Travis Pillow, Author at NextSteps: Step Up For Students

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Travis Pillow

My background story

What I did before joining Step Up For Students

What do I do on my day off?

How to reach out?

11/04/24 | Travis Pillow

Analysis: Florida schools boast better reading results, especially for low-income students, for less money

Florida’s public schools score among the best in the nation in nine-year-olds’ reading achievement. For low-income students, their results are the best in the nation, period. And they also deliver...

10/08/24 | Travis Pillow

Florida school district offers virtual classes to scholarship students – with more to follow

This school year, 2024-2025, for the first time, Brevard County students using Florida’s education choice scholarship programs will have a new option: the ability to sign up for online courses...

07/17/24 | Travis Pillow

Nearly half a million students awarded Florida education choice scholarships

Nearly half a million Florida students have been awarded scholarships that will allow them to direct public education funding to providers of their choice next school year. Step Up For...

06/24/24 | Travis Pillow

In education, this is where the energy is

For the first time last week, I flew home from an education conference with a feeling that recalled Hunter S. Thompson’s wistful remembrance of San Francisco in the mid-’60s. You...

06/12/24 | Travis Pillow

Florida ranks No. 5 nationally for children’s education

Of the 50 states, Florida held the No. 5 spot for education in a national report on child wellbeing released this month. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count report...

06/12/24 | Travis Pillow

Florida No. 1 in parent-directed public education funding

Florida is now the No. 1 state in the nation for parent-directed public education funding, according to data compiled by EdChoice. During the 2023-24 school year, the Sunshine State carried...

06/07/24 | Travis Pillow

Go GATOR: Louisiana poised to become 19th state with parent-directed public education funding

A bill to make Louisiana the 19th state allowing parents to direct public education funding to learning options of their choice awaits a signature by a supportive governor. Right now,...

05/15/24 | Travis Pillow

Charter schools and private options can thrive in tandem

The nation’s first charter school law passed in 1991, the year after an improbably left-right coalition enacted the nation’s first modern school voucher program. Ever since, charters have been the...

03/27/24 | Travis Pillow

Florida rolls out welcome mat for Success Academy

The renowned New York charter school operator Success Academy moved a step closer to opening new schools in Florida, as the state Board of Education approved it as the state’s...

03/26/24 | Travis Pillow

Success Academy eyes Florida expansion as Schools of Hope operator

Florida’s decade-long efforts to recruit more high-quality charter school operators to the state could be on the verge of a major breakthrough. Tomorrow, the state Board of Education is set...

03/22/24 | Travis Pillow

Wyoming now the 17th state giving families the power to direct public education funding

With Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature, Wyoming is now the 17th state to place public education funding in the hands of parents. As he signed HB 166 into law, Gordon struck...

03/20/24 | Travis Pillow

Can this bill help online students take their tests?

For years, Florida’s online schools have grappled with a logistical challenge: Getting their students to the campuses of brick-and-mortar schools, operated by school districts, to take their standardized tests. Kevin...

03/12/24 | Travis Pillow

What teachers unions can learn from NBA players

Over the past two decades, taxpayers across the country have increased their investment in public education. One surprising group hasn’t seen much benefit from this spending growth: Public-school teachers. A...

03/12/24 | Travis Pillow

Wyoming lawmakers vote to give public education funding to families

Wyoming could soon become the 17th state* placing public education funding in the hands of parents. The Wyoming Legislature passed HB 116, which now awaits Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature. The...

03/11/24 | Travis Pillow

What parents want, and how to make sure they can get it

A new report by EdChoice uses parent surveys to identify what parents want from their schools. The whole thing is worth reading, but I wanted to highlight two key points...

03/09/24 | Travis Pillow

Alabama joins the ranks of states giving public education funding directly to famlies

With the stroke of Gov. Kay Ivey’s pen, Alabama is now the 16th state to put public education funding in the hands of families. The Yellowhammer State joins 14 states...

03/08/24 | Travis Pillow

The good news about Florida’s charter school growth

Florida’s charter schools grew by more than 15,000 students this school year. And new research suggests their steady growth might help students in district schools. In recent years, charter schools...

02/27/24 | Travis Pillow

Florida parents and educators may be building the education value networks of the future

Despite calls for reform and waves of attempted transformation, key features of American schools have been remarkably stable for more than a century. Students spend six or so hours...

02/14/24 | Travis Pillow

Don’t double down on one-size-fits-all measurement

A surefire way to get heads nodding at an education policy conference is to call for dismantling the Carnegie unit. The question, and a legitimate fear, is whether efforts to...

01/09/24 | Travis Pillow

Gov. DeSantis, Florida legislative leaders highlight historic education choice expansion

Florida lawmakers are convening in Tallahassee for their 60-day regular legislative session. In his annual State of the State address, Gov. Ron DeSantis hailed last year’s HB 1 as the...