Exclusive Poll: RI Voters Grade Public Schools
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Registered Rhode Island voters continue to consider education a priority, but only 43 percent say they believe K-12 public schools are headed in the right track, a GoLocalProv poll finds. Meanwhile, 42 percent say the schools are headed in the wrong direction.
In an encouraging sign for educators, the majority of parents (54 percent) think the system is on the right track. Only 37 percent of parents say they believe the schools are headed in the wrong direction. By comparison, 44 percent of voters without children say the schools are on the wrong track and just 39 percent have a positive outlook on public education.
The poll, which was conducted by Starr Opinion Research, asked 403 registered voters for their opinions on a wide array of topics, ranging from pension reform to their views on the 1st Congressional District race in 2012. The margin of error for the overall sample was 4.9 percentage points.
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According to Chris Lanen, spokesman for Democrats For Education Reform (DFER), Rhode Island’s public schools still have a long way to go. He said he was not surprised to see so many Rhode Islanders feel things need to change.
“While it is a profound statement that more than a third of Rhode Island parents with children in school believe our public education system is headed in the wrong direction, our main concern is about actual academic results,” Lanen said. “Unfortunately, too many of Rhode Island’s schools, particularly in urban communities, are failing to adequately position our children to compete in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace”
DFER was one of the organizations leading the charge to bring the Achievement First charter management organization to the state to run a Mayoral Academy for students in Providence and Cranston. The plan was ultimately voted down by the Board of Regents. But Lanen said the numbers speak for themselves.
“In Providence one in three public school students do not graduate from high school; 52 percent of public schools are making insufficient progress; only 7 percent of 11th grade students are proficient in science; and only 11 percent of 11th grade students are proficient in math,” Lanen said. “With startling statistics like these, it is no surprise that so many Rhode Islanders feel things need to change. That is why we continue to fight for the development of high-quality public school options like Mayoral Academies that will help foster innovation.”
RI-CAN: RI Lagging Behind New England
Rhode Island Campaign For Achievement Now Executive Director Maryellen Butke said the numbers continue to show the state needs to do a better job addressing public education.
According to recently released data from the College Board, Rhode Island students were behind the national average on the reading and math portions of the SAT, while equaling the national average on the writing section.
"As the recent release of Rhode Island SAT scores indicate, Rhode Island lags behind the other New England states and falls behind the national average" Butke said. "This data continues to reinforce the relentless focus we must have on improving education for all of Rhode Island's students."
Changes To NCLB
The poll comes a day after Governor Chafee and Education Commissioner Deborah Gist traveled to Washington to hear President Obama roll out changes to No Child Left Behind, the controversial federal education initiative that has been widely criticized in recent years for focusing too much on standardized testing in schools.
In his speech, the President said states will be given more flexibility to meet higher standards.
“Keep in mind, the change we’re making is not lowering standards; we’re saying we’re going to give you more flexibility to meet high standards,” the President said. “We’re going to let states, schools and teachers come up with innovative ways to give our children the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future. Because what works in Rhode Island may not be the same thing that works in Tennessee -– but every student should have the same opportunity to learn and grow, no matter what state they live in. “
But the President made it clear that states will have to prove they’re serious about meeting higher standards.
“Let me repeat: This does not mean that states will be able to lower their standards or escape accountability,” Obama said. “In fact, the way we’ve structured this, if states want more flexibility, they’re going to have to set higher standards, more honest standards, that prove they’re serious about meeting them.”
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