Majority of Americans support school choice, poll finds
by Moriah Costa
Watchdog
July 1, 2015
Public support for school choice is increasing, a poll released on Tuesday by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and Braun Research, Inc. found.
About 62 percent of Americans support education savings account, an increase of 6 percent from last year, the poll revealed.
“As families’ learning needs evolve, ESAs have become the most flexible tool to help parents choose the educational ingredients that work best for their children, especially if their assigned school isn’t serving them well,” Robert Enlow, president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, said in a statement.
Nevada is the most recent state to expand school choice with a universal ESA bill that allows parents to decide how to spend tax-payer money to pay for their children’s education. The bill allows any public school student who has been enrolled for at least 100 school days to receive up to $5,700 for education expenses for the academic year.
Arizona, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee have ESA programs but it is limited to students with disabilities, military families, and low-income families.
The survey also found that only 36 percent of those polled thought ESAs should be based on financial needs. More than half said they disagreed.
[IN OTHER NEWS: SCOTUS will hear Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case]
About 42 percent of those surveyed said they thought giving families whose students attend a failing school a voucher or scholarship is a good intervention. Twenty-six percent thought failing districts should be turned to charter schools, while 25 percent think school personnel should be replaced. About 18 percent thought failing schools should close.
A 2013 survey from the Center for Education Reform had similar results, with 73 percent of those polled supporting charter schools.
