Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorMay 3, 2016

Now that the federal government has decided to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, the state of Florida needs to find a good way to honor one of our own: Mary McLeod Bethune, the legendary educator who founded a school for African-American girls that grew into what is today Bethune-Cookman University. As some have […]

Guest AuthorMay 2, 2016

Now that the federal government has decided to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, the state of Florida needs to find a good way to honor one of our own: Mary McLeod Bethune, the legendary educator who founded a school for African-American girls that grew into what is today Bethune-Cookman University. As some have […]

Guest AuthorApril 12, 2016

Last fall, for the first time in 25 years, my wife and I didn’t buy any school supplies, monitor any homework assignments, or attend any “Back-to-School Nights.” With our youngest child now away at college, we are, at long last, empty nesters (if you don’t count our “boomerang child” who just returned home temporarily). Our […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 19, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott has long positioned Florida as a formidable foe to Texas when it comes to job creation. For years, he has pushed his “jobs, jobs, jobs” agenda by holding up the Lone Star State as a model for Florida to emulate. But a new measure making its way through the Legislature should help […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 9, 2016

What would you think if your neighbors decided one Christmas that instead of getting their daughter a much-wanted hula hoop and their son a long-prized model airplane (that loops the loop), fairness demands that they give their children carbon copies of the same toy? If you’re like me, you’d probably think, “Surely, it must be […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 8, 2016

What would you think if your neighbors decided one Christmas that instead of getting their daughter a much-wanted hula hoop and their son a long-prized model airplane (that loops the loop), fairness demands that they give their children carbon copies of the same toy? If you’re like me, you’d probably think, “Surely, it must be […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 28, 2016

America is busy celebrating National School Choice Week — with more than 16,000 events taking place all over the country. But here in Tallahassee, it feels more like Florida School Choice Month, because two landmark January events are apt to have a profound influence on the educational options of Florida students for years to come. […]

Guest AuthorApril 20, 2015

Six years ago, when Katie Swingle’s son was only 18 months old, a doctor reported that her boy’s autism would probably prevent him from ever being able to speak. Today, Katie’s son is not only communicating orally, but he’s also writing – in cursive! And Katie says the Florida Legislature is partly to thank. That’s […]

Guest AuthorMarch 26, 2015

While attending a college information program with my high school son recently, I heard an admissions officer say something that every Florida legislator ought to hear. “The three most important letters in the college selection process aren’t S-A-T or A-C-T,” the admissions officer observed. “The three most important letters are F-I-T.” The admission officer’s point […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 18, 2015

A recent commentary published in Context Florida written by William Mattox, a fellow with the right-wing think tank James Madison Institute, provides a glimpse of the strategy pro-voucher forces use to build support for their program. It begins with an anecdote of a student who says he was ill served in “government schools” – a […]

Tag: William Mattox

William Mattox: Let’s honor Mary McLeod Bethune with a K-12 scholarship program

William Mattox: Let’s honor Mary McLeod Bethune with a K-12 scholarship program

William Mattox: Double standards abound in public education

William Mattox: Legislators should let high-school athletes attend school of their choice

William Mattox: Debate over mandatory recess exposes folly of education “uniformity”

William Mattox: Debate about mandatory recess exposes folly of ‘uniformity’ in education

William Mattox: Celebrating Florida School Choice Month

William Mattox: Expand innovative program for special-needs students

William Mattox: Legislature should empower parents to enroll child in school that best fits

Joanne McCall: Pro-voucher strategy evades accountability