal Rob Miller: A Profile in CourageA Real Educator Will Run for State Superintendent in OklahomaHolding Kevin Huffman AccountableAnother of Jeb Bushs Chiefs for Change StepsDownTwo Peas in a Pod: Tony Bennett and John WhiteCheats for Change Makes Its DebutConservative Columnist Slams Tony Bennett, Jeb Bush
- Jeb Bush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Why Jeb Bushs endorsement is more important than you think - The Fine Print
There was a bit of a collective yawn when the Republican Party of Florida announced Tuesday that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had endorsed incumbent Gov. Rick Scott for re-election. The presumption is that well, why wouldn't Bush endorse his...- About Those Teachers in Jeb Bush’s TV Spots | Florida Public Employees
Florida Public Employees March 25, 2014 By Bob Sikes - Scathing Purple Musings StateImpact’s John O’Connor reported on the start of a new TV- Jeb Bush Dodges Questions From Tampa Tribune Reporter in Story on His Foundation | Florida Public Employees
Jeb Bush March 6, 2013 By: Bob Sikes - Scathing Purple Musings TAMPA – Lobbyists are not allowed to finance perks like trips for state officials,- Jeb Bush & Bob Wise Release Roadmap for Reform: Digital Learning - Getting Smart by Getting Smart Staff - Bob Wise, Digital Learning Now, EdTech, education technology, Jeb Bush, personal digital learning, Roadmap for Reform, state report card | Getting Smart
- Rove to Jeb Bush: Maybe tone it down with the “illegal immigration is an act of love& ” bit « Hot Air
- Take Action: Don't let Jeb Bush deceive parents on TV! - Integrity in Education
- Thrasher to meet with Rick Scott, Jeb Bush as lieutenant governor rumors circulate | jacksonville.com
TALLAHASSEE - As rumor begins to circulate that state Sen. John Thrasher is being considered as the next lieutenant governor, the St. Augustine Republican is having dinner Thursday with a trio of some of the state’s biggest political players.The Miami dinner will include Gov. Rick Scott, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Gary Chartrand, a St. Augustine native and chairman of the state Board of Education.Both Thrasher and the governor’s office denied that they have been talking about the lieutenant governor’s office.- Chris Guerrieris Education Matters: Jeb Bushs hypocrisy knows no bounds.
- Gov. Jeb Bush Supports Bill McCollum - by maddad - Newsvine
If there was any doubt who the establishment candidate is in the republican governor's race, that should be settled.- Jeb Bush takes on immigration, education in Jacksonville speech | members.jacksonville.com
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weaved together ideas about immigration, education and the plight of youth in a speech Thursday night at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. His theme, ultimately, was leadership.But Bush stayed clear of any mention any personal plans to run for president in 2016.On educating the youth in the United States and building an immigrant population that helps the country, he declared: “If we get it right nothing will stop the United States from leading the world,” Bush said.- WP: Jebs foundation works to change laws that benefit funders | Naked Politics
From the Washington Post's education blog reports: A nonprofit group released thousands of e-mails today and said they show how a foundation begun by Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and national education reform leader, is working with public officials...- Read Rick Scotts Common Core letters, order. A Jeb Bush dis? Not quite. Will Legislature abide? Yes | Naked Politics
@MarcACaputo Gov. Rick Scott today made a surprise decision to try to remove Florida from a consortium of states working to create unified tests benchmarked to what are known as Common Core standards (background here). In between Scott's letters and...- Michelle Malkin | Rotten to the Core: Jeb Bushs Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards «
Rotten to the Core: Jeb Bush’s Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards- Michelle Malkin | Possible GOP 2016 contender Jeb Bush to present Hillary Clinton with Liberty Medal on eve of Benghazi anniversary «
‘Possible GOP 2016 contender’ Jeb Bush to present Hillary Clinton with ‘Liberty Medal’ on eve of Benghazi anniversary- Michelle Malkin | Jeb Bushs latest Common Core snit fit «
Jeb Bush’s latest Common Core snit fit- Rejecting Jeb Bushs Fed Ed racket: Florida turns against Common Core
- Michelle Malkin Search Results common core Search Results common coreThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce vs. AmericaCommon Core and the EduTech abyssStossel: The flaws in Common CoreArne Duncans war on women and childrenColorado principal: Common Core threatens our autonomy, student privacy, and mission of excellenceA brown-skinned suburban mom responds to Common Core bigot Arne DuncanBig news in fight against Common Core: InBloom-peddling Jefferson County CO superintendent resigns tonight; school board severs ties with inBloomHow NOT to argue with parents about Common CoreCreepy Oregon educrat preaches government authority over kids from prenatal to graduate schoolMore parents stand up to educrats, face no-trespass and gag ordersEducations Shiny Toy SyndromeRejecting Jeb Bushs Fed Ed racket: Florida turns against Common CoreParents, you need to question these people!: Shock video of dad arrested at school meeting after challenging Common Core; Update: Charges droppedJeb Bushs latest Common Core snit fitStop Common Core video of the day: 3 x 4 = 11
- Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms
- No One Trusts Jeb!'s "Chiefs For Change" | National Education Policy Center
- Jeb Bush defends Common Core | October 17, 2013 | Lloyd Dunkelberger | HT Politics
As Florida education officials concluded three days of public hearings on the Common Core education standards, former Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday again strongly defended the standards at a national education forum in Boston.- Potter Williams Report: Jeb Bush, Bill Ayers and Common Core Standards
- Restore Oklahoma Public Education: jeb bush
A blog about federal and state interference in public education and the associated consequences.- Education Foundation Blogger Defends Jeb Bushs Record | StateImpact Florida
Remember that Reuters story last week which took a longer look at claims that Florida schools have improved under former Gov. Jeb Bush's leadership? A blogger for the Foundation for Excellence in Education -- one of two foundations Bush started to support his education agenda -- has responded. Mike Thomas counts the Reuters piece- SendHub Takes On Google Voice With Debut Of Shared Groups; Grabs New Investment From Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush | TechCrunch
SendHub, the messaging startup backed by $2 million in seed funding from Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, Menlo Ventures, 500 Startups and others, is today..- Jeb Bush: I applaud the president for outreach to GOP lawmakers | TheHill
I am not a cynic about this. I think it is important, said the former governor.- Jeb Bushs Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards - Michelle Malkin - Page 1
The resignation of Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett couldn't have come at a better time. .01/26/2014 7:10:39AM EST.- Jeb Bushs Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards - Michelle Malkin - Page full
The resignation of Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett couldn't have come at a better time. .01/26/2014 7:10:40AM EST.Common core- Jeb Bush | TRUTH ABOUT EDUCATION
Posts about Jeb Bush written by Diane Marie- Jeb Bush | TRUTH ABOUT EDUCATION
