In 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor reported a record-high 6.2 million job openings. Yet many employers report they cannot find the well-prepared candidates they need in the South and across the country. The problem is students' lack of preparation for college and career training. Also in 2017, the ACT college admissions test examined the college readiness of "underserved learners" -- those from low-income families, traditionally underserved minority groups, and students whose parents did not go to college. ACT found that only 9 percent of these students in the 2017 high school graduating class were prepared for college-level work. In response, the first Education Poll of the South was commissioned. Registered voters across 10 Southern states and portions of Florida and Virginia were asked for their views on improving education. The results show broad recognition among voters across the South of the serious inequities children face, and strong support for addressing these issues. Among the poll's findings in this report: (1) 74 percent of voters polled in the South saw differences in the quality of education for students across each of their states. Only 13 percent said the quality of education is consistent for all students across their states. Another 13 percent said they did not know; (2) 64 percent of voters in the South said differences exist in how schools are funded across their state. Only 12 percent said schools were funded evenly, but 24 percent said they did not know; and (3) 85 percent of voters in the South supported "improving public schools by addressing differences in the quality of education across all schools in the state." Only 6 percent--about one in 17 voters--opposed this idea, and 7 percent did not know. [The report was produced by the Columbia Group, of which Public School Forum of North Carolina is a member.]