Former governor Jeb Bush, who made his mark in Florida's education system with the A-Plus accountability system, is going national with the creation of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a non-profit intended to create and manage programs aimed at improving classroom education.

"A quality education can change a life," Bush, who serves as chairman of the board of directors, said in a news release.  "It opens the door to opportunity, so students can pursue their dreams."

The foundation will host a two-day conference in June in Orlando. It also will sponsor a new Distinguished Teaching Incentive to recognize up to 100 teachers whose students make "significant" improvement in math and reading in a year, as measured by standardized tests. It further will house the Arts For Life program developed by Columba Bush nine years ago.

To view the group's site, click here.