school choice webinar
TRANSCRIPT
S
Complex Choices: How Parents
Navigate School Options in Duval
County
Jacksonville Public Education Fund
November 17, 2014
About Us
JPEF
The Jacksonville Public Education
Fund is an independent nonprofit
organization that works to connect
research with civic voice to bring
about unified action in support of
universally high-quality public
schools for all children in
Duval County.
Presenters
• Trey Csar, President, JPEF
• Dr. Jason Rose, Director of Data & Research, JPEF
• Deirdre Conner, Director of Advocacy & Communications, JPEF
• Kelly Scott, Research Analyst, JPEF
Background
o The landscape of school choice options has been expanding faster than ever
over the past decade, nationwide and especially in Florida.
o Expansion of school choice = unprecedented array of new decisions that
parents and guardians must learn to navigate to seek the best school for their
child
o The policy brief takes a closer look at the evolution and impact of various
school choice options in Duval County.
InBrief: Fall 2014
Complex Choices: How Parents Navigate
School Options in Duval County
What is School Choice?
o “School choice” is a broad term commonly used to refer to a variety of public school enrollment options designed to give students an opportunity to go to a school outside of the traditional neighborhood school they are zoned to attend.
o Refer to the School Choice Reference Guide at this time for more information about each of the options listed under the school choice umbrella.
Policy Brief by the Numbers
o Over 200,000 student data records for students in traditional, magnet, and charter schools in Duval County were reviewed to identify enrollment trends.
o More than 1,000 parents completed survey describing their school choice decisions for their children.
o 45 parents participated in focus groups and phone interviews to discuss their
school choice decisions in more detail.
o 6 parent stories are highlighted in the Policy Brief representing each school type.
Key Findings
o Statewide and local trends emerged that shows a growth
in charter schools which impacts enrollment trends
overall.
Key Findings
o Teacher quality and safety
remain the top two most
important factors across
parents of most different
school types, though home
school parents are the only
group to rate safety as their
top priority.
Key Findings
o The most common times for students to change schools
within the Duval County Public School district are before
6th grade and 9th grade.
Key Findings
o No significant differences found on average in 5th to 6th
grade learning gains between groups of students staying
within or moving outside of their neighborhood feeder
pattern.
Key Findings
o Evidence that
neighborhood middle
schools are losing some of
their highest-performing
students to choice options
and are receiving back
some lower-performing
students who had
previously left for a choice
option.
Recommendations:For Districts and Systems
o Create a unified portal
o Pilot additional choice options to specifically respond to parent feedback.
o Better address parent concerns about the transition to middle or high school by developing strong, structured cross-school teacher teams at key transition years as an expectation of all schools.
o Consider cost and feasibility of moving to full open enrollment system — with transportation provided — at the middle and high school levels only.
Recommendations:For Schools
o A clean, effective website.
o A clear and easy system for prospective parents to tour the school.
o An easily understandable application or registration process
o An active and truly collaborative relationship with parents and community
o Individualized instruction
Recommendations:For Parents and Caregivers
o Begin the process without preconceived notions about
any type of school being better in general for all students.
o Take the time to visit all the schools you are considering,
and schedule time to meet with some administrators and
teachers.
o Research your options.
Visit www.schoolfactsjax.org to get started
Questions/Discussion
How to Get Involved
o Visit www.jaxpef.org/schoolchoice for additional,
interactive information about the issues and possibilities
explored in the policy brief
o Download and share a copy of the Policy Brief for
yourself or someone you know who is trying to figure out
where to choose for their child to go to school
o Visit and volunteer at schools to learn more about the
different school choice options in your community
Thank You!
www.jaxpef.org/schoolchoice