Maine Poll Slides (2013)

March 6, 2013

Paul DiPernaFriedman Foundation for Educational Choice

[email protected]

Maine

K-12 & School Choice SurveyWhat Do Voters Say About K-12 Education?

edchoice.orgThe Friedman Foundation For Educational Choice | edchoice.org

About the Friedman Foundation• Established in 1996• Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN• 501(c)(3) / Nonpartisan / Nonprofit• What do we do?

Working with local and state partners,

we are committed to research, education, and outreach on the vital issues and implications

related to choice and competition in K-12 education.


Why did we do this poll?

• ME public opinion wrt school choice

• K-12/policy conversations

• seek fresh perspectives

• assess/compare to other states


Maine’s K-12 Profile

Average State Rank on NAEP 14

High School Graduation Rate 82.8%

# Regular Public School Students 184,830# Charter School Students NA# Private School Students 16,124# Home School Students 4,730

% Regular Public School Students 89.9%% Charter School Students NA% Private School Students 7.8%% Home School Students 2.3%

# School Districts 235# Regular Public Schools 657# Charter Schools 2# Private Schools 145

$ Revenue Per Student $13,950$ “Total” Per Student Spending $13,839$ “Current” Per Student Spending $12,452


Survey Project & Profile

Interview Dates: January 30 to February 6, 2013

Interview Method: Live Telephone | 68% landline and 32% cell phone

Sample Frame: Registered Voters

Sampling Method: Dual Frame; Probability Sampling; RDD

Sample Sizes: MAINE = 604

Margins of Error: MAINE = ± 4.0 percentage points Split Sample (Q5) = ± 5.6 percentage points

Response Rates: Landline (LL) = 14.4%Cell Phone = 11.5%

Weighting? Yes (Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Region)

Oversampling? No


Survey Snapshots


Considering…

~ Levels

~ Differences (Favor – Oppose)

~ Intensities (Strong Favor – Strong Oppose)


What do registered voters say about

K-12 Education in Maine?




• Parents (37%) are more likely than non-parents (29%) to see things going in the right direction.

• Republicans (55%) and conservatives (57%) are significantly more likely to think things are on the wrong track, compared to other political party and ideological groups.

• Democrats (54%), Independents (57%), and liberals (59%) are more likely to express positive ratings for the public school system, compared to other political party and ideological groups.


What do voters know about

spending in K-12 Education?





How do respondents grade schools in their communities?

What type of school is first preference?


edchoice.org



Q8. What is the most important characteristic or attribute that would cause you to choose a [INSERT SCHOOL TYPE FROM PREVIOUS QUESTION] for your child? Please use one word, or a very short phrase.

Specific impressions offered by respondents in the statewide sample. Numbers represent counts (n), not percentages.

BETTER EDUCATION / QUALITY 93

INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION / ONE-ON-ONE 74

BETTER TEACHERS / TEACHERS / TEACHING 50

SOCIALIZATION / PEERS / OTHER KIDS 48


How much do voters know about

structural reforms in K-12 Education?



What do voters say

about charter schools?



• Large positive net support (+42 net) favoring charter schools. The enthusiasm is also very positive (+15 intensity).

• Approximately 66% of parents favor charters.

• Democrats significantly differ from Republicans and Independents, although all three groups overwhelmingly support charter schools (53%, 73%, and 62%).

• Intensity of support for charters is greatest among parents, Republicans, conservatives, young voters, and low-income voters.


… virtual schools?



… tax-credit scholarships?



… education savings accounts?



… school vouchers?



• Significant positive net support (+17 points) favoring school vouchers. The intensity is slightly positive (+3 points).

• Net support for school vouchers is highest among parents, Republicans, conservatives, young voters, middle-age voters, and low-income households.

• Enthusiasm for this type of school choice policy is highest among these same groups.



• Net support for “universal” eligibility is +38 points, compared to –38 points for “targeted” eligibility.

• The differences of intensity between questions are in stark contrast: For universal eligibility, there is solid positive intensity (+24). By comparison, for targeted eligibility, there is considerable negative intensity (-34).


Broad Points | What did we learn?

• negative about direction of K-12• mixed/lean positive: public schools• very positive: private schools • support for school choice policies

across most demographics positive net differences mixed/lean positive intensities

• eligibility: universal > targeted

Thank You

Questions, Comments, or Suggestions?

Contact: Paul DiPerna, [email protected]

News & Politics

Maine Poll Slides (2013)