69传媒

Federal

Poll Gives Obama Edge on Improving 69传媒

By Alyson Klein 鈥 August 20, 2008 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

A greater proportion of Americans think that Sen. Barack Obama would be more likely than Sen. John McCain to improve public schools as president, according to a .

The survey, conducted by and the , reports that 46 percent of respondents viewed Sen. Obama as the candidate for the White House better able to strengthen public education, compared with 29 percent for Sen. McCain. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they didn鈥檛 know which candidate would be better able to handle school policy.

The poll, released annually by PDK, a professional society for educators based in Bloomington, Ind., and Princeton, N.J.-based Gallup, was conducted from June 14 to July 3, using a national sample of 1,002 adults aged 18 and older. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The survey also showed that only a small proportion of Americans鈥16 percent鈥攚ant to see the No Child Left Behind Act, the main federal K-12 education law whose reauthorization is pending in Congress, renewed without major changes. Thirty-one percent of respondents identifying themselves as Republicans and 50 percent of Democrats said would like to see the law extended, but changed significantly.

And 25 percent of Democratic respondents said they would like to see the law scrapped entirely, compared with 27 percent of Republicans.

The results on which party鈥檚 nominee would be better for public schools represent a significant shift from 2004, when that election鈥檚 Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, was viewed as equally supportive of public education as President Bush, with each receiving the confidence of 41 percent of respondents on the issue. In 2000, respondents gave then-Texas Gov. Bush a slight edge over Vice President Al Gore on public education, with 38 percent of those surveyed saying they thought Mr. Bush would better handle K-12 policy, compared with 37 percent for Mr. Gore.

Campaign K-12 at the Political Conventions

Edweek.org brings you exclusive live coverage of education-related issues and events from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Education Week鈥檚 top political reporters will be blogging at as events unfold. You can also follow them at .

Those surveyed gave Sen. Obama, the Illinois Democrat set to officially gain his party鈥檚 presidential nomination next week in Denver, an edge on handling a range of education issues, including in promoting parental choice, typically a policy position more closely identified with Republicans.

Forty-three percent said they trusted Sen. Obama to do a better job on the issue of school choice, compared with 32 percent for Sen. McCain, the Arizona Republican slated to accept his party鈥檚 nomination early next month in St. Paul, Minn.

Respondents also gave Sen. Obama an advantage on closing the achievement gap between white and minority students, supporting research efforts for developing new curriculum courses and new educational assessments, and funding education.

The Education Party?

鈥淓ducation has traditionally been a Democratic issue,鈥 said Thomas Toch, a co-director of , a Washington think tank. He said that both President Reagan and the current president were able to use the issue effectively, but that 鈥渢he needle has moved back to where it traditionally is on education, in part because of the backlash against the No Child Left Behind Act.鈥

Jeanne Allen, the president of the in Washington, said Democrats may have an edge on the issue simply because Americans have little to go on in trying to determine how each candidate would proceed on education policy, because the campaign has featured so little discussion of it.

鈥淧eople are responding based on uninformed opinions as the issues have only recently begun to surface,鈥 Ms. Allen said. People are more likely to guess that Democrats would handle education better, because they are perceived as the 鈥渟ofter鈥 party, typically more closely identified with domestic issues, she said.

Survey respondents also said that Democrats in general were more likely to be interested in improving public schools. Forty-four percent said they thought the Democratic Party would be more committed to strengthening K-12 schools, while just 27 percent thought the Republican Party would be.

That鈥檚 also a contrast from 2004, when survey respondents gave Democrats a smaller edge over the GOP on the same question, with just 42 percent saying they trusted the Democrats more on the issue, compared with 35 percent trusting Republicans.

This year鈥檚 PDK/Gallup poll results on that question mirror another , conducted by the at Harvard University, which found that 62 percent of Americans believe that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to improve schools.

That poll, which was conducted by the polling firm last winter, is scheduled to be published in the fall issue of , a journal of research and opinion published by the at Stanford University.

The poll also showed a boost in public support for private school vouchers. In the 2007 poll, 60 percent of respondents said they opposed allowing parents to use public money for private school choice, while 39 percent supported that idea. But this year, just 50 percent of respondents said they opposed the use of public funds for school vouchers, while 44 percent supported it.

A version of this article appeared in the August 27, 2008 edition of Education Week as Poll Gives Obama Edge on Improving 69传媒

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates鈥攁nd detractors鈥攕ee a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69传媒," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP