Today's decision by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to veto valuable teacher reform legislation is the most disappointing education policy decision by a major Republican officeholder in recent memory.
Much will said and written about the politics of this in the days to come, but for me the most striking aspect of today's announcement is that it represents a missed opportunity of the highest order.
Driving meaningful change in K-12 schooling is so challenging because of the powerful combined forces of complacency, inertia, and adult-oriented interest groups. When the stars align, as they did in Florida, you must capitalize because many moons will pass before your next chance.
Thanks to Florida's impressive recent track record of K-12 improvement; the state's GOP-controlled legislature; the Obama administration's leadership on education reform; a building national consensus in favor of changing educator evaluations, tenure, and compensation; and Florida's narrow loss in the first round of Race to the Top because of missed points in the teachers section, the Sunshine State was perfectly positioned to revolutionize its approach to the teaching profession.
Because of Gov. Crist, that opportunity was squandered.
?Andy Smarick