It is just part of the Florida story. Together with the Texas results Florida A plus provided part of the rationale for No Child left behind, broadly called the standards movement. And yes, it has received wide coverage by the local press over the years. Teachers unions bitterly opposed and resisted the testing and grading with every specious objection imaginable. Things like teaching to the test were widely aired on local talk radio. But the proof is in the pudding, as the cliche goes. One year, a gratified local teacher actually said, " We were underestimating these children."
This is one of the biggest school districts in the country, and improving scores and competition have allowed educators to identify those who need improvement and incented them to find ways to make it happen. Next year they will actually pay teachers in the bad schools 20% more than others to get good teachers to stay and do the hardest jobs instead of transferring to the cushy jobs.