Top State Ed. Positions Turn Over as Year Ends

Several top state education jobs changed hands as 2012 came to a close, with Florida welcoming a high-profile chief recently ousted by voters in Indiana, the surprise firing of West Virginia's superintendent, and the departure of the Massachusetts chief in a state cabinet shake-up.

Florida's new commissioner, Tony Bennett—one of the nation's most prominent and most controversial state education chiefs—proved that losing his re-election bid for the Indiana job he first won in 2008 did not put a damper on his career prospects.

Despite a significant fundraising advantage and the energetic backing of groups devoted to revamping teacher evaluations and expanding school choice, Mr. Bennett, a Republican, was defeated by Glenda Ritz, a teacher in the Indianapolis area who criticized what she called excessive testing and the voucher program instituted...