National Battle Over Education Provides Opportunities, Risks for Democrats
NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 8, 2023) — A new poll released today by Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) shows overwhelming support among voters—particularly Black and Latino voters and parents—for increased options in our public school system. Consistent with prior research, the polling indicates that Democrats who do not propose solutions beyond funding alone, risk alienating key elements of their base, and exacerbating a growing issue of trust on education policy.
The poll found that more than 70% of Black and Latino voters, Democrats, and voters who are parents held favorable views of public charter schools—with an overwhelming majority of Black (67%) and Hispanic (69%) parents seeing new ideas and public school choice options, coupled with more funding, as integral components to improving our nation’s education system.
“At a time when so much is at stake politically, Democrats cannot afford to ignore voters of color and parents who so ardently want more school choice options,” said DFER CEO Jorge Elorza. “Voters of color prefer public options, but if Democrats do not wholeheartedly embrace public school choice as a party, we not only lose an opportunity to better serve students, but we risk losing Black and Latino voters who do not feel heard.”
In encouraging news for Democrats, proposals to invest in public school options—which reflect the types of public school choice supported by many Democrats—outperform Republican proposals for disinvestment in our public education system 2:1 among Black voters. Notably, 67% of Black voters and 57% of Latino voters also said they preferred public school choices compared to private voucher programs.
“For the past 30 years, public charter schools have delivered exceptional results educating Black, Latino, and low-income kids throughout the country and they’ve shown that a great public school education is not reserved for only the affluent,” added Elorza. “Democratic mayors, governors, and school board members who are accountable to families have long supported public school choice options. It’s time for the rest of the Party to join us.”
The poll also found that:
- 77% of parents viewed public charters favorably— including 80% of Black parents and 71% of Latino parents.
- Among Democrats, 73% said they viewed public charter schools favorably, preferring public options to private vouchers by a 40-percentage-point margin. Independent voters preferred public options to private vouchers by a 28-percentage-point margin.
- More than half of voters (56%) are also concerned by Republicans’ prioritization of censorship and banning books, rather than teaching students to read books.
This is the first poll of DFER’s new quarterly polling project, DFER EdTrends. The nationally representative poll was conducted by Emerson College Polling between April 17-19, 2023, and surveyed United States voters. Data was collected by contacting cell phones via SMS-to-web, email via a consumer list of emails, and an online panel. The sample size is n=1,000 with a credibility interval of +/- 3%.
You can view the poll results here. Additional crosstabs available upon request.
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About Democrats for Education Reform
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a national political organization that supports elected Democrats and candidates for office who seek to expand policies and practices that increase educational equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. It is a partner organization of Education Reform Now Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that supports DFER’s legislative and policy advocacy work. www.dfer.org.
In Part 2 of the 2nd Edition of our Democratic Guide to Public Charter Schools, we highlight how key Democratic leaders, past and present, at all levels of government, have been instrumental in creating, funding, and advocating for public charter schools. The list includes former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, leading Congressional Democrats such as Senators Patty Murray and Cory Booker, and Governors like Andrew Cuomo and Jared Polis.
Of particular note: Part 2 includes an exclusive DFER analysis of grants awarded under a program created by President Obama to fund the replication and expansion of high-quality schools run by Charter Management Organizations. In less than a decade, this program has provided funding to support nearly 1,000 new public charter schools and more than 500,000 additional seats in high-performing charter networks across the country.
Stay tuned as additional chapters from our DGPCS continue to be released throughout the week.
Also see: Part 1, Origins and Public Opinion Research.
DFER Releases Results from Public Opinion Research on Charter Schools
Previews Forthcoming “Democratic Guide to Public Charter Schools”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 9, 2019) – Today, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) released new public opinion research on Democratic support for public charter schools. The poll results are part of the 2nd Edition of DFER’s “Democratic Guide to Public Charter Schools (DGPCS),” which will be released in full next week in honor of National Public Charter Schools Week (May 12 -18).
Topline findings from the research include strong support for public charter schools among key Democratic constituencies, particularly Black and Hispanic voters.
These are the first publicly reported polling results in recent years that drill down on views about public charter schools and public school choice within the Democratic Party. The DFER-commissioned poll was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, in consultation with 270 Strategies.
As the full forthcoming “Democratic Guide to Public Charter Schools” will show, from their origins in the 1980’s up until the present day, public charter schools have enjoyed strong bipartisan support, including from many prominent Democrats.
The guide will trace the origins of public charter schools back to leading progressive thinkers and advocates and shows that the current public charter school sector reflects our shared values of equalizing educational opportunities and empowering local communities. These leaders exemplify the ideal of fighting on behalf of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals, which has always been one of the Democratic Party’s core missions.
You can find the polling results here. The complete 2nd Edition “Democratic Guide to Public Charter Schools” will be rolled out next week.
Additional key findings include:
- Findings from a poll of millennial voters, another key Democratic constituency, show even higher levels of support overall and similar trends among racial and ethnic groups relative to each other
- Progressive charter advocates have some work to do with White Democratic primary voters who expressed the lowest favorability for public charter schools of all key demographic categories and who are also less likely to have their children enroll in and benefit from public charter schools.
- The views of White Democratic voters seem to be a significant political impediment to parents of color gaining access to high-quality public charter schools that best serve their children.
- Every key Democratic constituency supports public charter schools as part of a system of other public school choice options that includes magnet schools, Montessori schools, and career academies.
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