GOVERNOR CRIST APPLAUDS TEACHERS DURING SCHOOL VISIT CELEBRATING TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Highlights academic accomplishments of students inspired by Florida teachers
May 6, 2010
Contact: GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE (850) 488-5394
PALM BEACH – In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, Governor Charlie Crist today applauded the commitment of Florida teachers to educating the state’s future leaders. During a visit to Palm Beach Public Elementary School, the Governor emphasized his gratitude to all teachers for their role in the academic achievements of Florida students.
“Florida’s teachers are entrusted with developing the talent and knowledge of our children,” said Governor Crist. “I am grateful for their commitment and proud of the success they inspire, which is clearly evident in the accomplishments made each day by our students.”
Governor Crist has made educating Florida’s children a top priority for his administration. Earlier this week, the Governor signed a proclamation observing May 3-7, 2010, as Teacher Appreciation Week. Governor Crist also recently vetoed legislation, related to education personal, which did not appropriately accommodate special education students and their teachers. Following an outpouring of opposition by teachers, parents, students, superintendents, school boards and legislators, the Governor vetoed Senate Bill 6 because the legislation encroached on local decision-making, put teachers in jeopardy of losing their jobs, and passed without sufficient input from teachers, parents, and students.
Florida continues a decade of educational progress with an eighth-place national ranking by the 2010 Quality Counts: Fresh Course, Swift Current report. Florida’s ranking is due to improved student performance in elementary, middle and high schools; incentives for top-performing teachers and Florida’s ability to attract and retain a strong teacher workforce; high academic standards and rigorous testing programs; and the percentage of state funds spent on public schools and equitable distribution of those funds to school districts.
The Quality Counts report issued annually by Education Week tracks state education policies and performance and assigns each state an overall point total to signify their education standing in the nation. This year’s ranking improves the Sunshine State’s ranking of 10th last year and 14th in 2008, up from 31st in 2007.
In addition, Florida’s eighth-graders made significant increases in their overall reading scores this year, tripling the increase seen by the nation since 2007, according to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading results. The state’s fourth-graders also continue to outpace their national counterparts in reading by a large margin.
Overall, the number of high-performing Florida schools (receiving an “A” or “B” grade from the state) reached an all-time high at 2,317 in 2009, up from 2,127 in 2008. Meanwhile, Florida’s graduation rate rose more than three percentage points compared to 2008, the highest increase in the last five years.
On Monday, Governor Crist announced that the Florida Department of Education sent Florida’s Race to the Top Phase 2 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to school districts. Florida is competing with other states for up to $700 million in federal dollars. Through the federal Race to the Top competition, the U.S. Department of Education has challenged all 50 states to propose bold education reforms focused on helping struggling schools, elevating the effectiveness of teaching professionals and education leaders, building internationally recognized education standards and assessments, and improving state education data systems.
Earlier this year, Florida earned a fourth-place ranking among 41 states competing in Phase 1. To improve the Phase 2 MOU, Governor Crist appointed a working group that included a wide variety of education stakeholders, including superintendents, school board members, teachers and teacher associations, parents and the business community. School districts have until May 25, 2010, to submit signed MOUs to the Florida Department of Education.
For more information on Florida’s Race to the Top Working Group, please visit www.FLGov.com/racetothetop. For more information about the Race to the Top competition, visit www.fldoe.org/ARRA/RacetotheTop.asp.
