Post-Tribune and Wire Report
A new survey measuring Indiana attitudes toward public education found support is mixed on some of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ education priorities.
The survey, by Indiana University’s Center for Evaluation & Education Policy, asked a sample of state residents their opinions on topics relating to schools, including several matters now before the Indiana General Assembly, in November and December.
A majority of Hoosiers — 75.4 percent — felt that student achievement in the classroom should influence teachers’ pay. Other factors that received a majority include a teacher’s education level, a principal’s evaluation of the teachers, students’ achievement on standardized tests, and a teacher’s years of experience.
Daniels has backed a revamp of the teacher tenure and teacher evaluation system that would place more weight on student achievement. Nearly 89 percent of those surveyed said that a purpose of teacher evaluations should be to help teachers improve teaching ability.
Another bill making its way through the General Assembly would create a scholarship program for low-income students.
Survey respondents indicated little support — 7.6 percent — for “offset tuition” or vouchers for students to attend another public or private school if their school was placed on academic probation. Most surveyed — 65.9 percent — support transforming schools, which would retrain teachers and principals, revamp instructional practices and extend the school day. Other options were somewhat unpopular, including the firing half the school staff at 7.6 percent, turning the school into a charter at 5.4 percent, and closing schools at 2.1 percent.
For the first time in the survey’s history, more respondents said schools are getting worse (25.9 percent) than getting better (20.2 percent). Still, “stayed about the same” received the most responses (45.5 percent). The survey asked respondents to assign a letter grade to Indiana public school quality.
The largest response was for a C grade (37.1 percent), with B the second highest response (31.4 percent). Hoosiers opinion of schools is lower from the last survey in 2008 when the “good” category — equivalent to a B — received the largest response, with “fair” or C the second-highest answer. The grades of D and F received only 12.7 percent combined.
Hoosiers answered more positively about the schools they knew best.
When asked about the schools in their own communities, the largest response assigned their own schools a B (37.1 percent), although that number is down more than 5 percentage points from 2008.
The level of public education funding in Indiana is not enough to meet student learning needs, according to most respondents. About 65.5 percent said funding is insufficient, up from 63.6 percent in 2008.
CEEP is nonpartisan education policy and program evaluation center.