Released: 11/30/2011
Author(s): Matthew Ladner
Jeb Bush campaigned for governor of Florida on a clear and bracing set of education reforms in 1998. Having won office, he immediately pursued a dual-track strategy for reforming Florida’s K-12 education system: standards and accountability for public schools and choice for parents. Florida lawmakers adopted those reforms and followed with additional measures including instructional-based reforms, curtailed social promotion, introduced performance pay for teachers, and expanded school choice for families.
Ten years after Gov. Bush’s election and subsequent work to improve K-12 education, this study lays out the cumulative impact of his reforms using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
The NAEP is the nation’s long-standing, reliable and respected source for student achievement data in reading and mathematics for K-12. Florida’s students, in particular its economically disadvantaged and minority students, have made strong gains on NAEP. Minnesota’s students, have not.
Looking at NAEP Reading, 53 percent of Florida’s fourth-grade students scored “below basic” in 1998, meaning they were unable to master “fundamental skills.” By 2009, however, 73 percent of Florida’s fourth graders scored “basic” or above—a remarkable improvement. What’s more, after a decade of strong improvement, Florida’s Hispanic students now have the second-highest reading scores in the nation when compared to their peers; black students rank fourth-highest when compared to their peers in other states.
Comparing students by subgroups reveals that Florida’s black, Hispanic, low-income and disabled children all outscore their Minnesota peers in fourth-grade reading. The average Florida Hispanic student tied the average score for all Minnesota students on NAEP Reading in fourth-grade reading test. But Minnesota is not alone: Florida’s Hispanic students tied or outscored the statewide averages for all students in 31 states.
The pages that follow lay out Florida’s reforms, and suggest how Minnesota policymakers could emulate the Sunshine State’s success. Florida’s work wasn’t easy, but the academic success students have achieved should make it easier for other states to follow, including Minnesota. Lawmakers in states as diverse as Arizona, Indiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah have already begun to emulate Florida policies in pursuit of improved student achievement.
Programs
Began Operation in 1955 (Deductions) and 1997 (Credit)
Minnesota provides a tax credit and a tax deduction covering educational expenses for students in any private or public school, including homeschooling. The tax deduction lowers a family’s taxable income; the tax credit reduces the family’s total tax liability. Both cover books, tutors, academic after-school programs, and other non-tuition educational expenses. The deduction also includes tuition payments at private schools, although the credit does not. The credit and the deduction make it easier for families to choose a private school for their children.
