Five Questions for Gov. Jeb Bush

As the former governor of Florida and a prominent member of one of America's most powerful political families, Jeb Bush could have done pretty much anything he wanted to when he left office.

Some figured he'd run for the U.S. Senate. Others thought he'd logically want to sit behind the desk in the office that his father and brother once occupied. The Associated Press even reported the the National Football League had offered him a job as commissioner.

But what did Bush do? Building on an interest in education reform sparked during his time in the Sunshine State governor's office, Bush started the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Then, three years later, he got together with fellow former Gov. Bob Wise of West Virginia to found the Digital Learning Council, which works to identify policies that will integrate current and future technological innovations into public education and develop a road map for reform to be used by local, state and federal lawmakers and policymakers.

Last week, the council released the first part of that road map in the form of "Digital Learning Now," which spells out 10 principles for the digital revolution, starting with the premise that "all students are digital learners."

Today, Bush sat down to answer questions from NoDropouts.org as part of our "Five Questions" series of interviews with individuals on the front lines of the fight to improve graduation rates.

What was the impetus for the creation of the Digital Learning Council? What do you hope to accomplish?

Until now, customizing education for each and every student was just a dream. Today, technology can make that dream a reality. The Digital Learning Council brought together leaders in education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and think tanks to create the road map for lawmakers and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels to unleash the power of technology to customize education.

The council's new report suggests that "all students should be eligible for publicly funded digital learning." That's a fairly provocative suggestion. How would you make the case for digital learning to those who are still wary?

If you are eligible for public school, it seems logical that you should be eligible for publicly-funded digital learning.

Public schools have an incredible opportunity to swing open the doors of high quality digital learning.  Right now, there is a child somewhere in the nation that has a dream of becoming a forensic scientist.  Unfortunately for that student, their high school, whether in a rural community or the inner-city, may not offer courses in that particular field of study. Digital learning solves that problem. An online course can be accessed from anywhere there is a computer and internet access.

Increased access just scratches the surface. Technology can do for education what iTunes did for the music industry. Digital learning is the equalizer – providing every student with access to quality content regardless of their language, zip code, parents’ income or special needs.

How do you convince state legislators that digital learning — while potentially money-saving — is not a shortcut to education budget cuts?

The question is really about value and our return on investment. Technology has changed the way we live, work and play – yet our education system remains the largely the same as it has been for decades. This is about transforming education to allow every student access to a customized, quality education.  We can’t layer technology over the current system. We should use digital learning as a way to transform how we educate students. Digital learning has the potential to improve the quality of education, at the same or even less costs.

Are there things that can't be done on a computer? Are there ways in which a brick and mortar classroom is still superior to even the best that digital learning has to offer?

This is not an either/or – either digital learning or brick and mortar classrooms – it is about integrating technology into education. It is an intentional shift to a technology based environment where students spend a portion of the day learning via a digital device and a portion in a more traditional classroom setting.

Effective teaching is the most important factoring student success – digital learning does not change this. It will help teachers be even more effective. It can also extend the reach of effective teachers beyond their classroom.

More than a million students drop out of school in the United States each year. What role can digital learning play in the fight to end the dropout epidemic?

Children are adept with technology; they use it in almost every area of their life except one – education.  Technology will not only tailor education to individual student interests, it will also enable students to learn at their own pace – they can work through a subject as quickly or slowly as they need to, moving on when they have mastered the course. Struggling students will not be left behind and high achievers will not be held back. Digital learning will engage students in their education — and keeping students interested in learning will go a long way toward keeping them on the track to graduation, college and careers.

What questions would you ask Gov. Bush? Leave your comments here or contact us at NoDropouts.org. For more information about The Foundation for Excellence in Education, visit www.excelined.org.