Proper education in the United States has taken a big leap from what it once was. This is thanks to the good work of the government and its workers. In 2020 a whopping 37% of the population who were 25 and above were graduates of colleges or a higher education institute — a huge climb from the 7% rate we had in the 1960s.
Florida is currently ranked 16th in pre-k (pre-kindergarten) and 1st in college education rates. Considering the size of the state and the statistics of it, Florida is sitting pretty at the top of the education chain.
Progress like this is what it is all about. For about 5 years now the state of Florida has been one of the leading education states in the US. Considering the high population of Florida, a lower rank in education numbers would have been easily excusable. But, Florida’s better than that.
The question is how has Florida been able to remain at this top spot for so long despite the challenges in the educational sector.
Stellar Leadership
One major distinguishing factor of the state of Florida is its leadership. The governor of the state, Governor Ron Desantis has proven more than once that he is indeed passionate about education.
In his speech at the end of the year in 2019 he mentioned that a major goal of his is to ensure that there is no better state in the world to receive quality education than Florida.
Floridians have bought into the vision of the leadership and are more interested in education than before.
The best part is that Floridians are starting to think beyond the borders of the United States of America. In Florida, people are starting to see the benefits in attaining the status of an international citizen. For example, 10% of Floridians have German ancestry and are looking to reconnect with that side of their lives by doing something as simple as learning German prepositions every day.
With such vision, progress is inevitable. Governor Desantis has also succeeded in surrounding himself with top professionals that provide priceless insight.
Innovative thinking
Florida is one of the first states to completely eliminate common core and then replace it with the Florida B.E.S.T (Benchmark for Excellent Student Thinking). The B.E.S.T is a new system with new standards of testing the ability of students.
Also, by creating fundraising schemes, they have been able to help out lower-income families pay tuition with greater ease.
Happy educators, better students
With ‘The year of the teacher’ scheme. Florida was able to increase the amount of money earned by teachers and veterans.
In addition, the state of Florida created a massive program to ensure that teachers were provided with new teaching certifications. The process was even made easier and faster for the teachers. Even better, the state covered the $850k cost of liability insurance for teachers so they could focus on what matters. Bravo!!!
Prioritizing Humanity and Mental Health
By placing a bigger focus on diversity and employing more counselors in schools, the state of Florida has created a safe space for every student from every walk of life. For example, Latinos in Florida are bridging the education gap at an impressive rate.
In fact, it increased the mental health allocation by 25%. In addition, the state is providing essentials like internet access to families and individuals who can’t afford it.
From substance abuse correction to providing for foster children, the state of Florida is raising the bar for what good education should be about.
Planning for the Future
The state of Florida is not only concerned about the education of the students, they are so very active in getting them set up for the future. Through numerous avenues, they have made available a way for students to make money while in school and have made it easier to get jobs. With initiatives like the Florida pathway institute, there is a boost in the economic and financial stability of graduates.
Conclusion
Through the years Florida has developed a consistent appearance in the best education states in the United States of America, second only to New Jersey and Massachusetts. Technically speaking, Florida has an even larger number of college graduates than New Jersey and Massachusetts put together.
Having such a large state pioneering education is a bright pointer to a brighter future. It literally means that the world would get a lot more professionals and a lot more contributing members of society. Elections would carry a lot more weight because electorates are more informed.
The only way to go now is up for Florida. They show no signs of slowing down in their quest to become the number 1 education state in the world and not just America.
