Pam Stewart is used to coming off the bench in a pinch for the Florida Department of Education. Now she�s joined the starting lineup.
We don�t know whether to offer her congratulations or condolences.
The state Board of Education this week voted to make Stewart the full-time commissioner of education. Stewart had been serving in an interim role since August, when Tony Bennett resigned. She previously served as interim commissioner in 2012 following the departure of Gerald Robinson.
Stewart�s promotion is a marked contrast to Bennett�s hiring, which concluded a national search for a high-profile education reformer. The ongoing instability with the position � counting interims, Florida has had five education commissioners in the last five years � might dissuade some heavy hitters from considering the job.
But from Florida�s standpoint, it simply didn�t have time to cast a wide net. The state that seemingly is constantly tinkering with education policy is about to embark on its most comprehensive changes in public schools since it launched the FCAT and school-grading system in the late 1990s.
There�s a storm brewing � the Common Core State Standards � and Florida needs a steady hand at the wheel. Stewart is familiar with the issues and the players in the Legislature and bureaucracy, but whether that�s enough to succeed remains to be seen.
By 2014-15, Florida students in every grade will transition to the Common Core standards � which have been adopted by all but five states � and take the first exams on the new material.
The standards remain controversial, with tea party groups and some Republicans trying to persuade Florida to drop out. Gov. Rick Scott initially endorsed the effort, but a rift in the GOP � former Gov. Jeb Bush is a Common Core booster, while Sen. Marco Rubio is against it � might have him wavering.
Then there are concerns about the tests being developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a 22-state consortium that includes Florida. Senate President Don Gaetz and others have advocated finding an alternative testing method.
So Stewart faces considerable challenges as she begins her tenure. Let�s see if she has better staying power than her predecessors.