Posts about Jeb Bush written by Diane Marie- Marco Rubio at Odds with Jeb Bush Over Common Core | Truth in American Education
- Are they game? Michelle Malkin willing to debate Jeb Bush, NYTs Bill Keller on Common Core | Twitchy
- The Answer Sheet - Obama's mistimed Miami school visit -- with Jeb Bush
What a tag team. At a time when Wisconsin teachers are protesting to keep their collective bargaining rights, President Obama is traveling to Florida to share a stage with the anti-union Jeb Bush, the former governor who led corporate-driven, standardized test-obsessed school reform and tried to reduce teachers union influence.- Why is former Governor Jeb Bush pushing Common Core State Standards? - Watchdog Wire - Florida
Jenni White, President of Restore Public Education in an email states, "I received an email forward from an Oklahoma legislator today that took me aback a- Is Jeb Bushs endorsement of Governor Rick Scott a good or bad thing? - Watchdog Wire - Florida
In Florida, former Governor Jeb Bush is supporting Governor Rick Scott for re-election. Bush said that he is supporting Governor Scott because "he campaign- jeb bush | COMMON CORE
Posts about jeb bush written by Christel Swasey- Jeb Bush Quietly Lays Campaign Groundwork Through Foundation
"The chatter is he's up to something," says one Florida operative. ..- Could Jeb Bush win over the Christian right in 2016? - CBS News
While some Christian conservatives speak highly of the former Florida governor, there are several issues that could cause problems for him- Jeb Bush talks GOP missteps, possible presidential run - CBS News
Former Florida governor continues to push fellow Republicans on reaching out to minorities, women; what does he say about 2016?- Education BlogDEPT. OF DEFENSE SCHOOLS DELAYING IMPLEMENTATIN OF CCS -- ALABAMA -- 9.26.13The Ties That Binds Common Core and CSCOPE and HOW IT IMPACTS Home Schooling And Private Schools Also. Hear Donna Garner Break Down The Future States Will Choose--Learning vs Indoctrination. Facts Are Out and Parents and Teachers Need To KnowDefunding Common Core Standards--NCLB Waivers And Why Urgent Attention From Parents NeededTruth That Common Core or National Standards Is Truly A Dumbing Down--Even In ScienceJeb Bush and Ties To Promoting Common Core Standards“He’s not the nation’s superintendent,” Rep John Kline said of Arne Duncan-Those Who Does Not Want To Lose Local Controls Has A Hero In John KlineAutism--Watch and Share This For The Love Of Children With This ProblemCommon Core Standards and Truth In American Education--New Site To Give FactsNew York Times Gets Wind of Turkish Take-over of American Taxpayer Money For Schools In TexasCommon Core Standards or Nationalization of Education Leads To National Disaster)
- Jeb Bushs Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards by Michelle Malkin on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent
Michelle Malkin Opinion Columns - Jeb Bush's Crony Republicans Against Higher Standards- Jeb Bush Coingate Murder Coverup & Corruption | Peace . Gold . LOVE
- Forbes: Jeb Bush involvement with Lehman raises questions in Florida investment fund debacle - Democratic Underground
Forbes: Jeb Bush involvement with Lehman raises questions in Florida investment fund debacle- Education Week: Watchdog Gnaws On Foundation With Jeb Bush Ties
In the Public Interest, a nonprofit, says Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education is being used as a cover for companies seeking public money.- Jeb Bush endorses McCollum in Florida governors race - Orlando Republican | Examiner.com
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has endorsed Bill McCollum in the race for the job Bush held for eight years. McCollum, the current Florida Attorney General, h- Jeb Bush Gets F on School Spending
- Gov. Rick Scotts Take on Education Reform is Textbook Jeb - Florida Trend
FloridaTrend.com delivers Florida business news along with reports on Florida politics, Florida public policy and government. Florida executives and professionals rely on FloridaTrend.com for in-depth analysis and perspectives on the issues, people and ideas that define Florida.- Does Jeb Bush realize Common Core threatens school choice concept? | Fox News
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is jeopardizing 20 years’ worth of hard-won school choice successes by stubbornly promoting and defending the Common Core math and English learning standards.- Jeb Bush and the Common Core Money Trail | FreedomWorks
FreedomWorks is a grassroots service center dedicated to helping activists fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom.- Jeb Bush talks education reform, chides unions, mum on running for president | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
Kicking off the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush talked about the need for education reform, free of the constraints imposed by teachers unions.- Rejecting Jeb Bush’s Fed Ed racket: Florida turns against Common Core
- JEB BUSH COINGATE MURDER COVERUP & CORRUPTION | BUSH CRIME FAMILY
- Laura Ingraham: Jeb Bush On Stage A La Charlie Crist With Obama (AUDIO)
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham criticized former Florida governor Jeb Bush on Tuesday for appearing alongside President Barack Obama in the Sunshine State last week to make a bipartisan pitch for reforms to education policy. Mediaite flags Ingraham's remarks, which she made while speaking to former U.S. Senator and potential presidential contender Rick Santorum.- Why Republicans Need To Get Over The Idea Of Jeb Bush In 2012
The former Florida governor has made perfectly clear that he has no plans to belatedly jump into the presidential race, despite the clamor from those who are still underwhelmed by Mitt Romney's candidacy. But let's set aside his reluctance and imagine what would happen if he did.- Jeb Bush Says Education Film Will Be Game-Changing For Reform Movement
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -– It's been six years since Jeb Bush held political office, but since he left Florida's governorship, he has been working on an issue now at the center of escalating political headwinds: education reform.- Jeb Bush, With Cash And Clout, Pushes Contentious School Reforms
By Stephanie Simon Nov 27 (Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush soared to rock star status in the education world on the strength of a chart. A simple graph, it tracked fourth-grade reading scores. In 1998, when Bush was elected governor, Florida kids scored far below the national average.- Jeb Bush, Son Talk Education At Texas Forum
AUSTIN, Texas -- Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his rising-political-star son, George P. Bush, spoke together Tuesday in Texas on education issues, and both men resisted efforts to get them to talk in detail about future political plans. The elder Bush, who is often mentioned as a possible contender for president in 2016, told an education forum organized by the Texas Business Leadership Council, "I urge you to be big and bold, and if people get offended, so what?"- Jeb Bushs Education Foundation Under Fire For Lobbying For Laws That Benefit Corporate Donors
