Parents Support the Common Core State Standards (Voices of Education)

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK®1

A national survey of parents with school-aged children shows overall support for the Common

Core State Standards and positive perceptions of their impact on children despite some

misconceptions about the origin of the Standards and the role of the federal government in

them. Survey results also revealed that perceptions of the Standards are shaped by responders’

support or opposition of them, and may not always be based on fact.

Background

In August 2013, School Improvement Network commissioned a

telephone survey of parents with school-aged children to investi-

gate perceptions of the Common Core State Standards. The survey,

completed by the Cicero group, attempted to contact 11,000 parents,

of which 4,180 were reached by phone. Of those reached, 1,220 were

parents of school-aged children 18 and younger, and 500 were aware

of the Standards and prepared to offer perceptions regarding them

through the phone-administered survey. Cumulatively, this stratified

random sample includes parents from a variety of political affiliations,

education levels, and income ranges.

Methods

All 500 responded to the 30 survey items through a phone interview

survey, and were limited to only one respondent per household. The

survey consisted of nine opening questions regarding respondent

demographics, including level of education, income bracket, age of

children, and amount of time spent becoming informed of the Stan-

dards through TV, newspapers, or on the Internet. The additional 21

items assessed how the respondent became aware of the Standards

and their perceptions of them.

The survey also included nine yes/no items, as well as six items offer-

ing lists from which respondents chose best options, such as how they

became aware of the Standards and who they believed had created

them. The remaining six items were Likert-scaled items quantifying

levels of agreement with statements associated with the Standards.

Likert-scaled items leveraged four-level scales ranging from “strongly

agree” to “strongly disagree,” with “no opinion” always offered as a

fifth response option. Data were analyzed and summarized as percent-

ages by level of agreement, and cross-tabulated to discover what levels

of agreement were correlated with response patterns to other items.

Because of the large sample size, any percentage or percent difference

of 2% or greater is statistically significant.

Parents’ Opinions For or Against the Common Core State Standards

Overall, only 41% of responding parents with school-aged children

have ever heard of the Common Core State Standards. 62% of the

responding parents are either strongly or moderately supportive of

the Standards, while 22% are either strongly or moderately opposed,

and 17% say they have no opinion. Percentages both for and against

the Standards were consistent across the West, South, Northeast, and

Midwest regions, and among all income brackets.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK SURVEY

Parents Support the Common Core State StandardsNational Survey of Parents Shows Support for the Standards Despite Misconceptions


Why Do You Support the Common Core State Standards?

Sample Responses

“I thInk all states should teach the same thIngs at the same grade levels. When I Was 17 I moved from calIfornIa to florIda and Was doIng Work In my senIor year that I dId In my freshman year.”

“I support It because all chIldren need to be Well educated. It prepares chIldren for better colleges lIke the Ivy league schools.”

“I lIke that It spells out What our kIds should be taught and What they should knoW.”

“I belIeve It Is necessary to have a standard across all school systems. the Idea of unIversalIzIng Is good.”

“gIves teachers a better understandIng of standards and helps them to better connect WIth the students.”

Why Do You Oppose the Common Core State Standards?

Sample Responses

“kIds learn at a dIfferent rate; some kIds pIck up thIngs a lot faster than others and some pIck up thIngs sloWer, so to test them on the same thIng Is unfaIr.”

“the common core Is a mIsguIded attempt to teach crItIcal thInkIng, and I belIeve It Is ImpossIble to test thIs. thIs process has encouraged teachIng to the test.”

“I don’t lIke the federal government tellIng me What my chIldren should learn.”

“I am afraId they are dumbIng doWn the school currIculum so everyone can feel good about themselves.”

“It Is requIrIng that We hIre another admInIstrator In our dIstrIct, so money Is beIng dIverted from students to admInIstratIon.”

ensures all chIldren learn from unIfIed core currIculum—basIc prerequIsItes/unIversalIzed

general—posItIve (agreement)

sets a clear standard—easIer to measure results

facIlItates better educatIon/learnIng—prepares students for the future

don’t knoW/na

other

facIlItates better teachIng

Improves accountabIlIty of schools/educators/students/parents

students learn at dIfferent rates—common core does not address all student needs

standards are mIsguIded/not rIgorous or too easy

standards should be a local/personal decIsIon

currIculum Is calIbrated to Worst or best students —not faIr

other

general—negatIve (opposed)

bad use of school resources

don’t knoW/na

33%

21%

20%

12%

10%

9%

6%

5%

fig. 2fig. 1


Among parents who support the Standards, 34% say they do so

because it ensures all children learn from a uniform curriculum. Of

parents who oppose the Standards, 33% say the Common Core Stan-

dards do not address all student needs or allow students to learn at

different rates. 21% of those opposed say the Standards are misguided,

and either too rigorous or too easy. For more information on why

parents support or oppose the Common Core State Standards, see

Figures 1 and 2.

Only 9% of parents say they have been invited to campaign against the

Standards, mostly via social media, signing a petition, or attending a

political rally or protest.

