Learning
The general perception is that the quality of primary and secondary educational options leaves room for improvement. Despite the much publicized improvement in public school rankings, respondents, in general do not feel that the quality of education that a child can receive in the county is equivalent to the quality of education in other parts of the country. They also site the lack of private school alternatives that do not have a religious affiliation.
Comparable career options are seen as limited in the county with all segments ranking this item in the 5’s and 6’s. Similarly, respondents perceive limited opportunities for career development through professional organizations or advanced degrees. Respondents do not feel adequately informed about available professional associations and do not believe that acquiring an advanced degree from a local university would be advantageous to their career.
To review some of the verbatim comments of respondents, please click the link provided below.
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- FIT is the only local university and it is of such poor quality that I won't even take classes that are paid for by my employer. I'm afraid that graduate courses from FIT on my transcript would hurt my application as well as being a waste of my time. One of the driving reasons that my fiancé and I are relocating to Los Angeles is because she is about to start work on a MBA program and there were no schools in the area that were of the appropriate caliber. A university with competitive professional programs would be of big value to me.
- I was born and raised here in Melbourne, so I know first hand that the public schools are horrible. I was way under prepared for college after graduating here! Need better college prep for the average students . . . not just for the "smart" kids.
- Brevard's high school system is very inconsistent. I have two children in different high schools and have found the difference between them to be dramatic, even though they are both rated well on FCAT scores. Too much emphasis is placed on administration and "fluff" and not enough on practical education and meaningful career guidance. The situation is bad enough that I have given serious thought for running for the school board.
- The County really needs to take HIGH consideration of public schools BEFORE allowing all these new community developments. Plans for the schools need to be addressed before the developers move in to build all these new homes. Although the public schools are rated high in the FCAT, I've found the quality of education and physical buildings to be of very low quality in the Melbourne area. Something should be done to ensure the children who want to learn are being academically challenged. Private schools are not an option for single parents that cannot afford them.
