This document summarizes the key findings of the 2015 Public Education Perceptions Poll conducted in Duval County, Florida. The poll found that while graduation rates have increased, public perception has not kept pace. It also found increasing confidence in DCPS leadership, especially teachers. Fewer residents are primarily evaluating schools based on test scores and grades. There remains strong support for open enrollment and increased taxes for education. The document outlines the methodology, leadership, mission and activities of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund which administered the poll.

1. 2015 Public Education
Perceptions Poll
December 1, 2015
Press conference and briefing

2. 2
• Rev. Torin Dailey, Chair
• Poppy Clements,
Vice-Chair
• Dr. Jordan Baker
• Ricardo Bedoya
• Gary Chartrand
• Judge Brian Davis
• Cindy Edelman
• Ronnie Ferguson
• Cheryl Grymes, ex-officio
• Kifimbo Holloway-Parnell,
ex-officio
• Kevin Hyde
• Ronnie King, ex-officio
• Donna Orender
• Dr. Shannon Perry
• Matt Rapp
• Kenneth Reddick
• Sally H. Singletary
• Anita Vining
• Nikolai Vitti, ex-officio
• Michael Ward
• Cleve Warren
Board Leadership

3. 3
OUR MISSION
Inform and mobilize the
community to advocate for
universally high quality public
schools for all children in Duval
County.
About Us
VISIONARY
LEADERSHIP
STRATEGIC
INVESTMENT
ALIGNED
ORGANIZATIONS
INFORMED &
ENGAGED
COMMUNITY

4. 4
What We Do
DATA &
RESEARCH
COMMUNITY
MOBILIZATION
Mobilizing citizens
around key issues and
eliciting community
wisdom
ADVOCACY&
COMMUNICATIONS
STRATEGIC
INVESTMENT
Conducting university-
quality research with a
consumer-friendly
approach
Pushing for policy and
practice change at a
local and state level
Investing in innovation
that can change systems
and make existing
resources more effective
ALL RESOURCES AND TOOLS AVAILABLE AT JAXPEF.ORG

5. 2015 Public Education
Perceptions Poll
Taking the Pulse of the Community

6. 6
“A sample in which the relevant characteristics of the
sample members are generally the same as the
characteristics of the population.”
Popula'on
Representa've
Sample
Unrepresenta've
Sample
A sample of 500 Jacksonville
citizens can provide an
accurate representation of the
views of the general
population as long as the
variation and diversity within
the city are reflected in the
group polled (i.e., gender, race,
education, age, etc.).
What is a representative sample?

7. 7
• Survey conducted November 2-9 by Public
Opinion Research Laboratory at the University
of North Florida
• Random-digit-dialing methodology followed by
cell phone sample to increase representation
• 534 residents of Duval County over the age of
18 answered the survey
• Margin of error +/- 4.24 percentage points)
• Results weighted by age, gender, education, and
race to the estimated 2014 American
Community Survey
Poll methodology

8. 8
• Most residents of Duval County are unaware
of improvements in the graduation rate
• Confidence in DCPS leadership remains
strong, even higher for teachers
• A majority continue to support a tax increase
for public education
• Declining reliance on test scores and school
grades to evaluate schools
Key findings

9. 9
Education remains second most important
issue facing Jacksonville in people’s minds
51% 19%
said the
ECONOMY,
about the
same as
last year.
12% 9% 4%
said
SOMETHING
ELSE,
slightly up
from last
year.
said
EDUCATION,
about the
same as last
year.
said
CRIME,
about the
same as
last year.
said
TRANSIT,
about the
same as last
year.
In your opinion, what is the most important issue or problem facing Jacksonville?

