Parents, Public More Pessimistic About Direction of K–12 Education
Press Release: For Immediate Release
September 12, 2024
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Kate Brown
buzzbybrown@gmail.com | 202-213-7051
Parents, Public More Pessimistic About Direction of K–12 Education
School safety, transparency, technology, and school choice are top priorities
As families finish up back-to-school shopping and American children head off for the 2024–25 school year, a record number of parents say they’re more pessimistic about the direction of K–12 education. Yet, a majority of parents express optimism about virtual schooling options, technology in the classroom, and educational choice policies.
These findings, and more, are part of EdChoice’s yearly Schooling in America survey, which provides both timely insights and trends gathered over more than a decade. In partnership with EdChoice, Braun Research conducted the annual, nationally representative survey—which is now in its twelfth year.
“As we kick off a new school year, it’s essential that we continue to listen closely to parents in order to better grasp their experiences and priorities regarding K–12 education and their children’s schooling,” said EdChoice Vice President of Research and Innovation Paul DiPerna. “For 12 years now, our annual Schooling in America Survey has helped cast a light on the public’s views and school parents’ insights, bringing much-needed attention to emerging education issues—especially in the realm of K–12 education choice.”
More than 3,500 respondents shared opinions on a variety of education-related topics, from the performance of local schools, to reasons for choosing an institution, to favorability toward a variety of education reforms that have dominated headlines this year.
Some key findings include:
– School safety is the top reason to choose a school for charter (37%), private (36%), and homeschool (53%) parents, followed by academic quality (36%) and for homeschool parents, one-on-one attention for their children (38%). Public district school parents are most likely to consider factors like location (44%) and socialization (34%).
– When asked which issues were most important for schools to speak about with transparency, 76% of school parents cited school safety.
– Most school parents want virtual options for their child’s schooling. Most parents responded positively to having both a part-time (58%) and full-time (53%) virtual school option.
– Two-thirds of parents (66%) say that schools should teach students how to use artificial intelligence (AI). Seventy nine percent of private school parents agree that it should be taught and half of parents (52%) say they would generally support AI in their child’s classes, compared to only 22% who say that AI is currently used in the classroom.
– There is a substantial disconnect between parents’ schooling preferences and actual enrollment patterns. Though 80% of students are enrolled in a public district school, if given the option to choose any type of school, only 40% of school parents would select a public school; 60% would choose a private, charter, or homeschool option.
– Our researchers wanted to know who supports education savings accounts (ESAs). School Parents (84%), Hispanic adults (83%), and Millennials (81%) were most in favor of education savings accounts. Adults aged 55+ and respondents from rural areas were least likely to support ESAs with 72% per group. Democrats (77%) are slightly more likely than Republicans (72%) to support ESAs.
– At least two-thirds of Americans support four types of educational choice policies, including education savings accounts (ESAs) (76%), tax-credit scholarships (69%), vouchers (67%), and charter schools (63%). ESAs remain the most popular policy among parents and the general public for the eighth consecutive year.
“Parents are notably more concerned about the direction of K–12 education since last year, with pessimism in our survey at its highest peak since 2014,” DiPerna continued. At the same time, support for K–12 choice policies remain strong. More thana 80% of parents say they favor education savings accounts (ESAs)—a substantial increase above what we observed a decade ago.”
View the Schooling in America dashboard here; the findings and report here; a summary of the findings here; and the questionnaire here.
To speak with Paul DiPerna, contact Kate Brown at buzzbybrown@gmail.com.
Methodology
The 2024 Schooling in America Survey project is sponsored and developed by EdChoice. Braun Research, Inc., interviewed a statistically representative national sample of 1,502 adults (ages 18+) in the United States, including the District of Columbia. Our project also collected completed surveys from 2,319 parents who currently have children in elementary or secondary schools. Interviews were conducted in English from April 9–30, 2024. Weights have been applied to the respondent data to ensure the survey sample’s demographics are nationally representative. For more information about the polling methodology, click here.
About EdChoice
EdChoice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Our mission is to advance educational freedom and choice for all as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. We are committed to understanding and pursuing a K–12 education ecosystem that empowers every family to choose the learning environment that fits their children’s needs best. EdChoice is a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative and adheres to its standards and ethics. Learn more at edchoice.org.
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