TAMPA -- Lobbyists are not allowed to finance perks like trips for state officials, but those at the Foundation for Excellence in Education get around that ban by being registered to another foundation run by Jeb Bush.Former Gov. Jeb Bush's nonprofit, education reform foundation is taking heat for using donations from for-profit companies to lobby for state education laws that could benefit those companies.Among the activities of Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education that have come in for criticism: It pays for state officials and legislators to go to conferences where they meet with the company's donors, including officials of corporations who stand to gain from the policymakers' decisions.In recent years, several Florida Department of Education officials and legislators have attended the conferences, and in some cases, their flights, hotel stays, meals and incidentals were paid for with money that came partly from the foundation's corporate donors.At these events, the state officials attended meetings, panel discussions, meals and receptions also attended by those donors.The donors include companies that sell testing services, high-tech learning products and charter school services to the state and to Florida school systems, or that would like to.Normally, it's illegal for lobbyists or lobbying organizations to provide benefits such as free trips to Florida legislators or top executive branch officials.But the Foundation for Excellence in Education escapes that prohibition because lobbyists on its staff are registered to another, closely related Bush foundation -- even though the two share key staff members and even their Tallahassee address.Among the corporate donors:* Pearson, a $9 billion-a-year media conglomerate which has a $250 million, four-year contract to administer the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. In the last few years, the company has been fined $14 million by the state for delayed test score results and criticized for its grading of writing tests.* Amplify, the education division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which sells classroom and curriculum software.* Charter Schools USA, a Fort Lauderdale-based for-profit company that manages charter schools under contract.* IQity, which sells online learning materials.The two-day summits include speeches by national figures including Bush, plus panel discussions on topics pertinent to the foundation's reform philosophy.Last year's summit, for example, at the JW Marriott hotel near the White House, included "strategy sessions" on such topics as "Reaching more students with vouchers and tax-credit scholarships" and banquets with speeches by Bush, Condoleeza Rice and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.The 2011 conference at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco -- one of the city's most luxurious, with rooms starting at $350 per night -- featured a speech by Murdoch.It also included a fundraiser hosted by Bush for Tony Bennett, then running for re-election as Indiana education superintendent and a champion of the kind of conservative education reform advocated by the foundation -- more charter schools, tax-paid tuition vouchers, more emphasis on testing, mandatory on-line courses and "virtual schools."In an upset that surprised political analysts in the Republican state, Bennett lost his race in November but was appointed soon afterward by Gov. Rick Scott as Florida education commissioner.In states including Florida, the foundation lobbies actively for its vision of public school reform.Former Gov. Jeb Bush's nonprofit, education reform foundation is taking heat for using donations from for-profit companies to lobby for state education laws that could benefit those companies.
Among the activities of Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education that have come in for criticism: It pays for state officials and legislators to go to conferences where they meet with the company's donors, including officials of corporations who stand to gain from the policymakers' decisions.
In recent years, several Florida Department of Education officials and legislators have attended the conferences, and in some cases, their flights, hotel stays, meals and incidentals were paid for with money that came partly from the foundation's corporate donors.
At these events, the state officials attended meetings, panel discussions, meals and receptions also attended by those donors.
The donors include companies that sell testing services, high-tech learning products and charter school services to the state and to Florida school systems, or that would like to.
Normally, it's illegal for lobbyists or lobbying organizations to provide benefits such as free trips to Florida legislators or top executive branch officials.
But the Foundation for Excellence in Education escapes that prohibition because lobbyists on its staff are registered to another, closely related Bush foundation -- even though the two share key staff members and even their Tallahassee address.
Among the corporate donors:
* Pearson, a $9 billion-a-year media conglomerate which has a $250 million, four-year contract to administer the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. In the last few years, the company has been fined $14 million by the state for delayed test score results and criticized for its grading of writing tests.
* Amplify, the education division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which sells classroom and curriculum software.
* Charter Schools USA, a Fort Lauderdale-based for-profit company that manages charter schools under contract.
* IQity, which sells online learning materials.
The two-day summits include speeches by national figures including Bush, plus panel discussions on topics pertinent to the foundation's reform philosophy.
Last year's summit, for example, at the JW Marriott hotel near the White House, included "strategy sessions" on such topics as "Reaching more students with vouchers and tax-credit scholarships" and banquets with speeches by Bush, Condoleeza Rice and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
The 2011 conference at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco -- one of the city's most luxurious, with rooms starting at $350 per night -- featured a speech by Murdoch.
It also included a fundraiser hosted by Bush for Tony Bennett, then running for re-election as Indiana education superintendent and a champion of the kind of conservative education reform advocated by the foundation -- more charter schools, tax-paid tuition vouchers, more emphasis on testing, mandatory on-line courses and "virtual schools."
In an upset that surprised political analysts in the Republican state, Bennett lost his race in November but was appointed soon afterward by Gov. Rick Scott as Florida education commissioner.
In states including Florida, the foundation lobbies actively for its vision of public school reform. A peek into that activity was provided recently by In the Public Interest, an organization that calls itself a watchdog on privatization of government services.
After making public records requests in six states including Florida, the organization published hundreds of emails that show foundation officials lobbying state officials.
The emails also show sympathy and agreement between the foundation and Florida education officials, particularly Bennett and his predecessor, Gerard Robinson, who solicited the group's advice on legislation.
In Florida, the foundation has lobbied for such goals as counting FCAT results for more than half of the annual grade given to public schools, and a "parent trigger" that would allow parents to demand the conversion of their traditional public school into a charter school.
Narrowly defeated in Florida last year, parent-trigger legislation has been filed again for the coming legislative session.
In an email response to questions about the foundation's activities, foundation spokeswoman Jaryn Emhof said the organization doesn't endorse specific companies or products, and "The financial interest of specific companies or sectors is not a factor."
