Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Americans unclear on charters
Heated political debate centers on programs’ funding
Poll finds 58 percent know little about option amid school choice debate.
WASHINGTON — Even as fierce political battles rage in Washington over school choice, most Americans know little about charter schools or private school voucher programs. Still, more Americans feel positively than negatively about expanding those programs, according to a new poll.
“I wonder what the fuss is about,” said Beverly Brown, 61, a retired grocery store worker in central Alabama. Brown, who doesn’t have children, says U.S. schools need reform, but she is not familiar with specific school options and policies.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents say they know little or nothing at all about charter schools and 66 percent report the same about private school voucher programs, according to the poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Charters are schools funded by taxpayer money, but they operate independently of school districts and thus have more freedom in setting their curriculum and hiring staff. Vouchers are publicly funded scholarships given to low-income families to help cover tuition in private schools, including religious ones.
Using taxpayer money to aid struggling public schools or diverting it to fund more charter schools or make private schools available to more families has been hotly debated since Donald Trump was elected president. During the campaign, Trump promised to fund a $20 billion school choice program. He picked a charter and private school advocate, Betsy DeVos, as his education secretary.
Earlier this month the president welcomed a group of students who were voucher recipients to the White House and asked Congress to work with him to make school options available nationwide.
Those efforts face fierce resistance from teachers unions and some Democrats who say that school choice drains funds from public schools while leaving charter and private schools unaccountable in terms of academic standards and civil rights protections. Other Democrats support some of the choice measures, which also divide Republicans.
Patrick McGuinn, an education professor at Drew University, said he was surprised that most Americans had little knowledge about school choice options.
“That’s pretty remarkable given the growth and high-profile politics around charters,” he said. “As much as policymakers are talking the heck about this, the debate really hasn’t permeated the general public’s discussion yet.”
Charter schools operate in 42 states and the District of Columbia. D.C. has only the federally funded voucher program, while 30 states have voucher or similar education choice programs.
Even though they are unfamiliar to many, Americans have largely positive reactions to charter schools and vouchers. While 55 percent of respondents say parents in their communities had enough options with regard to schools, about 4 in 10 feel the country in general would benefit from more choice.
Forty-seven percent say they favor opening more public charter schools, 23 percent are opposed and 30 percent feel neutral about it. Meanwhile, 43 percent of respondents support giving low-income families tuition vouchers for private schools, 35 percent are opposed and 21 percent don’t have a strong opinion either way.
Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to favor opening more charter schools, 53 percent to 42 percent, but there is little partisan variation for voucher programs. At the same time, opposition to vouchers is highest among those who have heard the most about them.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,036 adults was conducted April 20-23 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.