10. 10
PUBLIC EDUCATION
IS CRUCIAL
“Public education is one of the
most important issues facing
the city of Jacksonville … it will
have a direct impact on
employment, crime, poverty,
housing, and health in
Jacksonville for years to come.”
— Ronnie King, CAT Co-Chair
10

11. 11
Perception is not keeping pace with
reality of education improvement
58%
63%
68%
72%
74%
29% 29% 27%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Duval County
actual
graduation rate
Source: Florida Department of Education.
Percent rating
DCPS as
“excellent” or
“good”
Perception of
Duval County
graduation rate
61%

12. 12
FLORIDA
SENATOR
AARON BEAN
"I was pleasantly surprised to
learn recently how much Duval's
graduation rate has gone up.
This is an important
achievement for the community
and it speaks volumes about the
improvement in public
education in Jacksonville."
12

13. 13
14.7
8.2
25.5 21.3
5.7
34.9
33.7
23 24.2
17.7
50.4 58.1 51.5 54.5
76.6
0
20
40
60
80
100
DCPS SB
(2014)
DCPS SB
(2015)
Supt. Vitti
(2014)
Supt. Vitti
(2015)
DCPS
Teachers
(2015)
How effective do you think each of the following are in improving public education in
Jacksonville?
V/S Effective
V/S Ineffective
DK/NA
(+7.7) (+3.0)
Increasing confidence in DCPS leadership,
with highest ratings for DCPS teachers
New
question
in2015

14. 14
— SABRINA ZINNAMON,
DISTRICT ADVISORY
COUNCIL CHAIR
14
“At this time, the school board is effective in
improving public education in Jacksonville by
extending the time limit for the different
working groups and the community of the
areas involved within the proposed boundary
changes. It will take more than two meetings
for the community to come together and get
a better understanding why their school or
schools within their feeder pattern are part
of the change.”

15. 15
Ensure fair,
effective and
efficient use of
money &
resources.
More see progress in engaging parents &
community, recruiting great teachers and leaders
28%
Engaging
parents,
families & the
community in
schools.
24%
Recruit,
develop, &
retain great
teachers and
leaders.
20%
Providing well-
rounded
education that
includes art,
music, PE, and
health services.
10%
Which of the following areas do you think the district has made the most
improvement in over the past year?

16. 16
2013
2014
2015Test Scores & School Grades Word of Mouth
Media Reports Perceptions of School Safety
Teachers Other
39% rated them
most important in
2015
Fewer Duval residents are evaluating schools primarily
based on test scores and school grades than last year,
but it is still the top indicator in people’s minds
46% rated test
scores & school
grades as most
important in 2014

17. 17
“I know several
amazing teachers in
our district who teach
with passion for their
subject and love for
their students. As a
parent, this means so
much more to me than
a test score that
simplifies the student
experience into a
single number.”
- Amber Jubinsky, Parent

18. 21.1% Graduate HS
15.4% Tech/Voc. PS
22.8% 2-yr degree
37.1% 4-yr. degree +
-0.3 points from 2014
-4.4 points from 2014
+ 8.3 points from 2014
+ 6.6 points from 2014
Increasing numbers of Duval residents consider
postsecondary degrees necessary for success
What is the minimum level of education that you believe students in
Duval County today must achieve to be successful in the future?

19. 19
Continued strong support for open
enrollment
Parents in Duval County should be allowed to enroll their children in
any public school in the district, regardless of where they live.
Agree, 77%
Disagree, 21%
N/A, 2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

20. 70%
support
2015
Support up for spending more on
public schools
Would you support or oppose a small increase in taxes if those
taxes go to support public education?
59.6%
support
2014
66.9%
support
2013

21. 21
- Fully interactive poll results
- Sort and filter by subgroups
Learn more on jaxpef.org

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Next steps
• Full report available on jaxpef.org
following 10 a.m. press conference
• Poll administered annually
• Information will be provided to
delegates at the ONE by ONE
Convention on January 23, 2016

23. Any questions?
Q A&
THANKS FOR LISTENING

24. THANK YOU!
TREY CSAR
Jacksonville Public Education Fund
JAXPEF
JAXPEF
904-356-7757
TREY@JAXPEF.ORG