Jeb Bush speaks enthusiastically about the passage of SB 6 in Florida Senate

Bush, who made major changes in education during his two terms as governor that were bitterly fought by unions and Democrats,  was asked by MSNBC's Mike Barnicle if it was fair to put so much emphasis on students success on teachers when it some cases the child comes from a home where education is not emphasized (a question that brought cheers from the studio audience).

"Well one of the ways you do it is based on learning gains, not based on proficiency on how the number of students learning at grade level at the end of the year.  You measure - you have a baseline - in Florida we have great data, so we can measure where students start, and where they end.  In a years worth of knowledge and in a years time irrespective of the background of the child can be achieved."

Bush said there will be a lot more testing that measures not just reading and math but other classes as well in the future, which he welcomes.

As he has previously, the governor, who has been a fierce critic of President Obama on a number of issues, gave praise to the  President and Education Secretary Arne Duncan for challenging unions and "putting students first, rather than adults in the system."

Bush failed to take the bait when asked by host Joe Scarborough to give an endorsement on the Charlie Crist/Marco Rubio race for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.