Florida becomes the first state in the nation to officially adopt the Phoenix Declaration as its new guiding vision for education
Tallahassee, Florida – In a move that instantly places Florida at the center of the national education conversation, the State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to formally adopt The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education as the guiding set of principles for all public education policy across the state. The decision, made during a morning session in Tallahassee, marks the first time any state has officially embraced the document, making Florida the model testbed for an ambitious and tradition-rooted blueprint for schooling in America.
Board members framed the vote as both a continuation and a deepening of Florida’s broader educational philosophy under the current administration. Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas praised the move as a logical next step in an ongoing effort to re-center Florida classrooms around long-standing academic values. “Throughout Governor Ron DeSantis’ tenure, education in Florida has been guided by many of the principles embodied in the Phoenix Declaration,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “By formally adopting this Declaration, we are reaffirming our commitment to an education system that pursues truth and virtue, empowers parents, and always prioritizes our students.”
Kamoutsas emphasized that the declaration doesn’t introduce a new ideological direction but instead codifies principles the state has already been leaning toward: more transparency, stronger parental involvement, and a renewed push for content-rich instruction anchored in core subjects.
Ryan Petty, Chair of the State Board of Education, echoed that view and spoke personally about his longtime support for the declaration. “As one of the original public officials who signed on to the Phoenix Declaration, I knew how important it was for the State Board of Education to adopt it to serve as the unifying foundation for education in Florida.” said Ryan Petty, Chair of the State Board of Education. “The 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.”
The Phoenix Declaration was first unveiled by the Heritage Foundation in February of this year, developed in collaboration with dozens of education scholars, policy architects, and public leaders. More than 50 experts and 10 organizations formally endorsed the document upon its release, setting off months of national debate over its ideals and the implications it may hold for curriculum, governance, and the relationship between families and public schools.
At its core, the declaration outlines seven pillars meant to define a healthy and well-functioning educational system. These include strong parental choice, full transparency from schools, an unwavering commitment to objective truth, and a belief that students should graduate not only with knowledge and job-ready skills but with character, civic understanding, and a sense of responsibility to their communities. Supporters say the document pushes back against what they see as decades of mission drift, faddish teaching methods, and ideological overreach in American classrooms.
Under “Parental Choice & Responsibility,” the declaration asserts that parents should be recognized as the primary educators of their children and that public funding should follow students to the schools their families select. The “Transparency & Accountability” section calls for full visibility into curricula, policies, and school practices, placing parents closer to the decision-making process. “Truth & Goodness” urges schools to orient teaching around objective reality rather than transient ideological trends.
The document also leans heavily into the transmission of cultural and historical knowledge, stating that students should learn America’s founding principles, its Western and Judeo-Christian roots, and the wide range of competing ideas that shaped them. Two additional pillars — “Character Formation” and “Academic Excellence” — call for classical skill-building, discipline, and a content-rich curriculum grounded in proven instructional methods rather than experimental trends. Finally, “Citizenship” highlights the need for students to understand the workings of self-government and to learn the nation’s full story, both its achievements and its shortcomings.
Florida’s adoption of the Phoenix Declaration signals a major political and cultural milestone in the national debate over education, placing the state at the forefront of a renewed push to define what should be taught and how schools should serve families. Whether other states follow remains to be seen, but for now, Florida stands alone — the first to turn a vision into official policy.