Instead, it "advocates for proven policies and innovative reforms that will improve the quality of education ... (to) ensure every student has access to the high-quality education experience that best fits them."
Emhof said the foundation gets most of its money from individuals or philanthropic groups, but uses corporate donations mainly to sponsor its conferences, which it calls education "summits."
As a nonprofit charity, the organization is not required to disclose its donors. In 2011, it reported revenues of about $8.5 million and cash and pledges totaling about $9.5 million.
The summits, Emhof said, are "an opportunity for ... lawmakers, policymakers, researchers, experts, innovators, and more to gather in one location to learn from each other."
She said the foundation reimburses public officials' travel because, "We don't want public officials to have to use taxpayer dollars to attend." She said state officials report receiving the gifts if their state laws require it.
"It certainly is not surprising that In the Public Interest, a union-backed organization, opposes school choice and the expansion of digital education," Emhof added.
Public school teachers' unions often oppose the reforms advocated by the foundation. In addition, there's a history of political hostility between Bush and the Florida Education Association, the Florida teachers' union, which heavily funded Bush's opponent in the 2002 governor's race, the late Bill McBride of Tampa.
In the Public Interest Chairman Donald Cohen is a former political director for the San Diego area AFL-CIO. He said the group "has relationships" with unions, nonprofit community groups and business organizations, but receives most of its funding from charitable foundations.
The group charged in a news release that the foundation "is writing state education laws and regulations in ways that could benefit its corporate funders."
"Testing companies and for-profit online schools see education as big business," and hope to use the foundation to write laws and promote policies that will expand the market for their products, the news release said.
It said the public records it obtained show the organization "wrote and edited laws, regulations and executive orders, often in ways that improved profit opportunities for the organization's financial backers."
In an interview, Cohen added, "When private corporations pay public officials or provide them benefits including trips, there's a clear attempt to influence public policy in a way that will benefit the corporation.
"There's no reason the corporation would spend the money other than to advance their own interest," he said. "They're paying to develop relationships with people with power."
Spokesmen for some of the foundation's donors said their interest is in fostering education reform, not expanding markets.
"Probably the best way to describe our support for the foundation and Gov. Bush's work is that there's a growing bipartisan consensus that education is one of the most important issues in the country," said Justin Hamilton of Murdoch's firm, Amplify. "We're lagging behind the rest of the world, we have to catch up fast."
He said the company's motive for sponsoring and attending the summits is "fostering a robust conversation about improving education in America."
A publicist representing Charter Schools USA forwarded a written statement from the company, saying, "We're not interested in being used in an article meant to misrepresent the great work the Foundation for Educational Excellence does to promote positive educational choices for students and parents by improving the performance of public schools in the U.S."
The state Department of Education said it couldn't produce records of how many of its employees have taken the free trips, nor could the foundation.
But according to the emails and to accounts of the 2011 summit on the foundation's website, about a half-dozen employees of the state Department of Education and three legislators attended the event.
At least one legislator and one employee got reimbursements for attending.
State Rep. Janet Adkins, a Fernandina Beach Republican, apparently was the only one of those officials who reported the reimbursements as a gift from the foundation, $961.
"I'm a stickler for this stuff. It's not worth it to me to accept something I'm not supposed to," Adkins said.
In spite of the foundation's role in advocating education policies and laws, its activities may not qualify legally as lobbying, said Florida ethics and elections law expert Mark Herron.
A lobbyist, in state law, is someone employed solely or mainly to influence the government.
The foundation's executive director, Patricia Levesque, is a registered lobbyist as well as a long-time Bush adviser. Her lobbying clients have included both nonprofit and for-profit education companies such as the College Board and IQity.
But she isn't registered as a lobbyist for the Foundation for Excellence in Education -- it has no lobbyist registered in its own name.
Instead, Levesque represents Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, a group he founded shortly after his first, unsuccessful run for governor in 1994. Levesque is also executive director of Foundation for Florida's Future.
According to the foundations' tax returns, the Foundation for Florida's Future pays Levesque's lobbying firm, Meridian Strategies, for "consulting and management services" provided to both foundations by Levesque and her partner in the lobbying firm, Dierdre Finn, who is deputy executive director of both groups.
The two foundations also share other key staff members including another registered lobbyist, Joanna Hassell. Both foundations also list the same address on Monroe Street in Tallahassee.
Before getting reimbursement for her trip, Adkins received an opinion approving it from the state House counsel, who, at the time, was George Levesque, husband of Patricia Levesque. He's now state Senate counsel.
Rep. Erik Fresen, a Miami Republican, and Senate President Don Gaetz, Republican from Niceville, also attended the 2011 conference but neither sought reimbursement from the foundation, they said.
Emhof said Bush would not be available to interview for this story.
Since leaving the governor's office in 2006, Bush has devoted himself to education reform.
The Foundation for Excellence in Education has helped him create a national political profile as he prepares for what could be a 2016 run for president. He has travelled the nation representing the foundation and speaking on education.
In that way, the education foundation duplicates the earlier role of his Foundation for Florida's Future. After his unsuccessful 1994 campaign, Foundation for Florida's Future served as an advocacy group for Bush's conservative vision for state government reform, leading up to his successful 1998 campaign.
Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association, the state teachers' union, said he considers the mission of Bush's education foundation more about profit and politics than education.
