Results from the 2018 Education Next Opinion Poll
August 23, 2018Education Next releases 12thAnnual Survey of public opinion regarding education
Few issues engender stronger opinions in the American population than education, and the number and complexity of issues continue to grow. The annual Education Next Survey of Public Opinion examines the opinions of parents and teachers across a wide range of topic areas such as: student performance, common core curriculum, charter schools, school choice, teacher salaries, school spending, school reform, etc. The 12thAnnual Survey was completed in May, 2018.
The survey tracks opinions in the current year, and the trends in opinions over a 12 year period. Several highlights from the 2018 survey include: (1) Forty-nine percent of respondents who were informed of current teacher salary levels thought that teachers should be paid more, up 13 points from 2017 and the highest percentage since 2008. Sixty seven percent of those who were not informed felt that teacher salaries should increase, also the highest since 2008. (2) Fifty-four percent of the public supports some form of school voucher, up from forty-five percent in 2017. Opposition to vouchers dropped to from 37% to 31%. (3) Public support of charter schools increased five percentage points from the previous year to 44%, with 35% opposed. This number represents a rebound from a substantial decline in support in the previous two-year period (down from 52% support in 2016.
The Survey disaggregates the data by parents and teachers, union and non-union teachers, race, income levels, and political affiliations (Republicans and Democrats). It also has an interactive data base on its website.
Citation: Cheng, A., Henderson, M. B., Peterson, P.E. & West, M. R. (2019). The 2018 EdNext poll on school reform. Education Next, 19(1).
Web Address: https://www.educationnext.org/ednext-poll/