FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: June 15, 2005

Contact: Catherine Walker, 303.299.3609

e-Mail: cwalker@ecs.org

FAX: 303.296.8332

ECS Web Site: www.ecs.org

Florida and Utah receive State Innovation Award

DENVER – The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has named Florida and Utah as joint winners of this year’s Frank Newman Award for State Innovation, which recognizes excellence in education policy and policymaking. The award will be presented here next month to Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Utah Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert during The 2005 National Forum on Education Policy.

In announcing the awards, ECS President Piedad F. Robertson cited the “courage, confidence and creativity” with which the two states have addressed issues ranging from expanding access to postsecondary education and training, to increasing the size and quality of the teacher workforce, to better preparing young children to succeed in school.

“Over the past several years, Florida and Utah have demonstrated a strong, sustained commitment to education reform and improvement, and made impressive progress on several fronts,” Robertson said.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Florida has reorganized the structure and governance of its education system, with three "chancellors" (K-12, community college and higher education) working under a single commissioner. The postsecondary sector has been enlisted in worthy teacher preparation initiatives, dual enrollment for high school students and one of the country's best-engineered transfer arrangements between two- and four-year institutions. At the other end, Florida has embarked on an ambitious universal (but voluntary) pre-kindergarten program to better prepare young children to succeed in school.

Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program is the nation's largest publicly funded voucher program for disabled students, and is now beginning to be emulated by other states. The state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program allows students attending failing schools to choose a higher-performing public school or attend a participating private school. The state has several hundred charter schools (serving 80,000 children), and has created an array of online options, including the much-praised Florida Virtual School.

“Florida’s students have made tremendous learning gains in the past seven years. It is because of their hard work and the leadership of countless teachers, administrators and parents that Florida has made the gains it has,” Governor Bush said. “Our system of high standards and accountability has enabled students to dream the biggest possible dreams and to achieve those dreams. I am proud to accept this honor on behalf of all Florida students and teachers.”

Utah has managed to maintain one of the most affordable higher education systems in the nation by keeping tuition relatively low. It is also a top performer among states in terms of preparing students for higher education and the percentage of students completing certificates and degrees. The state has undertaken initiatives aimed at improving the quality and performance of its education system at all levels, including the Utah College of Applied Technology that provides job training tailored specifically for business and industry workforce needs, and the New Century Scholarship Program for students who complete the requirements of an associate’s degree or its equivalent at a state institution of higher education.

Utah also has worked hard to expand and diversify educational options and opportunities. A leader in distance education, the state has established a two-way, fully interactive video network – EdNET – thatconnects schools throughout the state and beyond using various technologies, and is developing an online testing program.

The 2005 National Forum, which will be held July 12-15, features six plenary sessions and more than 20 concurrent sessions on a variety of critical education topics. To see the agenda in full detail or register for the meeting, visit the ECS Newsroom at http://www.ecs.org/ or contact Catherine Walker at 303.299.3609 or cwalker@ecs.org.

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The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a national, nonprofit organization that helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A nonpartisan organization, ECS was formed in 1965 and is located in Denver, Colorado.

Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy