Columbia, SC – Today, the newly formed Palmetto Promise Institute announced the release of its inaugural policy paper, Transformation: What South Carolina Can Learn from Florida’s K-12 Reforms. In 1998, South Carolina students led Florida students in performance on a number of national tests, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as “The

Since the arrival of Steve Spurrier in Columbia, “Florida usually beats Carolina” has eventually become “the Gamecocks usually beat the Gators.” The reverse is true in K-12 education. In 1999, South Carolina students led Florida students in performance on a number of national educational tests, including NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But for 2003-2011, in combined Math and Reading NAEP scores, Florida was first with a 54 point improvement and South Carolina was last with a 44 point decline (page 7). Question: How did Florida leapfrog South Carolina in such a short period of time? Answer: transformation through comprehensive reform.