Manipulating Flawed Survey Results: Two Can Play That Game

On 2/22/2019, Tampa Bay Times reporter, Jeffrey Solochek, wrote about results of a new survey which had been conducted by Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), the pro-choice, pro-privatization foundation that has directed education policy decisions in Florida for over 20 years. Not surprising, their survey results support the policies they are working diligently to advance. We should expect this “data” to be used to pass Jeb’s legislative agenda this session.

The poll of 800 registered voters was apparently conducted between Jan 23-25 and, while only 28% of those surveyed had a school aged child, the survey significantly under sampled public school students. From the survey:

According to 2017-18 data from the Florida Department of Education, there are 3.3 million K-12 students in Florida. Of those:

• 89,817 (2.7%) Homeschool
• 12,286 (0.37%) attend full time virtual school
• 292,001 (8.5%) attend Charter Schools
• 379,537 attend private schools (11.6%): 225,033 privately funded, 154,534 publicly funded through vouchers; the FLDOE doesn’t distinguish between religious or non-religious.
• 2,485,338 attend district managed public schools (76%).

The FEE survey significantly oversampled Homeschool (2.7% vs 10.12%), Virtual School (0.37% vs 7.94%) and Private School (11.6% vs 17.06%). The Charter School percentage seems relatively accurate (8.5% vs 8.38%), but Public School students are significantly underrepresented (76% vs 67.38%). Keep in mind, of course, that only 28% (224) of the 800 respondents even had school aged children.

Given the flawed sample (and the source, FEE), the results from this survey should be viewed skeptically and not given propaganda-like headlines in major newspapers (i.e. “New Florida survey shows strong support for school choice”). The results CERTAINLY shouldn’t be used to advance privatization efforts, though we know they will be, because… Floriduh.

Still it is nice to know that Floridians agree, the biggest obstacle to improving education is Lack of Funding…

… And Floridans don’t agree with the way Jeb’s A-F Accountability System grades schools: In Florida, in 2018, Jeb’s system concluded 31% were A schools, 26% B, 36% C, 6% D and 1% F…

… And, after 20 years of Jebucation, defunding schools, flawed accountability systems and supporting privatization, K-12 education policy in Florida is moving in the wrong direction:

When reformers are constantly celebrating Florida as a national leader in school choice/privatization, it is difficult to NOT view these results as a repudiation of those ideas.

We totally agree. It is time for a new direction; this time, let’s try supporting public education.