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?
07/17/24 | Travis Pillow
More than 450,000 students, and counting, 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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,...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 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...
READ MORE 01/07/24 | Travis Pillow
Get Smart Fast, vol. 24: The power of positive language
Progress or pessimism: Self-fulfilling prophecies? An analysis of publications in England leading up to the Industrial Revolution and a follow-up analysis looking at Spain yeild a striking insight: A surge...
READ MORE 01/05/24 | Travis Pillow
Keeping parents in the dark about student achievement comes with a cost
International test results released last month put a spotlight on the global decline in student achievement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and school closures. But the results from the Program...
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