This bipartisan group hopes more state chiefs will sign on to its core agenda, which includes:
• Giving more school choice to parents and having funding follow the child.
• Requiring schools to measure academic growth of students annually and show continuous improvement.
• Rewarding high-performing teachers, schools, and districts.
• Removing teachers and principals who aren’t effective according to measures of students’ academic growth.
The founding members of the new reform coalition are:
1. Tony Bennett, Indiana superintendent of public instruction
2. Deborah Gist, Rhode Island commissioner of elementary and secondary education
3. Paul Pastorek, Louisiana state superintendent of education
4. Gerard Robinson, Virginia secretary of education
5. Eric Smith, Florida commissioner of education