Opinion Trends about the Common Core State Standards

Further survey questions show supporters and opponents of the

Standards often disagreed drastically on the value or impact of the

Standards. In some cases, supporter and opponent responses show

shared misconceptions of the Standards.

Misconceptions about the Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards were developed by education

experts, business leaders, and governors and state governments, not

by the federal government. They provide year-by-year standards for

students to prepare them for college and career when they finish

high school. The Standards do not mandate a specific curriculum, but

rather leave curriculum entirely up to local educators.

However, responses show most parents do not understand this. 61%

of parents believe the Standards will result in an increase of federal

powers in education, and 55% of parents believe that integration of the

Standards will involve the federal government testing and collecting

data on students each year. Contrary to the nature of the Standards,

59% of both groups also believe the Standards mandate specific

lesson plans, potentially including mandated reading lists and teacher

instructions.

Similarly, parents who both support and oppose the Standards share a

misconception about the origin of the Standards. Despite the fact that

the Standards originated with state governments and business leaders,

47% of parents, whether for or against the Standards, believe the U.S.

Department of Education is responsible for creating the Standards,

32% believe state departments of education were involved, and 13%

believe the Obama administration was involved. The three primary

groups responsible for the Standards, education experts, business

leaders, and governors, were only identified by a small number of

parents as the responsible parties.

Parents’ perceptions of who created the Standards were sometimes

further exaggerated based on whether or not they support or oppose

the Standards. 40% of those who strongly oppose the Standards

believe they were created by “the Obama Administration,” versus only

10% of those who strongly support. For more detailed information

on parents’ perceptions of the source of the Common Core State

Standards, see Table 1 .

table 1

Parents’ Perceptions of Who Created the Common Core State Standards

parents Who strongly support

parents Who support

parents Who oppose

parents Who strongly oppose

obama admInIstratIon 10% 11% 26% 40%bush admInIstratIon 5% 7% 13% 14%u.s. department of educatIon 50% 46% 53% 56%state departments of educatIon 41% 38% 28% 21%local school or dIstrIct 11% 10% 6% 5%councIl of chIef state school offIcers 21% 16% 8% 7%educatIon experts 32% 29% 17% 14%governors 18% 18% 17% 19%state superIntendents/chIefs of educatIon

21% 20% 17% 19%

unIted natIons 3% 3% 7% 19%busIness leaders 9% 12% 8% 12%don’t knoW 8% 14% 13% 14%

Some parents also share a misunderstanding as to whether or not

personal student data will be tracked as part of the Standards, and

what types. While 64% of parents say no personal student data will

be tracked as part of the Standards (including 66% of supporters


and 56% of opponents), the remaining percentages believe personal

information will be kept on each student. 34% of parents who oppose

the Standards believe health care history will be tracked for each

student, and 24% believe student records will report whether or not

the student was born prematurely. 26% also believe religious affiliation

will be tracked. For more detailed information on parents’ perceptions

on personal student data tracked as part of the Common Core State

Standards, see Figure 3.

Parents’ Beliefs on the Types of Personal Student Data Fed-eral Authorities Will Collect Under the Common Core State

Standards Sorted by Parents’ Support or Opposition

Opposing Views: Contrasts for Supportive versus Opposed

On the other hand, those who strongly support versus strongly

oppose the Standards differ dramatically and significantly in several

ways. From the outset, 21% of those who strongly oppose the Stan-

dards report being very informed regarding the Standards, compared

to the 50% of those who strongly support the Standards.

Media consumption by each group highlights this discrepancy. Those

who strongly support the Standards report spending an average of

3.68 hours a week reading printed newspapers, nearly three times

the amount reported by those who strongly oppose the Standards,

with an average of only 1.33 hours. Similarly, strong supporters of the

Standards report spending an average of 6.35 hours a week watching

TV news, one-third more than those who oppose, who reported an

average of 4.78 hours a week. In Internet-based news, strong support-

ers of the Standards report an average of 5.42 hours a week reading

online news, and opponents to the Standards report an average of 4.73

hours a week.

Supporters and opponents also differed in their perceptions of how

the Standards were developed and will be administered. 92% of

those who strongly support the Standards believe states will have

some or total flexibility implementing, whereas 42% of those who

strongly oppose the Standards believe states will have no flexibility.

81% of those who strongly support the Standards agree they are more

rigorous than the prior standards they replace, whereas 49% of those

who strongly oppose the Common Core State Standards disagree

with that statement. 32% of those who strongly support the Stan-

dards report they were developed by “education experts,” versus only

14% of those who strongly oppose the Standards. 41% of those who

strongly support the Standards report the Standards were created by

“state departments of education,” compared to only 21% of those who

strongly oppose—nearly half as many. For more detailed information

on perceptions among those who support the Standards vs. those who

oppose them, see Table 2.

26%34%

24%

17%24%

14%

15%26%

11%

12%13%

11%

12%15%

11%

10%14%

9%

64%56%

661%

health care hIstory

Whether student Was born prematurely

relIgIous affIlIatIon

blood type

eye color

haIr color

none of the above

all parents

parents Who oppose

parents Who support

fig. 3

Note: “Strongly Support” and “Strongly Oppose responses are included within the general

categories of “Support” and Oppose.”


