Standards

Survey Finds Parents Conflicted About Time Dedicated to Testing Students

By Karla Scoon Reid — June 27, 2014 1 min read
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A new survey released Thursday paints a conflicting picture of parents’ attitudes about the time students spend taking tests.

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice’s annual Schooling in America Survey shows 44 percent of parents think that schools devote too much time to testing. That same survey, however, found that the majority of parents—52 percent, in fact—think their children either spend the right amount of time (30 percent) on testing or not enough (22 percent). So depending on where you stand in the testing debate this survey could fuel that cause.

The survey also found that a majority of Americans support vouchers no matter what they’re called or how they are structured. Overall, 63 percent all Americans back vouchers while 56 percent are in favor of education-savings accounts and 64 percent support tax-credit scholarships. Support for vouchers is slightly higher among parents with 69 percent. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice is a proponent of school choice.

No survey would be complete without gauging respondents’ views regarding the Common Core State Standards. The survey found that half of those surveyed said they support the common core, while 41 percent opposed the standards.

According to the survey, those who strongly opposed the common core were more likely to be a school parent, middle-income, identify themselves politically as Independent, and live in the suburbs or in a small-town community. Those in favor of the common core were more likely to be Democrats, low-income, and live in urban centers.

Braun Research conducted the telephone survey of more than 1,000 Americans in April and May this year.

A version of this news article first appeared in the K-12 Parents and the Public blog.