Teachers support school choice, don’t want cellphones in the classroom, survey shows  

While 50% of teachers feel optimistic about their local school district, just 26% are optimistic about education nationally, a new survey says. 

Even parents are more likely to say national education is on the right track (40%).  

Those are some of the results of EdChoice’s newest teacher survey released Oct. 22, which polled 1,000 educators on a variety of issues facing American schools, finding many expressing support for conservative reforms. 

When it comes to making decisions about education, teachers mainly trust other educators (60%) and principals (30%), with only 16% putting “a lot” of trust in school parents. 

School boards, state government and the U.S. Department of Education were also ranked at the bottom. 

One possible explanation for this lack of trust could involve a perceived lack of funding: Public-school teachers significantly underestimate how much funding their schools receive from the government, according to EdChoice. 

Indeed, educators who were polled guessed an average of $5,000 per pupil. In reality, the nationwide average is over $15,000 per pupil. 

Nevertheless, most teachers still show support for school choice initiatives, especially when given a description. A strong majority (75%) think favorably of education savings accounts (ESAs), 51% of school vouchers, 58% of charter schools and 68% of open enrollment. 

Private school teachers are even more likely to support school choice programs and report better student outcomes than their district counterparts. 

EdChoice found private school educators consistently rank more of their students as progressing “very well” in academics (9 points above public-school counterparts), social development (8 points above), and emotional development (11 points above). 

However, both public and private teachers believe cellphones shouldn’t be in the classroom (79%). Additionally, respondents are split 52% to 45% on whether cellphones should be allowed in schools at all.