As Jeb Bush edges closer to a presidential run, no issue may better define him than his efforts to improve education in Florida and the nation.
To detractors, including the teachers’ unions, Bush undermined public education by promoting issues using vouchers to send students to private schools, expanding charter schools and emphasizing rigid testing and grading.
To supporters, he led an innovative reform effort that yielded a dramatic rise in student learning, including lifting the literacy rate of Florida’s fourth-graders to near the top in the nation. He was praised for his bold ideas, and for giving parents and students more “choice” in their educational opportunities.
