Survey Results are in: Virginians Support School Choice – But what do we do next?
So I should start off with apologies for not having a chance to write on this earlier this week, but those of you who follow us on Twitter know that we’ve been trying to keep up with sharing all the coverage of our announcement of the new survey conducted here in Virginia by the Friedman Foundation on education issues.
On Monday, we were honored to be a part of a large group joining the Friedman Foundation in the release of “Virginia’s Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice.” (The folks from Friedman have told us that our coalition of release partners was larger than any state so far, including: The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, Virginia Catholic Conference, The Family Foundation, The Chase Foundation of Virginia, The Alderson Family Foundation, Virginia Council for Private Education, Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium, Old Dominion Association of Church Schools, Agudath Israel of America – Mid-Atlantic Region, Verizon Virginia, Markel Corporation, Joe Ragan’s Coffee and Office Products, School Choice Virginia, The Lexington Institute, and Americans for Prosperity – Virginia. National organizations include the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Association of Christian Schools International, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, National Catholic Educational Association, and United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.)
As if that list of partners wasn’t impressive enough, the findings of the statewide survey added the real punch.
Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to those of us on the ground working for education reforms (and those of us who have ever talked to parents about educational choices for their kids), but a majority of likely voters support school choice options (including tax-credit scholarships, vouchers and charter schools) and would opt for schools other than their traditional public schools.
Now before someone jumps in with the old argument that “well they must all be AGAINST public schools then!” – one of the interesting finds of the survey was that actually a majority of Virginians rate their public schools as good or excellent (which Friedman hasn’t found in other states). But while they have high opinions of their public schools, they STILL support more educational choices, showing again what we’ve said all along that this isn’t about public versus private, and that you can support your traditional public schools AND be for school choice.
Second point- this isn’t some right-wing Republican plot against the public school system. Nope. In fact there is strong support for tax-credit scholarships AND vouchers among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And that support is significant:
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: 64% | R: 68% | I: 66%
* Vouchers: D: 53% | R: 67% | I: 58%
* Special needs vouchers: D: 81% | R: 79% | I: 76%
Yes, you read that right. The majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents support school choice options- even VOUCHERS! (And here we were being told “voucher” was practically a dirty word!)
Perhaps even more significantly (especially for those of us who enjoy the numbers game), the favor-oppose gaps between those who support versus those who stated their oppposition to these choice options was very large.
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: +43% | R: +46% | I: +44%
* Vouchers: D: +15% | R: +39% | I: +22%
* Special needs vouchers: D: +67% | R: +64% | I: +60%
So, the big question has been: Well, what does this all mean for Virginia?
Well, some of that is in your hands. While we are doing our part to share the results of this survey with newly elected lawmakers, the media, parents and other policy-influencers, you can help by getting involved! Share this survey with your Delegate and Senator. Ask them if they will support education reforms that will provide parents greater access to educational options. Because at the end of the day, a survey is good at telling you the overview, but actually hearing directly from voters living in your own legislative district is even better. So join us in sharing this survey- and join us in sharing your support for education reforms!
Friedman Foundation Survey: “Virginia’s Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice “
We’ll post more on this later today, but in case you missed it yesterday, we were honored to joined the Friedman Foundation, Virginia Walden Ford and many other state and national education organizations in releasing the latest in the Friedman Foundations Surveys in the State series.
To read more: Virginia’s Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice
News Conference scheduled for release of survey results on education issues
Representatives from several state and national education, business, religious and policy organizations will hold a news conference on Monday, November 16, 2009 to discuss the results of a survey of Virginia voters on education reform and school choice issues.
At the news conference, the groups will formally release the results of a public opinion survey conducted in October of 1,203 Virginia residents (who identified themselves as “likely voters”) on a wide range of educational reform issues.
Media coverage is invited. For more details, or to schedule new media and radio interviews, please contact us.
Congratulations!
There has already been plenty written about Tuesday’s elections here in the Commonwealth, and we have no doubt that plenty more will be written in the coming days and coming months.
We here at School Choice Virginia simply wish to extend our sincere congratulations to Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell, Lieutentant Governor Bill Bolling (on his re-election) and Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli, along with all the newly elected and returning members of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Mr. McDonnell has been a strong supporter of school choice and education reforms during his years serving in the legislature and as Virginia’s Attorney General- and we shared some about his campaign platform on education reform here on our blog. We look forward to working with the Governor-elect, the new administration, and the legislature to continue to promote education reforms that will give all children greater access to the educational options to help them succeed.
VOTE: Our Children Are Counting On Us
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to have lunch with another leader in the school choice movement. As we discussed policy and reforms and all those “good ideas” we have to improve educational opportunities for our children, he stopped and asked a very poignant question.
“But what can I tell a parent they can do now- TODAY- to change their child’s education?”
It is a tough question to answer. As many of us who have worked on this issue for years (or decades) know, change sadly does not usually happen over night. Many of these reforms come slowly- and sometimes progress can seem to barely move at a crawl. Our coalition here at School Choice Virginia includes many individuals and organizations who have been on the front-lines of the education fight here in Virginia for many years. They have remained committed to fighting for our children, even when the odds seem stacked against them.
And while we have outlined a number of steps here on our website that parents can take to get involved, the first step comes tomorrow. On Tuesday, November 3rd, you can take the first step for meaningful education reforms for our children by getting out to the polls and voting.
Your vote matters. Your voice matters. Our children cannot vote- so they are counting on us to speak up for them. They are counting on us to be their voice.
If you aren’t sure where to go vote, you can find your polling location online.
We have shared some information about the education platforms of the two candidates for governor, but we also encourage you to learn about their positions. For Bob McDonnell’s positions on education visit here. For Creigh Deed’s positions on education visit here.
Please remember to VOTE on Tuesday, November 3rd. It is the first step we can all take to make sure our voices are heard for educational reforms that will give all our children access to educational opportunities to help them succeed. We need leadership in Richmond that will stand up for our children and fight for education reforms to give them ALL a brighter future.
