Editor’s note: This article appeared Thursday in the National Review.
According to a new poll released this morning by the American Federation for Children and Invest in Education, support for school choice continues to rise among Americans of all political views and across racial demographics.
The results contain several notable findings, but the theme is clear: Americans of all stripes are beginning to reach a consensus in favor of school choice and of education policy that favors parental rights.
The survey asked respondents about four key areas of the education debate: the role of parents, education-savings accounts, education-freedom scholarships, and failing schools. On each question, a majority of all respondents believed that greater education freedom is the correct policy.
The survey was conducted by OnMessage Inc. in telephone interviews between Feb. 14 and Feb. 17, surveying 1,000 voters likely to vote in the upcoming general election. The sample was stratified to reflect voter trends and had a 3.1% margin of error.
“As we mark two years since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a seismic shift in how parents think about education,” said Luke Messer, president of Invest in Education, and Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children in a joint statement. “Voters are also prioritizing education freedom and standing ready to make their views known at the ballot box.”
Messer and Schultz also emphasized that growing support for school choice is a response to “egregious achievement gaps” in public schools and the fact that “disadvantaged children [are] systematically assigned to schools that have been failing students for decades.”
To continue reading, click here.
