Thursday, Jan. 06, 2011

Jeb Bush: The Adviser

Since Jeb Bush left the Florida governor's office in 2007, his impact on education has been rippling through the Sunshine State and across the country. He compiled an impressive education record in Tallahassee, supporting more school choice (via vouchers, charter schools and online schools) as well as more accountability for schools — and managed to get re-elected anyway. That helps explain why Republican officeholders want to be affiliated with his brand of reform (many Democrats do too, just in less visible ways), and Bush is happy to oblige. At a recent meeting in Washington, Bush was the main attraction for hundreds of education reformers from across the U.S., and his Foundation for Excellence in Education will continue to advise governors and policymakers on how to push through Florida-style education reform.