Poll: Public at odds with teachers over reform
Harvard study finds public favors merit pay, opposes tenure
TALLAHASSEE -- Teachers and the broader public are divided over issues such as merit pay for teachers, the federal Race to the Top program and teacher tenure, according to new results from a national poll.
The results of the fourth annual survey conducted by Harvard University's Program on Education Policy and Governance and Education Next were released this week.
The national poll provides "strong evidence ... that most Americans support merit pay for teachers, while teachers oppose the policy by a large margin; there is strong opposition among the public to teacher tenure, while teachers favor it; and teachers are significantly more opposed to the Race to the Top program than the broader public."
The survey of 1,184 U.S. adults was conducted between May 11 and June 8 by Knowledge Networks and features "oversamples" of 684 teachers and 908 residents living in areas with at least one charter school during the 2009-2010 school year. The research was funded