Florida's frenzy to privitized education

From the Orlando Sentinel

The Nation magazine published a story on the push for private, virtual schooling as an option to traditional public schools. And it focused on Florida — viewed as a leader in online education — as the laboratory for this movement.

The story claims that conservative leaders — among them those from Jeb Bush’s foundation — suggested a plan to spread the teachers union thin by filing lots of bills they’d oppose and keeping them busy on many fronts, allowing the passage of a charter school bill they favored.

It also details apparent conflicts between groups who claim to be pushing virtual schooling for reform reasons — and those who stand to make a profit when Florida pushes digital education.

And it is pushing it, with a law passed last spring that requires high schoolers to take an online course to graduate, expands the Florida Virtual School’s offerings and allows private virtual schooling companies to expand here under partnerships with public charter schools.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2011/11/there-is-a-frenzy-to-privatize-americas-k-12-education-system-with-fl-at-the-forefront-new-report-claims.html