Asked about state officials attending the conferences, Pudlow said, "I think what it points out more than anything else is that the foundation and everything it does is all about business, and making sure there's plenty of opportunity for people in the business to make money off Florida's public education." ___
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2012 Lincoln Center Institute Gala
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 07: Politician and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (L) and wife Columba Bush attend the 2012 Lincoln Center Institute Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 7, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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Follow the money.- Another E-mail Trail: Jeb Bushs Foundation and Ed Privatization | In the Public Interest
Rick Cohen Non-Profit Quarterly Foundation e-mail communications are proving very interesting for those trying to better understand how private philanthropy interacts with public school systems. The NPQ Newswire commented on the e-mail exchanges between representatives of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Newark Mayor Cory Booker during the planning stages of the Facebook billionaire’s $100 million donation to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now a group called In the Public Interest has done the same favor for the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), founded by former Florida governor and potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush. The e-mails number in the thousands, but In the Public Interest seems to focus strongly on those pointing to privatization trends. The key information revealed in these e-mails involves the foundation’s work in connecting the members of a Bush-created council of current and former state education commissions with corporations interested in privatizing state education functions. According to Donald Cohen, head of In the Public Interest, corporations have been using Jeb Bush’s foundation “to help state officials pass laws and regulations that make it easier to expand charter schools, require students to take online education courses, and do other things that could result in business and profits for them.” The e-mails describe FEE activities such as helping to write legislation in Florida that would lead to more use of a proprietary test, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), marketed by Pearson, which is a FEE donor. E-mails also describe FEE pitching SendHub, a communications tool, for use in Florida schools and Rhode Island schools. Jeb Bush is an investor in SendHub. The e-mails also showcase FEE pushing for Florida to adopt a “parent trigger” law, which could benefit for-profit FEE allies such as Charter Schools USA, a school management firm. In addition, the e-mails point to discussion about a Maine push for a cyber-schooling executive order from the state’s Republican governor, designed by Digital Learning Council, which is co-chaired by Jeb Bush and funded by for-profit firms K12, Pearson, and McGraw-Hill. In addition to corporate funders such as Microsoft, Intel, Pearson, K12, Target, State Farm, and McGraw-Hill, the e-mails reveal a number of private foundations supporting FEE or FEE events. Many of the funders are those on the hard right that one would expect to be supporting school choice issues and privatization or corporatization strategies, such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and the Hume Foundation. However, others were much more in the line of “mainstream” or liberal funders...
Rick Cohen
Non-Profit Quarterly
Foundation e-mail communications are proving very interesting for those trying to better understand how private philanthropy interacts with public school systems. The NPQ Newswire commented on the e-mail exchanges between representatives of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Newark Mayor Cory Booker during the planning stages of the Facebook billionaire’s $100 million donation to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now a group called In the Public Interest has done the same favor for the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), founded by former Florida governor and potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush.
The e-mails number in the thousands, but In the Public Interest seems to focus strongly on those pointing to privatization trends. The key information revealed in these e-mails involves the foundation’s work in connecting the members of a Bush-created council of current and former state education commissions with corporations interested in privatizing state education functions. According to Donald Cohen, head of In the Public Interest, corporations have been using Jeb Bush’s foundation “to help state officials pass laws and regulations that make it easier to expand charter schools, require students to take online education courses, and do other things that could result in business and profits for them.”
The e-mails describe FEE activities such as helping to write legislation in Florida that would lead to more use of a proprietary test, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), marketed by Pearson, which is a FEE donor. E-mails also describe FEE pitching SendHub, a communications tool, for use in Florida schools and Rhode Island schools. Jeb Bush is an investor in SendHub. The e-mails also showcase FEE pushing for Florida to adopt a “parent trigger” law, which could benefit for-profit FEE allies such as Charter Schools USA, a school management firm. In addition, the e-mails point to discussion about a Maine push for a cyber-schooling executive order from the state’s Republican governor, designed by Digital Learning Council, which is co-chaired by Jeb Bush and funded by for-profit firms K12, Pearson, and McGraw-Hill.
In addition to corporate funders such as Microsoft, Intel, Pearson, K12, Target, State Farm, and McGraw-Hill, the e-mails reveal a number of private foundations supporting FEE or FEE events. Many of the funders are those on the hard right that one would expect to be supporting school choice issues and privatization or corporatization strategies, such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and the Hume Foundation. However, others were much more in the line of “mainstream” or liberal funders...- Critics rap actions of Jeb Bush's education foundation | In the Public Interest
Former Gov. Jeb Bush's nonprofit, education reform foundation is taking heat for using donations from for-profit companies to lobby for state education laws that could benefit those companies. Among the activities of Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education that have come in for criticism: It pays for state officials and legislators to go to conferences where they meet with the company's donors, including officials of corporations who stand to gain from the policymakers' decisions. In recent years, several Florida Department of Education officials and legislators have attended the conferences, and in some cases, their flights, hotel stays, meals and incidentals were paid for with money that came partly from the foundation's corporate donors. At these events, the state officials attended meetings, panel discussions, meals and receptions also attended by those donors. The donors include companies that sell testing services, high-tech learning products and charter school services to the state and to Florida school systems, or that would like to. Normally, it's illegal for lobbyists or lobbying organizations to provide benefits such as free trips to Florida legislators or top executive branch officials. But the Foundation for Excellence in Education escapes that prohibition because lobbyists on its staff are registered to another, closely related Bush foundation – even though the two share key staff members and even their Tallahassee address. Among the corporate donors: Pearson, a $9 billion-a-year media conglomerate which has a $250 million, four-year contract to administer the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. In the last few years, the company has been fined $14 million by the state for delayed test score results and criticized for its grading of writing tests. Amplify, the education division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which sells classroom and curriculum software. Charter Schools USA, a Fort Lauderdale-based for-profit company that manages charter schools under contract. IQity, which sells online learning materials. * * * * * The two-day summits include speeches by national figures including Bush, plus panel discussions on topics pertinent to the foundation's reform philosophy. Last year's summit, for example, at the JW Marriott hotel near the White House, included "strategy sessions" on such topics as "Reaching more students with vouchers and tax-credit scholarships" and banquets with speeches by Bush, Condoleeza Rice and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The 2011 conference at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco – one of the city's most luxurious, with rooms starting at $350 per night –featured a speech by Murdoch. It also included a fundraiser hosted by Bush for Tony Bennett, then running for re-election as Indiana education superintendent and a champion of the kind of conservative education reform advocated by the foundation – more charter schools, tax-paid tuition vouchers, more emphasis on testing, mandatory on-line courses and "virtual schools." In an upset that surprised political analysts in the Republican state, Bennett lost his race in November but was appointed soon afterward by Gov. Rick Scott as Florida education commissioner. In states including Florida, the foundation lobbies actively for its vision of public school reform. A peek into that activity was provided recently by In the Public Interest, an organization that calls itself a watchdog on privatization of government services. After making public records requests in six states including Florida, the organization published hundreds of emails that show foundation officials lobbying state officials. The emails also show sympathy and agreement between the foundation and Florida education officials, particularly Bennett and his predecessor, Gerard Robinson, who solicited the group's advice on legislation. In Florida, the foundation has lobbied for such goals as counting FCAT results for more than half of the annual grade given to public schools, and a "parent trigger" that would allow parents to demand the conversion of their traditional public school into a charter school.Former Gov. Jeb Bush's nonprofit, education reform foundation is taking heat for using donations from for-profit companies to lobby for state education laws that could benefit those companies.
