During his eight years in Tallahassee, the governor established a far - reaching
accountability system, including limits on social promotion in elementary school; introduced a plethora of school choice initiatives (vouchers for the disabled, vouchers for those in failing schools, tax - credit funded scholarships for the needy,
virtual education, and a growing number of charter schools); asked school districts to pay teachers according to merit; promoted a «Just Read» initiative; ensured parental choice among providers of preschool services; and created a highly regarded
system for tracking student achievement.
Bruce Fuller, an
education policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on California's troubled
virtual charter
system, says
accountability will be key as North Carolina proceeds with its
virtual charter pilot.