St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 20, 2007– Education Minnesota today released the findings of public opinion polling conducted in late 2006 as part of its Schools First! campaign. Voters across the state were interviewed by researchers from Cooper & Secrest Associates Inc. to determine their assessment of Minnesota public schools, and to identify priorities and suggestions for the future of our education systems.
“Minnesota is a state in which voters hold their public schools and public school teachers in unusually high esteem and are passionate about, and committed to, maintaining and even raising the standard of excellence. They expect no less,” said Alan Secrest, Cooper & Secrest Associates president.
A few of the key poll findings include:
To keep good staff and therefore, good schools, more public school funding is necessary.
Sixty-two percent of voters said state spending for public schools should be increased. Just 29 percent say the schools already have “as much money as they need to do things right.” When asked if investing more money in public schools is effective for improving public education, 92 percent of public school households answered “very.”
Despite funding and resource shortfalls, teachers have persevered, earning strong plaudits from voters.
Eighty-two percent of voters hold a favorable personal opinion of public school teachers and public school support staff, with 78 percent giving a positive job rating for the public school teachers in their community.
There is room for improvement.
Voters highlighted the need for efforts to close the achievement gap between white and minority students, with 79 percent finding it a serious problem in Minnesota.
Substantial majorities of Minnesota voters regard each of the following goals as either very or somewhat important in making Minnesota schools the best they can be: having small class sizes that allow enough individual attention (96 percent), having enough computers, other technology and lab equipment (96 percent), and having quality early childhood programs (90 percent).
However, voters went on to tell interviewers that when it comes to achieving these goals, our public schools have a substantial distance yet to go. Sixty percent of voters gave efforts on small class sizes a negative job performance rating. Only 37 percent had positive ratings for quality early childhood programs and 51 percent felt positive about the status of technology and lab equipment in our schools.
Minnesota elected officials must be held accountable for their election-year promises of continued investment in Minnesota’s public schools.
Eighty-nine percent of voters believe “holding our elected officials more accountable for their decisions on education issues” is an effective suggestion for improving the public schools.
“Neither the public, nor Education Minnesota, will allow mediocrity in our schools,” said Education Minnesota President Judy Schaubach. “We will carry the public’s messages to the Capitol, urging legislators and the governor to listen to their constituents and invest in initiatives that put schools first in
Minnesota. The release of this data does not mark the end of our dialog with the public — in fact we are just beginning, We promise to continue the candid conversations in an effort to align our priorities with the public's, and ensure that, in Minnesota, schools come first.”
Further results from the public opinion polling can be found on the Schools First! Web site.
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota represents 70,000 professionals working to put schools first. Education Minnesota members include teachers and educational support professionals in pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools; faculty at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges, and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston; retired educators; and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
About Schools First!
Schools First! is a five-year campaign intended to firmly establish public education as a top priority in Minnesota, by listening to what Minnesotans want in our public schools and then advocating on their behalf. The 70,000 educator members of Education Minnesota sponsor the Schools First! initiative to encourage a thoughtful, productive conversation about Minnesota’s public schools. The campaign launched in January 2006 and has since utilized advertising, listening tours and public opinion polling to invite members of the public to share their priorities, concerns and visions for Minnesota’s public schools.
About Cooper & Secrest Associates
Cooper & Secrest Associates is one of the largest and most successful political polling firms in the nation, having worked on campaigns at every electoral level, including more than 300 successful elections in the U.S. Congress. Cooper & Secrest Associates also serves a wide variety of non-candidate clients, including American Express, Kansans for Lifesaving Cures, the National School Boards Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the National Association of Broadcasters.