Breaking News: Florida's Student Success Act Becomes Law

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Today marks a historical moment for Florida students!

This morning Governor Rick Scott signed the Student Success Act, which will greatly improve the quality of education for kids in Florida.

From Governor Scott: “I am proud that the first bill I sign [as governor] is this important legislation that will give Florida the best educated workforce to compete in the 21st century economy.  We must recruit and retain the best people to make sure every classroom in Florida has a highly effective teacher.”

Last week, we blogged about the passage of the bill by the legislature which has made today's triumph a reality.  Read the post “StudentsFirst applauds Florida’s passage of breakthrough education reform legislation” for a detailed description of the policies that were enacted into law today.

StudentsFirst is proud to have served as education advisors to Florida and is excited to watch the impact on Florida students’ achievement that's sure to follow in the coming years.
StudentsFirst Founder and CEO Michelle Rhee said, "This landmark legislation recognizes that teachers are the most important factor in schools when determining a child’s success.  We applaud Florida for its adoption of bold and comprehensive education measures that put students first. "

As for Saving Great Teachers... upon the implementation of the Student Success Act, Florida will ensure that the most effective teachers remain in the classroom and are no longer vulnerable to antiquated "last in, first out" (LIFO) policies.  As of today, the state is no longer considered "at risk" on our Save Great Teachers Action Map, moving from orange to green, indicating that effective teachers will be at "low risk" of being fired when layoffs are necessary.  Teacher performance is now a major factor in state layoff decisions.