Jeb Bush on Tony Bennett: "Tony will be sorely missed in Florida at a time when we need his leadership the most,'' writes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Miami Herald.

School grades: The fall of Tony Bennett might bring a new level of scrutiny to grading systems across the country. Education Week. There must be total transparency in any school accountability process, writes Nina Rees, executive director of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, in U.S. News & World Report.

More fallout: Dale Chu, chief of staff to Tony Bennett, resigns. Associated Press.

PARCC: Top Florida lawmakers will continue their push to abandon the PARCC testing consortium. Tampa Bay Times.

Teen work: Lauderdale Middle School students have received more than $500,000 in grants to spruce up an overpass behind their school. Sun Sentinel.

Charter schools: Even as 11 new charters open this fall in Palm Beach County, the district has another 31 applications in the pipeline. Palm Beach Post.

Magnet schools: The Pinellas County school district looks to bolster career and technical education and help low-performing schools by offering new magnet programs at middle schools. The Tampa Tribune. (more…)

Allen

Even with more than 40 states authorizing charter schools now, the process is still an experiment of sorts – and one that some advocates say has a dramatic impact on a school’s success.

Look what happens when a charter school seems to fail, said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform.

Critics sound the alarm and lawmakers rush in to “meddle’’ with charter school design and accountability, Allen said this week during a panel discussion at the Excellence In Action National Summit in Washington, D.C. Pretty soon, the school that’s supposed to operate without being bogged down in red tape like a traditional school ends up looking a lot like that school, Allen said.

Charter schools need more time to be innovative, she said.

They also need better accountability measurements and more funding if they are going to be successful, panel members said.

Their comments came a day before the National Association of Charter School Authorizers announced a campaign to set tougher standards for charter schools.

According to the association, about 900 to 1,300 charter schools nationwide are among the lowest 15 percent of academic performers in their states, judging by standardized test scores in reading and math. (more…)