Tony Bennett: Florida Students Face Growing Technology Gap

The states new education czar highlighted the need to prepare technologically savvy students and advised everyone to get behind the new Common Core education standards that are being crafted for Floridas schools.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Education, Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett said Florida must be able to prepare students to meet an expected cultural divide on technology.

The next great achievement gap will be students who had the means to access information through technology and students who do not, he said.

He also backed the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, which are designed to prepare all students to be globally competitive for college and careers.

We have to make sure Floridas educators understand how transformational this will be to their jobs and how communities understand how transformational this will be to their communities, Bennett said.

Gov. Rick Scott was scheduled to introduce Bennett to the committee, but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts, said Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, who chairs the committee.

Legg expressed disappointment that Bennett in his presentation didnt provide a written education agenda from the governors office for the committee.

Scott will be attending the state Cabinet meeting this morning in the Capitol and later will be in Ocoee for a staged event calling for increased teacher pay.