Quality Public Education for All

We are petitioning the State Of Florida and Governor Jeb Bush to make educating Florida children a top priority by addressing the following issues:
1.) Provide adequate funding and
2.) Provide Professional Learning Community models to support the initiatives created as a result of NCLB legislation.
Specifically:

Provide funding to support the requirement that all teachers of reading are either certified or endorsed in reading. If the teacher chooses certification, 100\% tuition reimbursement should be available once program completion through an accredited program has occurred. If the endorsement process occurs through the school district, funds should be created to support teacher participation after the regular contract hours.

Look at what works, such as Small Learning Communitities, and develop public schools and policies that support that success. The policy makers for public education need to acknowledge an understanding of the impact of poverty and racism that work against our students today. Too many of our schools are failing because their organizational design is dysfunctional, especially for the neediest children. Smaller and more diverse campuses, centered on student learning, with professional learning communities supported from the top down would a solid beginning. Create funding to support this.

Use the successful models developed through DOE to improve teacher quality, and provide opportunities for professional development to echo these models. Continue to offer choice for students at low-performing schools, but look at ways to encourage success in these buildings, such as comprehensive school reform models, instead of narrow standards that change each year according to the population and/or the content area.