Among the activities of Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education that have come in for criticism: It pays for state officials and legislators to go to conferences where they meet with the company's donors, including officials of corporations who stand to gain from the policymakers' decisions.
In recent years, several Florida Department of Education officials and legislators have attended the conferences, and in some cases, their flights, hotel stays, meals and incidentals were paid for with money that came partly from the foundation's corporate donors.
At these events, the state officials attended meetings, panel discussions, meals and receptions also attended by those donors.
The donors include companies that sell testing services, high-tech learning products and charter school services to the state and to Florida school systems, or that would like to.
Normally, it's illegal for lobbyists or lobbying organizations to provide benefits such as free trips to Florida legislators or top executive branch officials.
But the Foundation for Excellence in Education escapes that prohibition because lobbyists on its staff are registered to another, closely related Bush foundation – even though the two share key staff members and even their Tallahassee address.
Among the corporate donors:
Pearson, a $9 billion-a-year media conglomerate which has a $250 million, four-year contract to administer the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. In the last few years, the company has been fined $14 million by the state for delayed test score results and criticized for its grading of writing tests.
Amplify, the education division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which sells classroom and curriculum software.
Charter Schools USA, a Fort Lauderdale-based for-profit company that manages charter schools under contract.
IQity, which sells online learning materials.
* * * * *
The two-day summits include speeches by national figures including Bush, plus panel discussions on topics pertinent to the foundation's reform philosophy.
Last year's summit, for example, at the JW Marriott hotel near the White House, included "strategy sessions" on such topics as "Reaching more students with vouchers and tax-credit scholarships" and banquets with speeches by Bush, Condoleeza Rice and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
The 2011 conference at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco – one of the city's most luxurious, with rooms starting at $350 per night –featured a speech by Murdoch.
It also included a fundraiser hosted by Bush for Tony Bennett, then running for re-election as Indiana education superintendent and a champion of the kind of conservative education reform advocated by the foundation – more charter schools, tax-paid tuition vouchers, more emphasis on testing, mandatory on-line courses and "virtual schools."
In an upset that surprised political analysts in the Republican state, Bennett lost his race in November but was appointed soon afterward by Gov. Rick Scott as Florida education commissioner.
In states including Florida, the foundation lobbies actively for its vision of public school reform. A peek into that activity was provided recently by In the Public Interest, an organization that calls itself a watchdog on privatization of government services.
After making public records requests in six states including Florida, the organization published hundreds of emails that show foundation officials lobbying state officials.
The emails also show sympathy and agreement between the foundation and Florida education officials, particularly Bennett and his predecessor, Gerard Robinson, who solicited the group's advice on legislation.
In Florida, the foundation has lobbied for such goals as counting FCAT results for more than half of the annual grade given to public schools, and a "parent trigger" that would allow parents to demand the conversion of their traditional public school into a charter school.- E-mails show Jeb Bush Foundation Lobbied for Businesses, Including One Tied to Bush | In the Public Interest
Lee Fang The Nation A public interest group has released the results of a multi-state Freedom of Information Act request concerning the lobbying efforts by the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), the nonprofit led by Jeb Bush. The e-mails confirm previous reporting showing that Bush’s policies are designed to benefit businesses seeking to privatize public education—particularly the companies that finance Bush's nonprofit. What's new in this release, however, is the revelation that Bush could be using his education reform crusade for personal gain. In one e-mail from last year, Bush's top aide at his foundation, Patricia Levesque, communicated with school officials to urge them to use a company called SendHub, a start-up that uses cloud computing and text messages. Bush, according to TechCrunch, has a modest "five-figure" investment in SendHub. Garrett Johnson, the founder of SendHub, previously worked for Bush and still serves on the board of Foundation for Florida's Future, another Bush-run education nonprofit.Lee Fang The Nation
A public interest group has released the results of a multi-state Freedom of Information Act request concerning the lobbying efforts by the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), the nonprofit led by Jeb Bush. The e-mails confirm previous reporting showing that Bush’s policies are designed to benefit businesses seeking to privatize public education—particularly the companies that finance Bush's nonprofit.
What's new in this release, however, is the revelation that Bush could be using his education reform crusade for personal gain.
In one e-mail from last year, Bush's top aide at his foundation, Patricia Levesque, communicated with school officials to urge them to use a company called SendHub, a start-up that uses cloud computing and text messages. Bush, according to TechCrunch, has a modest "five-figure" investment in SendHub. Garrett Johnson, the founder of SendHub, previously worked for Bush and still serves on the board of Foundation for Florida's Future, another Bush-run education nonprofit.- Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms | In the Public Interest
- Jeb Bush foundation criticized as benefiting corporate donors | In the Public Interest
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- Report Shows Link Between Jeb Bushs Education Reforms and Corporate Interests | In the Public Interest
Ashely Lopez Florida Center for Investigative Reporting A new data dump of emails from Jeb Bush’s education Foundation — a group aimed at passing school reforms in states nationwide — is heavily linked to the corporate interests that fund their efforts. In many cases, the corporate funders are benefiting greatly from the reforms Bush’s foundation is selling to states. The Washington Post reported this week: The e-mails are between the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) and a group Bush set up called Chiefs for Change, whose members are current and former state education commissioners who support Bush’s agenda of school reform, which includes school choice, online education, retention of third-graders who can’t read and school accountability systems based on standardized tests. That includes evaluating teachers based on student test scores and grading schools A-F based on test scores. John White of Louisiana is a current member, as is Tony Bennett, the new commissioner of Florida who got the job after Indiana voters rejected his Bush-style reforms last November and tossed him out of office.
Ashely Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
A new data dump of emails from Jeb Bush’s education Foundation — a group aimed at passing school reforms in states nationwide — is heavily linked to the corporate interests that fund their efforts. In many cases, the corporate funders are benefiting greatly from the reforms Bush’s foundation is selling to states.
