Peter Schorsch
Of the more than 6,000 concerned parents and education advocates who took part in a tele-town hall meeting Monday night, 69 percent said they think Florida schools are on the wrong track. Only 13 percent thought public schools were on the right track.
The “Speaking Up For Students” event hosted by the group Progress Florida is a play on Step Up for Students, the group that facilitates the state’s tax credit scholarship program.
“The Speaking Up For Students tele-town hall provides an important counterpoint to the Jeb Bush foundation-sponsored summit taking place [Tuesday],” said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida. “Florida’s accountability system is out of control with punitive one-size-fits-all testing and unreasonable mandates. Floridians deserve a say in the future of our schools. This event gave them that opportunity.”
Delving into more specifics on the call, nearly half of the respondents said their biggest concern regarding public schools is that there are too many standardized tests.
That arguments supports the theory that teachers are forced to “teach to the test” in order to live up to Florida’s tough testing standards. On top of that, teacher pay is now tied to student performance determined largely by standardized testing scores, giving teachers more incentive to ensure students score well on the tests, but not necessarily understanding curriculum independent of those evaluations.
In addition to standardized testing as a top concern, 43 percent of respondents indicated reducing tests is the best way to strengthen Florida’s education system.
Other concerns among respondents were lack of funding and that vouchers – such as those offered through Step Up for Students – are taking resources away from public schools.
About of quarter of those surveyed said increased parental involvement would most boost school performance. Ten percent said schools need more funding and 9 percent said schools need more technology in the classroom.
“People directly involved with our public schools clearly feel very differently than Jeb Bush’s foundation and the for-profit education industry when it comes to critical issues like one-size-fits-all standardized testing,” Ferrulo said. “This tele-town hall gave them an opportunity to explain why and talk with education advocates from inside the classroom and around the state.”
Of the 6,000 taking part in the survey, 63 percent were educators. Parents of children under 18, parents of children over 18 and education advocates made up 12 percent each of the respondents. There were no students indicated on the call.
Speakers during the event included Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder of the anti-Jeb Bush group Fund Education Now, Colleen Wood with 50th No More and the Network for Public Education, two teachers and state Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, who is also a classroom teacher.
