EdNext Survey Examines Perceptions on School Reform

This survey examines current attitudes toward major issues in K–12 education and compare the results with those of prior years.

Key findings include:

1. Public support for charter schools has fallen, along with both self-described Republicans and self-described Democrats, and the opposition to school vouchers and tax credits to fund private-school scholarships.

2. Support for using the same academic standards across the states has risen since 2016—as long as the “brand name” of Common Core is not mentioned.

3. Compared with 2015, the public prefers a smaller role in education for the federal government and a larger role for local governments in three policy areas: setting standards, identifying failing schools, and fixing failing school.

4. The public is showing an increased resistance to change when it comes to policies affecting teachers.

5. Trump’s position on four issues—Common Core, charter schools, tax credits, and merit pay.

6.  Two thirds of the public prefer that students whose native tongue is not English be immersed in English-only classrooms.

7. Nearly half of the respondents think the effects would be positive if students spent more time on computers at school, while a third think the effect would be negative.

8. The general public is more favorable toward allowing Muslim students to form afterschool clubs than it was in 2008.

9. Two thirds of the public would have their child pursue a four-year university degree, while only a fourth would choose a two-year associate’s degree at a community college, and a tenth would choose neither.

10. Among white respondents, over half of those with a university degree say their local schools deserve a “grade” of A or B, while only half of those without that degree rate their local schools that highly.

EdNext (2017). The 2017 EdNext Poll on School Reform: What does the public think about school choice, Common Core, and other key issues? Washington, D. C.: Hoover Institution in Washington, D.C.: The Johnson Center. http://educationnext.org/2017-ednext-poll-school-reform-public-opinion-school-choice-common-core-higher-ed/#_schoolchoice

Funding for School Districts

The survey by the American Association of School Administrators covered a variety of topics, from what funds have been received and how the funds are being used to what the funds mean to districts and general feedback about the stimulus funding. Their response was clear: Though the ARRA funds represent additional funding and an opportunity to make significant changes, the realities of strained federal, state and local budgets mean many of the dollars are simply backfilling budget holes. The budget holes, in addition to insufficient flexibility in the funding to allow for maximum use by local school districts, are sizeable obstacles that many districts have been unable to overcome in their efforts to use the stimulus dollars to save and preserve jobs and implement innovation and reform.  

Other key findings include:

-       Even when schools were dismissed for summer vacation, ARRA dollars were flowing to states and local school districts.

-       AASA members have reported how difficult it is to implement innovation and reform when funding levels are cut or flat‐lined and the stimulus dollars are simply filling budget holes.

-       - School districts across the country, following one of the major goals of the stimulus dollars, are using the one‐time funds to save teaching and staff positions.

-       Outside of shoring‐up staff positions, school districts report they are investing ARRA funds in one‐time costs such as professional development, classroom technology and classroom supplies.

Ellerson, N. M., & Domenech, D. A. (2009). Schools and the stimulus: How America’s public school districts are using ARRA funds –August 2009. Alexandria, VA: American Association of School Administrators. https://www.aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Policy_and_Advocacy/files/AASAStimulusSurveyAug09.pdf