TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – This week, Florida became the first state in the nation to adopt the Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education as its guiding principles for education, according to the Florida Department of Education. <\/p>\n
The news comes after the State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to ratify and adopt the new framework, FDOE wrote in a press release that same day.<\/p>\n
The Phoenix Declaration was unveiled on February 17 by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with public officials, education scholars and policy experts, according to the education department.<\/p>\n
The FDOE said over 50 education policy experts and scholars, along with 10 public and educational interest groups, signed on to the declaration envisioning an education system that would reflect the following principles:<\/p>\n
Parental Choice and Responsibility: Parents are the primary educators of their children. Public education funds should always follow the child.\u00a0Transparency & Accountability: Schools must be fully transparent with parents about curricula, policies, and student well-being.\u00a0Truth & Goodness: Students deserve an education grounded in objective truth, free from ideological fads, and oriented toward the pursuit of the good.Cultural Transmission: Students should learn about America\u2019s founding principles and roots in the broader Western and Judeo-Christian traditions. Students should study the best-competing viewpoints that comprise our intellectual heritage.\u00a0Character Formation: Schools must prepare children for the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood by cultivating virtue, personal responsibility, and self-discipline.\u00a0Academic Excellence: Schools should prioritize proven teaching methods and a content-rich curriculum rooted in foundational subjects over fads or experimental teaching methods.\u00a0\u00a0Citizenship: Schools should teach students the civic virtues and knowledge necessary for self-government, including the value of civil disagreement. Students should learn the whole truth about America\u2014its merits and failings\u2014without obscuring that America is a great source of good in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ryan Petty, chair of the State Board of Education, said he knows how important it is for the BOE to adopt the Phoenix Declaration framework to serve as \u201cthe unifying foundation for education in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Phoenix Declaration will challenge us, as leaders, to resist complacency and ensure that Florida remains a national model for academic freedom, parental partnership and educational excellence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To learn more about the Phoenix Declaration, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n