Poll shows what parents really want: durable skills, school choice, no cellphones in class 

A new poll reveals what parents actually want from schools – and the findings expose gaps between private and public education, a hunger for durable skills, and more optimism towards local and state education than the national level. 

EdChoice, along with Morning Consult, surveyed a sample of 2,250 adults and 1,300 school parents each month in August, September, October, and November on a variety of questions about K-12 education.

One key finding: private school parents “are much more likely than public school parents to rate their child’s school an A for this school year,” the results indicate, with 48% of private school parents giving an “A” grade compared to only 33% of public school parents.

Parents value skill development, the polling revealed, with more than 80% of parents agreeing it’s important for schools to emphasize communication, critical thinking and character building. Parents and American adults “overwhelmingly support teaching debate and civil discourse in both middle and high schools, believing the best approach is to integrate debate skills across required classes,” the survey indicates.

While a majority of parents want cell phones to be allowed inside school, only one-third think students should be allowed to have them in the classroom. 

The poll also revealed key insights about optimism in K-12 education and school choice policies. The topic has sparked national conversation in recent months as the Trump administration has made returning education to the states and embracing school choice a top priority. 

Nearly three-fourths of parents surveyed in November support education savings accounts, while roughly 10% oppose them. Most school parents also believe ESAs should be available “to all families regardless of income or special needs.” And nearly 80% of parents support 529 plans for education-related expenses.

Support for school choice policies, including ESAs, charter schools and vouchers, is higher when given a description of the policy, the polling found. 

Notably, American adults surveyed were more optimistic about K-12 education at the local and state than at the national level. While 38% were optimistic about their local school districts, only 28% think nationwide K-12 education is on the right track.