Poll: Parents overwhelmingly support school choice

The Center Square

More than three in four Americans think that parents should be able to decide which public school their child attends, according to a new poll.

The poll from Job Creators Network/ScottRasmussen.com found that 78 percent of Americans support public school choice, according to a news release from Job Creators Network.

SchoolChoiceWeek.com

The poll also revealed that 58 percent of Americans support allowing parents to use tax dollars to pay for charter or private school tuition if the local public school is unsafe or failing to meet education standards.

“Americans want a better education system and they want more freedom when it comes to choosing which path their child will take,” Elaine Parker, president of Job Creators Network Foundation, said. “Given these results, school choice should be a unifying issue for elected officials to focus on – plus it would have a positive impact for America’s children.”

The poll, which surveyed 1,099 registered voters across the country, also revealed that 58 percent of Americans support allowing parents to use tax dollars to pay for charter or private school tuition if the local public school is unsafe or failing to meet education standards.

The same poll asked participants about the vost of college tuition and the state of the economy.

Forty-four percent said the high cost of college tuition was the fault of schools hiring too many administrators, while 43 percent blamed the cost on schools adding infrastructure.

On the economy, 51 percent said the economy is “excellent” or “good,” while just 14 percent said it was “poor.”

“Americans know that, right now, we have a great economy,” pollster Scott Rasmussen said in the news release. “Even the housing sector – which has certainly struggled in the past – saw a spot of good news … when the Commerce Department announced that new home sales picked up in June. Increased economic optimism is helping bring about more economic good news.”

Image courtesy of SchoolChoiceWeek.com

4 thoughts on “Poll: Parents overwhelmingly support school choice

  1. We have taken ours out of public school. Had enough of the indoctrination and bs they are pushing. And of course then there’s the dumbed down academics. And the behavior crap that Overwhelms the classroom, teachers attention and ultimately teaching time . It’s crazy you don’t know unless you spend some time in the schools. It’s an eye opener

  2. This is a nuanced issue. Public School Choice or Comprehensive School Choice. I doubt that most respondents or TNR readers understand the details and if Republicans want to cite this issue, they need to learn about it.

    Public School Choice: You will hear Vermont legislators say Vermont already has Public School Choice – and it does. But only to the extent that another public school will accept a student and given that the tuition money doesn’t follow the student, public schools aren’t inclined to do so. It’s a false choice.

    Comprehensive School Choice: What you won’t hear from Vermont legislators or education administrators is that Vermont already has Comprehensive School Choice including Public and Independent schools. You won’t hear this because they don’t want parents to know all of their options. Unfortunately, Comprehensive School Choice for elementary schools is available only if a district doesn’t maintain its own elementary school. On the other hand, for grades 7-12, Comprehensive School Choice is available when approved by local school boards. And local boards have the final word – not the Agency of Education or the State Board of Education.

    I ask all Vermonters to focus on V.S.A T16 ¶ 822. School district to maintain public high schools or pay tuition
    (c)(1) A school district may both maintain a high school and furnish high school education by paying tuition:
    (A) to a public school as in the judgment of the school board may best serve the interests of the students; or
    (B) to an approved independent school or an independent school meeting education quality standards if the school board judges that a student has unique educational needs that cannot be served within the district or at a nearby public school.

    This provision should be applied to all K-12 students.

    • V.S.A T16 ¶ 822 (c)(2) The judgment of the board shall be final in regard to the institution the students may attend at public cost.

  3. Holy crap 78% agree… Come on republicans get out there and promote this to regain control of the now fascist leftarded Vt gov, and fed gov. You know the demontards can’t support this as their payed for by the Edumacation Unions…

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