The Washington Post reported this week:
The e-mails are between the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) and a group Bush set up called Chiefs for Change, whose members are current and former state education commissioners who support Bush’s agenda of school reform, which includes school choice, online education, retention of third-graders who can’t read and school accountability systems based on standardized tests. That includes evaluating teachers based on student test scores and grading schools A-F based on test scores. John White of Louisiana is a current member, as is Tony Bennett, the new commissioner of Florida who got the job after Indiana voters rejected his Bush-style reforms last November and tossed him out of office.- Watchdog Gnaws on Foundation with Jeb Bush Ties | In the Public Interest
Andrew Ujifusa Education Week Correspondence between former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's K-12 advocacy organization and state education leaders—obtained and publicized by a privatization-watchdog group—has renewed debate over the extent to which the private sector can benefit by gaining access to government officials, and markets, through nonprofit advocacy groups. The emails between Mr. Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education and officials in Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and other states show the group discussing model bills with state officials and promoting specific policy initiatives, such as online education and retaining 3rd graders not reading at grade level. The nonprofit group In the Public Interest, which is based in Washington and published the emails last month, is critical of many privatization initiatives. It says it doesn't have a problem with businesses seeking new markets, but contends the foundation is being used as cover for companies seeking public money without lobbying...
Andrew Ujifusa
Education Week
Correspondence between former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's K-12 advocacy organization and state education leaders—obtained and publicized by a privatization-watchdog group—has renewed debate over the extent to which the private sector can benefit by gaining access to government officials, and markets, through nonprofit advocacy groups.
The emails between Mr. Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education and officials in Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and other states show the group discussing model bills with state officials and promoting specific policy initiatives, such as online education and retaining 3rd graders not reading at grade level.
The nonprofit group In the Public Interest, which is based in Washington and published the emails last month, is critical of many privatization initiatives. It says it doesn't have a problem with businesses seeking new markets, but contends the foundation is being used as cover for companies seeking public money without lobbying...- We shouldnt march blindly to Jeb Bushs school agenda | In the Public Interest
Editorial Board The Olympian It’s understandable that state Senate Republicans are feeling their oats these days. After watching their bills get quashed in committee for the last eight years, the new Republican-controlled majority is pushing a flurry of bills on its pet issues with unleashed enthusiasm. There’s nothing wrong with that, except when the agenda appears to be set by national right-wing special interest groups that do not necessarily have the public’s best interest in mind. A case in point: Senate Republicans seem to have swallowed in one gulp most of former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s education reforms. At a recent Early Learning and K-12 Committee hearing, Republican senators proposed holding back third-graders who don’t meet reading standards and the grading of schools on an A to F scale based on test scores. Reports out of Florida indicate that education reforms enacted when Bush was governor showed short-term gains in some areas, but were not generally effective. For example, Bush left an expansive achievement gap for minority students that the Florida Board of Education says is too big to close over the next six-year period. Editorial Board The Olympian
It’s understandable that state Senate Republicans are feeling their oats these days. After watching their bills get quashed in committee for the last eight years, the new Republican-controlled majority is pushing a flurry of bills on its pet issues with unleashed enthusiasm.
There’s nothing wrong with that, except when the agenda appears to be set by national right-wing special interest groups that do not necessarily have the public’s best interest in mind.
A case in point: Senate Republicans seem to have swallowed in one gulp most of former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s education reforms. At a recent Early Learning and K-12 Committee hearing, Republican senators proposed holding back third-graders who don’t meet reading standards and the grading of schools on an A to F scale based on test scores.
Reports out of Florida indicate that education reforms enacted when Bush was governor showed short-term gains in some areas, but were not generally effective. For example, Bush left an expansive achievement gap for minority students that the Florida Board of Education says is too big to close over the next six-year period.- Jeb Bush leads GOP hopefuls to Vegas to woo Sheldon Adelson - latimes.com
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The nonprofit group In the Public Interest point to e-mails from Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education that shed light on how philanthropy interacts with public school systems.- How education could be a Jeb Bush liability - Landmark approval for Capella University - 'Never pay a penny on your loans' - Tracking veterans' success - POLITICO Morning Education - POLITICO.com
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has built his political career on a relentless drive to improve public schools – or, as he likes to put it, to help all children achieve their “God-given potential.” But in a startling turnabout, an education record that has looked to be an unvarnished plus for Bush may now be a liability. Long viewed...- Jeb Bush Crashes and Burns Already as His Name Gets Booed By Conservatives
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Jeb Bush is at Mackinac Island in Michigan this week talking about education. Michigan is in a heated battle over Common Core. State lawmakers are- Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms| Reuters
By Stephanie SimonNov 27 (Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush soaredto rock star status in the education world on the strength of achart.A simple graph, it tracked fourth-grade reading scores.High school graduation rates rose during Bush's tenure but remain substantially lower than in other large and diverse states, including California, New York and Ohio, according to new federal data. Students' average score on the ACT college entrance exam has not improved and remains well below states such as Missouri and Ohio, where a comparable percentage of students take the test.
Bush foundation donors include family philanthropies, such as those established by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Corporate donors include Connections Education, a division of global publishing giant Pearson ; Amplify, the education division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp ; and K12, a publicly traded company that runs online schools.
