Bowen Center Blog

Confusion over School Choice?

Ray Scheele and Joseph Losco

Bowen Center for Public Affairs

The 2010 Hoosier Survey revealed in December that Indiana residents overwhelming (67% to 25%) prefer that tax dollars be utilized for existing public schools rather than for the creation of more charter school.   This month, the Foundation for Educational Choice (http://www.edchoice.org/Research/Reports/Indiana-K-12---School-Choice-Survey.aspx) issued the results of their own poll which showed that “Indiana voters are much more likely to favor charter schools (66%), rather than oppose such schools (16%). All counties overwhelmingly support charter schools.”   The juxtaposition of these results has caused some in the media (e.g., Indiana Education Insight) to question the results of the Hoosier survey.  These questions arise from a fundamental misunderstanding of the samples utilized and the meaning of the questions themselves.

First, it is important to realize that the samples utilized were different.  The Foundation for Educational Choice interviewed “registered voters.”  Our sample was all Hoosiers 18 years of age and older.  The reason for our choice is simple: public policies apply to everyone even if they are not registered.  Moreover, even those not registered to vote pay taxes to support public policies in all its many facets.

Additionally, it is not clear whether the Foundation utilized a sample drawn from land lines only.  Recent research from the PEW Research Center (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1761/cell-phones-and-election-polls-2010-midterm-elections)  has found that nearly a quarter of all households now utilize cell phones only.  As a result, it is important to sample cell phone only users—as we did.  So, our samples may be quite different.  It should be noted that our sample size (600) yields a larger margin of error (± 4.5%) than the size used by the Foundation (± 3.1%).  However, the results of our question reveals a gaping difference in viewpoint that goes well beyond the error factor.

Secondly, despite differences in samples, it is important to realize that the two surveys ask two fundamentally different questions:   The Foundation asks about support for charter schools in general and we have no evidence to contradict the high level of support they found for charters (66% approval).  However, charters can be funded privately or publicly—a feature that is at the heart of our question.  This year the General Assembly is fashioning a two-year state budget.  If more charter schools are authorized in Indiana, the legislators also must address how they will be financially supported.  Our question wording is as follows: 

Charter schools have been started throughout the state in recent years as an alternative to local public schools.  Charter schools may receive public money as well as private donations and are exempt from some rules that apply to public schools in exchange for some kind of accountability for producing results in student achievement.  Some people believe these schools unnecessarily take public money away from struggling public schools.  Others believe charter schools provide a necessary alternative to parents whose local schools are underperforming.  Do you support the creation of more charter schools throughout the state or would you like to see public money stay with public school systems?

Our question then goes to the use of public funds for charters when the public is given an option. When Hoosiers (not just voters) are asked whether tax money should be devoted to funding their public schools or used to create more charters, their answer is clear:

a) favor creation of more charter schools  25.1

b) favor using the money to support current public school systems  67.1

c) DK  7.8

Ultimately, as many surveys demonstrate, the public is still confused about the nature of charter schools and what should be done to improve the quality of education in this country.  It is not unusual for advocates of each side in the school choice debate to pounce upon survey results that support their position.  However, the public is still not convinced about what will make a real difference and political leaders on both side of the school choice issue still have a lot of citizen education to do.