Local educators give Gov. Bush a 'B' in delivering 'State of Education' speech

Local educators said he did a good job delivering his first "State of Education" speech, but he missed getting an A because, they said, he needs to do more for Collier County.

Jeb Bush announced Florida schools' fourth- and eighth-graders made significant improvements in reading and math in the past year, exceeding the national average.

Not all education and elected officials watched the governor's speech, which was broadcast on television from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. But by the end of the day, many of them said they had at least heard about it.

The governor made his announcement at the same time U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige took part in announcing in Washington the release of new data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, which Paige said showed encouraging results.

NAEP, called the "nation's report card," is a national organization that conducts continuing assessments of what American students know and can do in various academic subject areas, particularly reading and mathematics.

Overall, local educators said, Bush's "State of Education" delivered in the Fantasia Ballroom at Disney's Contemporary Resort and Convention Center in Orlando and hosted by the statewide business group, Enterprise Florida, was good news for the state.

"It's encouraging, but we have more work to do," said Dick Bruce, vice chairman of the Collier County School Board. "We have a number of schools where students receive free and reduced price lunches -- in the lower-income areas -- and we've got to put more efforts into those schools."

Bush and Paige said improvements in reading and math among black, Spanish-speaking and low-income students were closing the gap.

Bruce and Collier Superintendent Ben Marlin said Collier, like many Florida school districts, have to overcome the challenge of improving reading and math skills among minority students, especially those who don't speak English.

"We're beginning to see some gains, but it's a long, slow process," Bruce said. "In places like Immokalee, which has a high rate of migrant families, we have more new students coming in than returning. It causes a large turnover, which makes it very, very difficult. But I have faith and confidence in our system. We can do the job if we just buckle down."

Bruce said it was encouraging to hear Bush address middle schools as well as minorities.

For his first "State of Education" address, Bush did a good job -- but not good enough, said Bruce.

"We'll give him a B," he said. "I want to see how he's going to help Collier County."

Marlin, who watched a portion of the speech on video later in the day, heard Bush tell about the NAEP report.

"It's exciting that we're doing so well," Marlin said. "We're making progress, but we've got a way to go. We need to find out what's working and do it across the board. We're looking for that consistency."

Marlin said the migrant student population was a tremendous problem for Collier's school system. Migrating students are counted against the district's achievement test results because they're not in the system long enough to be remediated.

"It's an ongoing battle and it's going to continue to hurt us," Marlin said. "It can be remedied, and we work on it every day. We're emphasizing working with parents. We have their kids six hours a day, and they have them the other 18. Parents have got to do their part."

Schools need more adults in the classrooms to help students, Marlin said, especially to help lagging students sharpen their reading skills.

"You don't have to be a reading teacher to do it," he said. "Just helping a student read will help. We can always use more volunteer help, any way we can get it."

Larry Byrnes, dean of the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University, said the key to having successful students in later grades was to target them in the fourth grade to make sure they developed good reading skills.

"Indeed, by the third grade, children must be able to adjust to the change from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn,'" Byrnes said. "Those who have not 'learned to read' are much more likely to lag behind their peers and drop out of school in later years."

Byrnes said Bush's speech was "very good news" for Florida in fourth-grade results in reading and math.

Lee County schools aired Bush's address on the district cable television station, but most administrators and teachers were unable to watch the speech. The governor's message praising elementary achievement, however, is old news to Lee educators who have charted the district's success over the past five years.

In 1999, just six elementary schools earned A's on the state report card, while 17 landed the top grade in 2003. Scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, especially in reading, have risen steadily during that period as well.

"If you put a plan in action and consistently teach what you're supposed to teach, you'll ultimately see the results," said Pinewoods Elementary Principal Elizabeth Kasko, who added that Lee County's rigorous academic standards also contribute to the district's success. "The goals have become more specific and we've clarified the goals that everyone has."

While Bush said Florida's NAEP results were proof that his "A-Plus" state initiative for education reform was working, Byrnes emphasized the need for the state to make a commitment to provide resources for early literacy and learning initiatives -- like the model program FGCU and its Collier partners hope to launch in 2004.

Called ELLM, for Early Literacy and Learning Model, it targets preschool children, Byrnes said, and will positively make an impact on reading and math test results. And eventually, he said, it will help Florida improve its NAEP rankings even more.

The only lawmaker from Collier County who heard Bush's speech in person was state Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, who sits on the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors, which met immediately following the governor's address.

Saunders said Bush was justifiably upbeat as he rattled off a litany of state and national indicators showing that Florida students, especially those in the primary grades, are gaining ground on their counterparts across the country.

"He's got good evidence that the programs he has in place are working," Saunders said. "Graduation rates are up and when you look at the national picture, Florida is making gains in reading and math."

And Saunders said he expects the governor to continue to press for reform and accountability in the lower grades, where he hopes to bring children up to speed by fourth grade.

"Clearly the governor's emphasis is on K-12," Saunders said.

State Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, speaking at Edison Community College in Fort Myers at the end of his statewide school bus campaign, didn't hear the governor's speech.

But Pruitt heard about the governor's praising Florida's NAEP results after the Edison luncheon.

"If that's true, it would just give me more ammunition for my school bus tour," said Pruitt, whose school bus tour has been pumping grass-roots support for Lottery-based Bright Futures Scholarships and the Florida-Prepaid Tuition program.

Pruitt led a Bright Futures/Prepaid Tuition rally afterward with students at FGCU.

"The Tallahassee mentality that raising tuition will lower costs in higher education is one we have to get rid of," he said, referring to some lawmakers' moves to make changes in both programs. "It's preposterous. It makes no sense."

Tallahassee correspondent Michael Peltier and staff writer Dave Breitenstein contributed to this report.