Many of these donors sit on a Digital Learning Council that helped draft the Bush foundation's policy agenda. Key planks call for states to require online course work in high school and to lift restrictions that hinder cyber-school growth, such as limits on class size.- Is A Healthy Correction Overdue in Gold And Silver? | Jeb Handwerger | Safehaven.com
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TALLAHASSEE — After failing to show up at the three-day education summit he convened in Clearwater this week, Gov. Rick Scott held a private meeting in Miami on Thursday night to discuss the future of Florida's schools.- Tea Party to Jeb Bush: Don’t Tread On Us - The Daily Beast
The former Florida governor’s ‘act of love’ immigration comments and support for Obama’s Common Core haven’t endeared him to the grass roots. But it’s his name they really can’t stand.- Jeb Bush: Follow through on Common Core standards | The Leaf Chronicle -- Clarksville, Tenn., and Fort Campbell | theleafchronicle.com
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday urged state officials to follow through on Common Core education standards despite what he called an 'avalanche' of criticism from those who oppose them.- E-Mails Show Jeb Bush Foundation Lobbied For Businesses, Including One Tied To Bush | The Nation
Newly released e-mails show former governor Jeb Bush's foundation quietly promoted his corporate partners, including a company he's invested in.- E-Mails Show Jeb Bush Foundation Lobbied For Businesses, Including One Tied To Bush | The Nation
Newly released e-mails show former governor Jeb Bush's foundation quietly promoted his corporate partners, including a company he's invested in.- We shouldn’t march blindly to Jeb Bush’s school agenda | Opinion | The Olympian
It’s understandable that state Senate Republicans are feeling their oats these days. After watching their bills get quashed in committee for the last eight years, the new Republican-controlled majority is pushing a flurry of bills on its pet issues with unleashed enthusiasm.Jeb Bush, Common core, Florida- Jeb Bushs Waterloo
PAUL A. MOORE FOR BUZZFLASHBe careful what you set your heart upon--for it will surely be yours.When he wrote the above line the great James Baldwin,...- Jeb Bush: How shopping for milk is like choosing a school - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said pretty much what you’d expect him to say about education reform at the GOP convention — schools are failing and teachers unions are bad — but you might not have thought he'd make a pitch for school choice by talking about all the options shoppers have for milk when they go to a supermarket.- Editorial bashes Jeb Bushs education reform efforts
- Jeb Bush& s Chiefs for Change& attack Weingarten for something she didn& t say
- Jeb Bush& s disdain for public education
- What does Jeb Bush call public schools? (Hint: not ‘public schools’)
Jeb Bush, as much as anybody, is the pioneer of corporate-influenced school reform. When he was governor of Florida from 1999-2007, he introduced many of the changes in education policy that have become common across the country — including high-stakes standardized testing — and since then he has been a leading voice in spreading his education gospel around the country. Standardized test-based accountability, vouchers and online charter schools — these are some of the pillars of his reform, which he started right after first taking office and keeps pushing today. Though he hasn’t been governor for seven years, state officials just selected the American Institute of Research, which has close ties to one of Bush’s education foundations, to design the testing system that will replace the very troubled Florida Comprehensive Assessment System (FCAT), which Bush had introduced. Bush, who is now considering whether to run for president in 2016, was proud of his reform efforts in 2003 when he gave his second inaugural speech, saying: We have done nothing less than revolutionize education in Florida . We have built a school system that is accountable to our students and parents. It has not been painless, and the protectors of the status quo have resisted every step of the way. In the end, we have prevailed…but it is our students who are achieving victory. Now, though, things don’t look so good to Bush. In recent years, he has taken to calling school systems something else. In May 2013, he said the following in a keynote speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference in northern Michigan: Our governance model includes over 13,000 government-run monopolies run by unions. That, apparently, is the new mantra. School districts are not school districts. They are government-run monopolies run by unions. Lawmakers and school officials, apparently, are lackeys for the unions.Jeb Bush, as much as anybody, is the pioneer of corporate-influenced school reform. When he was governor of Florida from 1999-2007, he introduced many of the changes in education policy that have become common across the country — including high-stakes standardized testing — and since then he has been a leading voice in spreading his education gospel around the country.
Standardized test-based accountability, vouchers and online charter schools — these are some of the pillars of his reform, which he started right after first taking office and keeps pushing today. Though he hasn’t been governor for seven years, state officials just selected the American Institute of Research, which has close ties to one of Bush’s education foundations, to design the testing system that will replace the very troubled Florida Comprehensive Assessment System (FCAT), which Bush had introduced.
Bush, who is now considering whether to run for president in 2016, was proud of his reform efforts in 2003 when he gave his second inaugural speech, saying:
We have done nothing less than revolutionize education in Florida . We have built a school system that is accountable to our students and parents. It has not been painless, and the protectors of the status quo have resisted every step of the way. In the end, we have prevailed…but it is our students who are achieving victory.
Now, though, things don’t look so good to Bush. In recent years, he has taken to calling school systems something else.
In May 2013, he said the following in a keynote speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference in northern Michigan:
Our governance model includes over 13,000 government-run monopolies run by unions.
That, apparently, is the new mantra. School districts are not school districts. They are government-run monopolies run by unions. Lawmakers and school officials, apparently, are lackeys for the unions.- delivering the keynote address at an education summit hosted by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
- Whoseflorida.com/jeb_bush_friends_and_family_plan.htm
- Jeb Bush Speaks for Education Reform | Indys News Center - 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis - Live. Local. First.
93 WIBC is Indy's News Center. Broadcasting at 93.1 FM in Indianapolis, Indiana and to the world at WIBC.com.- Jeb Bush’s name draws boos from crowd
A Free Press For A Free People Since 1997- National Summit 2013: Governor Jeb Bush Opening Remarks - YouTube
Full length video: Thursday morning keynote in Ballroom with Gov. Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush is chairman of the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. ...- Critics rap actions of Jeb Bushs education foundation | TBO.com
- Dont let Jeb Bush deceive parents on your network! - The Action Network
Many American moms and dads look to channels like Animal Planet, HGTV and The Family Channel for trustworthy, family-friendly programming. That’s why it’s disturbing to see organizations like Jeb ...Jeb Bush, common core- Another E-mail Trail: Jeb Bush’s Foundation and Ed Privatization - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly
The nonprofit group In the Public Interest point to e-mails from Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education that shed light on how philanthropy interacts with public school systems.anuary 30, 2013; Source: Washington Post
Foundation e-mail communications are proving very interesting for those trying to better understand how private philanthropy interacts with public school systems. The NPQ Newswire commented on the e-mail exchanges between representatives of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Newark Mayor Cory Booker during the planning stages of the Facebook billionaire’s $100 million donation to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now a group called In the Public Interest has done the same favor for the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), founded by former Florida governor and potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush.- Jeb Bush Foundation's Links to Policymakers, Companies Draws Fire | EdSurge News
CONNECTING DOTS FOR A FEE: Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) came under scrutiny last week after the nonprofit watchdog, In the Public Interest, released thousands of emails detailing conversations involving the organization, its corporate donors, and state education policy CONNECTING DOTS FOR A FEE: Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) came under scrutiny last week after the nonprofit watchdog, In the Public Interest, released thousands of emails detailing conversations involving the organization, its corporate donors, and state education policymakers.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, FEE does not have to disclose its donors; however, The Washington Post notes that FEE has received funding from the likes of K12, Pearson, Amplify, and College Board. FEE's stance on school reform, which includes a push for online education, school choice, and standardized testing is often in the interest of its benefactors.
