National Opinion Poll Reveals That Americans Want More Public School Options

Giving Parents More Public School Choices Will Improve Public Schools, Majority Says

WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than three out of four voters (77%) favor giving parents more options when choosing a public school for their children, according to a new national poll conducted for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

The poll also reveals that minority voters (82%) and parents (81%) most strongly express the desire for greater public school choices. When a description of public charter schools was provided to surveyed parents, three in five (60%) expressed interest in enrolling their children in a charter school.*

The survey results are clear evidence of wide discontent with the quality of public education and interest in public charter schools as an alternative to traditional public schools that are failing to meet students' needs.

"Americans clearly want to see more choices within public education," said Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "Most also believe that giving parents more options will help strengthen public schools."

According to the survey (http://www.publiccharters.org/content/publication/detail/4008/), a majority of voters (52%) believe that allowing parents to choose the public school they think best meets the needs of their child will improve the larger system of public schools. The remaining voters are evenly divided -- 21% think it will make no difference, and 20% think it will harm the public school system.

There is also broad support for many of the qualities that charter schools provide. Over 90% of voters support providing a more structured learning environment, requiring more parental involvement (94%), and holding students, teachers and parents accountable for improved student achievement (93%).

The nationwide study of 800 registered voters, conducted by The Glover Park Group on behalf of the Alliance, was completed from March 24 to March 27, 2008. The margin of error for a total sample this size is +/-3.5%.

These opinions are supported by data on the growth of public charter schools. In the past four years 1,600 new charter schools opened and 500,000 additional public school students chose to enroll in charter schools. In the fall of 2007, 350 new public charter schools opened and an additional 115,000 public school students enrolled in these schools. Nationwide in 40 states and Washington DC, over 4,300 public charter schools enroll more than 1.2 million public school students.

The results of the national opinion survey and a compendium of new public charter school statistics - The Public Charter School Dashboard (http://www.publiccharters.org/content/publication/detail/4009/) - were released this morning during National Charter Schools Week (May 5-9) in a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the country's leading organization supporting the expansion of high-quality charter schools.

The demand for public charter schools continues to grow among American families, according to data collected and analyzed over the past year. Eight major communities now have at least 20% of their public school students enrolled in public charter schools ("Top 10 Charter Communities by Market Share: 2006-2007" - (http://www.publiccharters.org/content/publication/detail/3063/). Sixty-one percent of charter schools report waiting lists, totaling enough students to fill over 1,100 new public charter schools.

Charter schools are public schools with unique traits that increase the likelihood of a successful education for a child.

• Charter schools have increased flexibility to adapt to the educational needs of individual children, make timely decisions about developing curriculum, structure the school day, and hire teachers who meet the needs of their students.
• Charters operate within a multi-tiered accountability system -- to parents, authorizers, the state, and lenders -- that leads to quality schools and high achievement.
• Parents elect to send their children to charters, and teachers choose to work in them.

About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high-performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement.

* Respondents were provided with the following description of charter schools: "Charter schools are independent public schools that are free to be more innovative and are held accountable for improved student achievement."