Perhaps most poignantly, in response to a yes/no item, 92% of

those who strongly support the Standards responded “yes” that the

Standards were developed based on educational research and data,

whereas only 56% of those strongly opposing responded “no.”

The opposing groups represent polar opposites on a host of perspec-

tives regarding also the impact the Standards would have on students.

68% of parents agree that children in different states do not receive

the same quality of education, but they do not agree on whether or not

the Common Core State Standards would improve this discrepancy.

74% of parents who support the Standards say children will benefit

because of the Common Core State Standards, while 85% of oppo-

nents to the Standards believe children will not benefit as a result of

the Standards.

88% of those who strongly support the Standards believe they will

have a positive impact on students’ preparation for college and career,

while 84% of those who strongly oppose the Standards believe they

will have a negative impact. 84% of those who strongly support the

Standards believe they will make the US more globally competitive,

while 86% of those who strongly oppose the Standards believe they

will not have that effect.

Opposing viewpoints on the Standards differ on political grounds as

well. 66% of those who strongly support the Standards identify them-

selves as being either Democrat (34%) or Republican (32%), whereas

only 39% of those who strongly oppose the Standards identify them-

selves with one of the two most prominent political parties. Rather,

60% of those who strongly oppose the Standards identify themselves

as being either Independent (30%), no political affiliation (16%), or

other (14%).

Based on these survey data, Table 3 reflects a possible though not

exhaustive general profile of supporters and opponents of the

Common Core State Standards.

table 2

Common Core State Standard Perceptions by Supporting and Opposing Parents

parents Who strongly support

parents Who support

parents Who oppose

parents Whos strongly oppose

belIeve the federal government WIll test and collect data on students each year

63% 52% 66% 79%

had been InvIted to campaIgn agaInst the standards

16% 11% 2% 2%

belIeve the standards mandate specIfIc lesson plans

66% 64% 59% 65%

lIkelIhood to vote 87% 96% 88% 70%have chIldren attendIng publIc school

87% 85% 78% 70%

report beIng very Informed about the standards

50% 27% 13% 21%

belIeve the standards are based on educatIon research and data

92% 82% 44% 37%

belIeve states have no flexIbIlIty In ImplementIng the standards

8% 9% 44% 42%

belIeve the standards are more rIgorous than prIor standards

72% 72% 46% 46%

belIeve the standards are an expansIon of federal poWers

56% 57% 79% 91%

standards WIll make the u.s. more globally competItIve

84% 71% 8% 2%

belIeve the chIld WIll benefIt because of standards

89% 74% 7% 7%

do not belIeve students receIve same qualIty of educatIon regardless of Where they lIve and attend school

39% 60% 89% 7%

belIeve the standards WIll have a posItIve Impact on students’ preparatIon for college and a career

88% 73% 9% 5%

average hours readIng prInt neWspapers

3.86 3.48 2.22 1.33

average hours WatchIng tv neWs 6.35 5.75 5.2 4.78average hours readIng onlIne neWs 5.42 5.01 4.05 4.73


table 3

Profile of Potential Supporters and Opponents of the Common Core State Standards

Parents who suPPort Parents who oPPose

educatIon level bachelors degree bachelors degree

Income $50,000 to $99,999 $50,000 to $99,999

polItIcal affIlIatIon democrats/republIcan Independent

locatIon Western unIted states southern unIted states

Who do you belIeve created the standards?

u.s. department of educatIon or the state department of educatIon

obama admInIstratIon or the u.s. department of educatIon

hoW dId you fIrst hear about the standards?

neWsletters/maIler/phone call/emaIl/WebsIte

local or natIonal neWs

WIll the standards help make the u.s. more globally competItIve?

yes, It WIll make the u.s. more competItIve

no, It WIll not make the u.s. more competItIve

WIll the standards have an Impact on students’ preparatIon for college and a career?

posItIve negatIve

are the standards based on educatIonal research and data?

yes no

are the standards a currIculum mandatIng specIfIc lesson plans?

yes yes

are the standards an expansIon of federal poWers In educatIon?

yes yes

do you belIeve the government WIll collect and track student data?

yes yes

WIll your chIld/chIldren benefIt because of the standards?

yes no

do you belIeve students across the u.s. receIve the same qualIty of educatIon?

no no

are you lIkely to vote? yes yes

average hours readIng prInt neWspapers

3.48 2.22

average hours readIng onlIne neWs

5.01 4.05

average hours WatchIng tv neWs

5.75 5.2

Conclusion

Contrary to claims by special interest groups and media outlets,

survey results show the majority of parents nationwide support the

Common Core State Standards. However, misconceptions about the

Standards still exist among supporters and opponents alike, includ-

ing the origin of the Standards, the role of the federal government in

them, and the tracking of personal student data. Divisions between

supporters and opponents show most prominently on questions

about the way the Standards will impact students. They also differ in

their personal news consumption and declared political affiliation.

Parents Support the Common Core State Standards (Voices of Education)

Education

Transcript of Parents Support the Common Core State Standards (Voices of Education)