The Complexities of Recruiting Participants for a Statewide Education Survey

Abstract

The Florida College and Career Readiness Initiative is a statewide policy that requires college readiness testing for grade 11 students and participation in college readiness and success courses for grade 12 students who do not test college-ready. During the first year of an evaluation of this initiative, data collection on program implementation included a statewide survey of college readiness course teachers. The survey aimed to capture teachers’ perceptions of the college readiness initiative’s implementation and document their recommendations for how to improve it. This paper describes experiences encountering and overcoming challenges in recruitment across district, school, and teacher respondent levels. It also offers several lessons that could prove useful to others carrying out similar work on statewide education surveys.