“CITIZENS’ OPINIONS” ALABAMA CAREER AND TECHNICAL

EDUCATION

A Survey Project Conducted for the Alabama Department of Education

2003-2014

Alabama

State Board of Education

Governor

Robert Bentley President

Tracy T. Roberts

District I

Betty Peters District II

Stephanie Bell

District III

Yvette M. Richardson, Ed.D.

District IV

Ella B. Bell District V

President Pro Tem

Charles E. Elliott, M.D. District VI

Vice President

Jeff Newman District VII

Mary Scott Hunter, J.D.

District VIII

Thomas R. Bice, Ed.D. Secretary and

Executive Officer

The attached survey has been developed to measure opinions about the quality of education currently being offered in Alabama’s K-12 public schools—specifically Alabama’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Your responses to the questions discussed in this survey will help the Alabama State Department of Education to provide better service to students, parents, and local communities statewide. To participate, respondents should be the official owner or an authorized user of the e-mail address contacted. You may opt-out at any time. Use the following web link to access and take this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HFPYY27 Additional Information About This State Education Survey This survey has been commissioned by the Alabama State Department of Education. It was designed and developed by a third party not-for-profit educational organization, the Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS). CTECS is nationally recognized for its expertise in developing standards and assessments based on valid industry expert analysis. CTECS has a 40-year history of operating as a consortium of states, where members pool their resources to develop competency-based resources to meet the standards of global business and industry. CTECS has worked with 44 states since 1973 along with numerous post-secondary institutions, and federal and state agencies. The Alabama State Department of Education’s primary goal is to prepare students for a lifetime of success—to be both college- and career-ready. CTE programs are offered in schools throughout the state. These programs offer students opportunities to learn valuable career skills. Alabama CTE students meet rigorous academic requirements to earn their high school diplomas. Thank you for participating! All responses for this survey must be submitted by February 21, 2014. After all information has been collected, the final results of this survey will be available on the Alabama State Department of Education Web site (www.alsde.edu) starting on March 1, 2014. If you need any additional information about this statewide survey project, please contact Alabama State Department of Education Information Specialist Ed Crenshaw at 334-353-5220.

Project FACTS and PURPOSE

Purpose – Explore opinions and perceptions of Career and Technical Education in Alabama

Current survey is being conducted through our great partnership with CTECS

This is an online survey to measure Alabamian’s opinions about CTE

Survey FACTS and PURPOSE

This survey is open for responses until February 28, 2014

Links to the survey All State Residents – General

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HFPYY27

Student, Parents, and Educators https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HMPPN

VL

To have success with this type of project you must rely on partnerships – “No Silos Allowed”

Our Partners

The State Republican Party The State Democratic Party State PTA/PTO State Chamber Association State Retailers’ Association Emails to all Alabama Teachers,

Superintendents, and School Principals Statewide Media (print, television, and radio) Alabama Postsecondary Education Statewide Business and Industry Councils CTECS

The Original Surveys: 2003,

2005, 2008

Who Participated in the Original Surveys?

“A random sample of 500 registered Alabama voters”

*Administered using traditional telephone-based surveys

• Gender

• Age

• Residence

• Education

• Income

• Race

• Child/Grandchild in Public School

Measured DEMOGRAPHICS

Comparing Data: 2003, 2005 & 2008

• Equivalent “Citizen’s Opinions” survey were conducted for the ALSDE in 2003 and 2005

• The 2003 and 2005 surveys used exactly the same questionnaires

• For comparison purposes, 2003 and 2005 survey results were also reported in the 2008 survey.

What was EXAMINED?

Opinions of Public Education

Beliefs about College

Knowledge of Career Tech programs

Opinions of CTE

Awareness of 21st Century Learning

“About 1-in-3 rated the quality of public education in Alabama as excellent.”

“Overall, Alabamians’ opinions about the quality of public education was slightly more positive in 2008 than in 2005.”

Survey FINDINGS

57%

Respondents that said a “traditional four-year college degree” is necessary for a successful career.

Survey FINDINGS

60%

2005

2003

200860%

71%

Respondents that said it is “very important” for their children to attend college.

Survey FINDINGS

70%

2005

2003

200875%

64%

68%

74%

58.0%

60.0%

62.0%

64.0%

66.0%

68.0%

70.0%

72.0%

74.0%

76.0%

200320052008

Respondents that said it was “very important” for Alabama’s public schools to offer Career and Technical Education programs.

Survey FINDINGS

73%

78%

76%

70.0% 71.0% 72.0% 73.0% 74.0% 75.0% 76.0% 77.0% 78.0% 79.0%

VeryImportant

200820052003

Relationship with Local BusinessesHow “very important” is it for CTE educators

to work with local businesses?

Survey FINDINGS

Respondent OpinionsHow important is it for the public schools to offer CTE?

67%

56%

71%

61%63%

70%

61%

78%

66%60%

71%73%73%

60%

80%

73%71%

77%

70%

75%71%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Male Female 18-40 years 41-60 years 61+ years White Black

2003

2005

2008

Survey FINDINGS

Incorporating 21st Century Skills into the curriculum is something that voters believed schools can

and should do.

Survey FINDINGS

“Times have changed since 2008”

- And so have surveying methods too -

The average person spent approximately 423 minutes on Facebook in 2011 (Olmstead, The State of

the News Media 2012 – An Annual Report on American Journalism)

According to a 2008 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the

share of adult Internet users who have a profile on social networks quadrupled from

8 percent in 2005 to 35 percent in 2008

According to“Diffusion of Technology: Frequency

of use for Younger and Older Adults,” an article written by

Katherine Olson, Marita O’Brien, Wendy Rogers, and Neil Charness

more than 40 percent of younger adults reported using

the Internet more than 15 hours per week.

• AL - 4,822,023 population (2012 Est.) - Size Area:

52,423 square miles • State Capital City: Montgomery - population 205,293

(2012) • 3,092,273 internet users as of June 2010, 65.0% of the

population • 1,599,260 Facebook users on August 2010 • 2,164,740 Facebook users on March 2011

Alabama Technology Statistics

Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/unitedstates.htm

Citizens’ Opinions of CTE in Alabama

2014Preliminary Results from an Online Survey

Why the survey was conducted

Follow-up to 2008 telephone survey

Designed and developed by CTECS

Survey closes February 28, 2014; current results are unofficial and preliminary

Intended to measure opinions of CTE from perspective of parents, students, teachers, and residents

Intended to provide better service to students, parents, and local communities statewide

How is CTE perceived in Alabama?

How the survey was set up

Sample group Based on previous survey using registered Republicans

and Democrats in Alabama Minimum response rate of 500 (so far, 686 responses)

Survey groups Students Teachers/administrators Parents Industry/advisory groups So far, 587 responses

Media Coverage – Evening

News

Media Coverage – News

Websites

QUESTIONS?

DISCUSSI

ON!

BRAINSTORMING!