What parents really think about school reform
School reformers like to talk about giving parents “choices” in public education because that’s what parents want. But a new national survey says that most parents with students in public schools want something different. The two big questions are: What do and don’t parents want? And do reformers care what parents want when it turns out parents don’t actually want what they are offering?The poll, commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers and conducted by Hart Research Associates, says that most parents want strong neighborhood schools — not choices of schools for their children to attend. They don’t want public money diverted to private-school vouchers, or low-performing schools to be closed, or resources being taken away from traditional public schools to be used for public charter schools, the poll says.
The issue that is probably the most troubling to parents is an over-emphasis on standardized testing, with 59 percent saying their child has experienced anxiety or worry about taking a state standardized assessment. In fact, most parents reject the bulk of the education reform agenda.
Here were some of the results of the poll, which a spokesman from Hart, a Democratic