Massive gaps exist between where parents would prefer to send their kids to school and where they actually send their kids to school, according to a new survey by EdChoice.
About 82 percent of parents surveyed enroll their children in district public schools, yet if given the chance to choose their child’s school, only 36 percent report that they would continue to enroll in a district public school.
If given the choice to direct their child’s education, 40 percent of parents said they would send their child to a private school, 13 percent would choose a public charter school, and 10 percent would chose to homeschool.
These findings are significant because actual enrollment does not align with parental preferences whatsoever. Currently only 10 percent of students are enrolled in private schools, 5 percent are enrolled in public charter schools, and 3 percent are homeschooled.
The survey found parents express overwhelming support, with 74 percent in favor, for the newest type of educational choice policy: education savings accounts. These government-authorized savings accounts have restricted, but multiple uses for educational purposes. Parents can choose to pay for school tuition, tutoring, online education, programs for students with special needs, instructional materials, or even future college expenses.
Support was also strong for other types of school choice, including school vouchers (64 percent in favor), tax-credit scholarships (66 percent in favor), and charter schools (61 percent in favor).
Though many wished they could change where their child attended school if given the chance, the majority of parents did express satisfaction with their child’s schooling experiences.
Yet across school sectors there are noticeable differences. About 79 percent of parents with children in private schools and 78 percent of those with children in charter schools (schools of choice) said they were “very” or “somewhat” satisfied.
In contrast, only 66 percent of parents with children in a public district school, the one to which they were assigned based on their ZIP code, expressed satisfaction.
EdChoice, a think tank in Indianapolis, surveyed a representative national sample of 1,803 adults, including an extra 533 school-aged parents. This survey has been conducted for six years, so trends in support for school choice policies are also analyzed over time.
Kate Hardiman is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. She is pursuing a master’s in education from Notre Dame University and teaches English and religion at a high school in Chicago.
