[As commissioner, Yecke was a big supporter of the No Child Left Behind law, which requires schools to test students every year and slaps penalties on schools where students don't meet test score goals.] Right now, I don't see any resistance [to No Child Left Behind], ... I see acceptance. Implementation is taking place. Perhaps [educators] had once seen it as threatening, but once everything was in place, they found they could rise to the challenge. |
and no state income tax. |
But I'd seen what children could do in Virginia, ... and I had full confidence that Minnesota educators could add rigor here, too. |
God created heavens and the earth ... but my personal belief has no bearing on what should be taught in the schools. |
How do we keep effective teachers in the classroom and encourage effective teachers to come into the classroom? |
I did it in Virginia and Minnesota. I don't think that will be an issue. I think certainly everyone in the nation has been keeping tabs on what Florida is doing over time, and in many cases trying to emulate that. |
I really think this is groundbreaking. We're trying to change the culture of high school. |
I was asked by Governor Bush. What an honor to be asked to serve under Jeb Bush. Everything Florida is doing is right. You've got strong accountability, and you're closing the achievement gap. |
Sad to say, with few exceptions, the circling vultures are left-leaning women. |
The challenge that we face is maintaining the quality of Florida's teaching force while increasing the quantity. This is a huge challenge. |
The school board is going to have to make a decision about how to turn these failing schools around. |
There is no other education model today that can take kids and bring them a minimum of six academic years in four years of education. |
This would change high school as we know it. It lets students have more choice. It lets them play to their strengths. |
We had a limited amount of time to make a big difference, ... That's why we hit the ground running. |
We were disappointed to see the numbers so low. There has to be a good-faith effort [by school districts] to implement the program. |