Study Rates Youngsters’ Likelihood To Succeed

By Marilyn Brown, Tampa Tribune, Fla.

Jan. 4–TAMPA — Despite the state’s glowing report card on itself, Florida placed in the bottom half of the nation Wednesday in a ranking of children’s chances for future success.

Florida is 31st both in academic achievement and in measures that influence education, states the report from the research arm of Education Week magazine. Those factors include parental education, English fluency and postsecondary education, all areas not traditionally measured in such reports.

“It’s a good, comprehensive, objective survey,” Florida Education Commissioner John Winn said Wednesday in a media conference call. He pointed out data he disputes as well as what he said are bright spots.

“It validates the fact that Florida is improving rapidly,” Winn said, noting that just Pennsylvania, Texas and Arkansas had higher rates of improvement. The state did well considering its poverty rates, high percentages of children whose parents don’t speak English, low percentage of adults with higher education and high rate of high school dropouts, he said.

A report researcher also acknowledged Florida’s problems but said that is not an excuse or explanation.

“These are your kids,” said Christopher Swanson, director of the EPE Research Center that did the report. “These are your future citizens.”

Florida ranked fourth in the nation for having and clearly defining K-12 education standards, which includes rewarding high-performing schools and assisting poor performers.

Florida has graded its schools on its own A through F report card since 1999, with a majority of schools now graded A or B.

Wednesday’s report takes a much broader look at how early education begins, how long it continues past high school and how students advance into the world of work.

Virginia Leads The Pack

Florida tied for 31st place with the District of Columbia on success factors. Ranking highest in those measures influencing lifetime success is Virginia, followed by Connecticut, Minnesota and New Hampshire. At the bottom is New Mexico.

Florida earned points for the percentage of students enrolled in public and private prekindergarten as well as kindergarten, even though its new voluntary prekindergarten program had not started when the report was drafted.

Full-day kindergarten long has been part of Florida public schools and is required to enter first grade. A 79 percent kindergarten enrollment rate listed on the report is erroneous, Winn said, estimating it actually is about 99 percent.

Of 15 academic achievement factors, Florida earned plus scores for its fourth-grade math scores, improvement in graduation rate and advanced placement test scores and improvement.

Winn disputed the report’s 2002-03 public high school graduation rate of 57.5 percent, saying it doesn’t include those who earned a General Educational Development certificate, which Florida includes in its statistics. Florida’s own calculation of 71 percent in 2005-06 is a decrease of nearly 1 percent from the previous year, however, so the rate actually has not improved.

“It’s definitely a concern,” Winn said. The state recently has focused on high school reforms designed to keep students in school.

Community College Number Good

Florida ranks 11th in policies that connect kindergarten all the way through college or work readiness. The state is “very proud” of its second place in percentage of students returning for a second year to community colleges, Winn said, but concerned that it is near the bottom in percentages returning for a second year to four-year institutions.

During his media call, Winn was asked if he will remain education commissioner. A new governor, Charlie Crist, was sworn in Tuesday and has replaced many top state positions, although Winn works directly for the Florida Board of Education.

“My contract goes from state board meeting to state board meeting,” Winn said. “If they don’t fire me at the January meeting, I’m good for another month.”

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Copyright (c) 2007, Tampa Tribune, Fla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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