Do Americans Know How Well Their State’s Schools Perform?
Evidence suggests that Americans have been wise enough to ignore the woefully misleading information about student proficiency rates generated by state testing systems when forming judgments about the quality of their state’s schools.
Reform Agenda Gains Strength
The 2012 EdNext-PEPG survey finds Hispanics give schools higher grade than others do
The 2012 EdNext-PEPG survey finds Hispanics give schools a higher grade than others do
What We’re Watching: The Teacher Unions Image Problem
Paul Peterson talks with the Wall Street Journal about a new survey showing that the public is turning against teachers unions.
Another Real Winner in Wisconsin—Real Clear Politics
My colleagues and I went out on a limb yesterday when we wrote an op-ed piece saying that teacher unions were in trouble. So I watched the news last night with a worried eye after CNN told me that the exit polls in Wisconsin showed a tight race.
Behind the Headline: Teachers Unions Have a Popularity Problem
On Top of the News Peterson, Howell and West: Teachers Unions Have a Popularity Problem Wall Street Journal | 6/4/12 Behind the Headline The Public Weighs in on School Reform Education Next | Fall 2011 A new public opinion survey finds that the percentage of people taking a negative view of teacher unions is growing, [...]
The Newsroom’s View of Education Reform
Surprise! The press paints a distorted picture
Surprise! The press paints a distorted picture
Views of EdNext Readers In Line With Those of General Public (except on Teachers Unions)
Ed Next readers—or at least those who participate in our polls—are not all that different from the public at large, except that they seem to know more about the issues and are thus more inclined to take a position on them. That’s what we discovered when we asked the same questions of readers as were posed to a representative cross-section of the public as a whole in 2011.
When public education’s two Ps disagree
It’s long been said that public education must achieve both public and private aims. The public, which foots the bill, has an interest in a well-educated populace. Parents—schools’ primary clients—want a strong foundation for their own children. Much of the time these two interests are in perfect alignment. But what happens when they’re not?
Up With Teachers, Not So Much With Unions
The new Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup survey makes clear that most adults value their children’s teachers.
The Public Weighs In on School Reform
Intense controversies do not alter public thinking, but teachers differ more sharply than ever
Intense controversies do not alter public thinking, but teachers differ more sharply than ever
Meeting of the Minds
The 2010 EdNext-PEPG Survey shows that, on many education reform issues, Democrats and Republicans hardly disagree
The 2010 EdNext-PEPG Survey shows that, on many education reform issues, Democrats and Republicans hardly disagree
How Do Citizens Grade Schools?
For several decades pollsters have asked American citizens to grade the nation’s public schools, both nationally and within their local community. Yet we know next to nothing about how citizens go about answering.
Grading Schools
Can citizens tell a good school when they see one?
Can citizens tell a good school when they see one?
Lost Opportunities
Lawmakers threaten D.C. scholarships despite evidence of benefits
Lawmakers threaten D.C. scholarships despite evidence of benefits
Accountability Lost
Student learning is seldom a factor in school board elections
Student learning is seldom a factor in school board elections
The Persuadable Public
The 2009 Education Next-PEPG Survey asks if information changes minds about school reform.
The 2009 Education Next-PEPG Survey asks if information changes minds about school reform.
How Much Support Is There for Merit Pay?
Opinion on merit pay has yet to consolidate in one direction or another, as a lot of people have yet to make up their mind.
Disappearing Ink
What happens when the education reporter goes away?
What happens when the education reporter goes away?
When it Comes to Supporting NCLB, It’s the Way You Ask the Question That Counts
In polls, the way you ask the question can sometimes determine the answer you get. If the public has no strong opinion, they can be swayed by the question itself.
Polls Seem to Differ on Charters, But In Fact They Agree
According to the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll, 64 percent of all Americans “favor the idea of charters.” But according to the Ednext poll, only 39 percent “support the formation of charter schools.”
Swaying Public Opinion
Video: Martin West talks with Education Next about what it takes to change public opinion about reforms like charter schools.
“Obama Effect” Strongly Influences Public Attitudes on Controversial Education Topics, according to Education Next–PEPG 2009 National Survey
Findings Show Research Evidence Can Be Equally Significant in Shaping Public Opinion. Read the full article,
The Persuadable Public, by William G. Howell, Paul E. Peterson and Martin R. West.
When It Comes to Charter Schools, What Do Americans Really Care About?
A look at the latest Ednext poll convinces me that the charter school movement needs to do one and only one thing to succeed—prove that charters can be effective in the classroom.
Educating the Public
How information affects Americans' support for school spending and charter schools
How information affects Americans’ support for school spending and charter schools
