The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify decision-making factors from parents of Southeast Rural School District (SRSD) who chose to transfer their children to one of 14 cyber charter schools within Pennsylvania amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study utilized a phenomenological design, consisting of qualitative electronic…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the decision-making process of K-12 parents living in the Appalachian Highlands who chose to remove their children from traditional public schools to join learning pods (sometimes referred to as pandemic pods) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to answer this overarching…

The purpose of this annual national survey is to gauge public opinion on school/educational choice policies, as well as parents' schooling experiences and preferences. Each year we also attempt to stay timely with current developments regarding school choice or K-12 education. The most recent examples include schooling during the pandemic, and…

In a new report, "Never Going Back: An Analysis of Parent Sentiment on Education," the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools examines results from a survey of more than 5,000 parents conducted by The Harris Poll in May 2022. Survey results provide deep insights into how parents feel about education, whether and why they've made…

This study was conducted in a middle-class area where school districts are largely average. The purpose of this study was to better understand how families choose among the options available to their child for entering kindergarten. These options include the neighborhood public school, open enrollment into another public school, homeschooling, or…

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, families have faced a difficult decision between online and in-person instruction. In many school districts, a higher proportion of non-White families selected online instruction for fall 2020, but the factors influencing these patterns are unclear. Using a case study approach, I focus on the experiences of 21…

This poll was conducted between November 6-November 18, 2021 among a sample of 435 Black School Parents. The interviews were conducted online. Results based on the Black School Parents sample have a measure of precision of plus or minus 5.3 percentage points. Among the key findings are: (1) Black parents' overall support for school vouchers…

Through their response to the pandemic, teachers unions overplayed their hand and exposed inherent failures of the one-size-fits-all government school system. Families are now thankfully figuring out that there isn't any good reason to fund institutions when they can fund students directly instead. Support for school choice is through the roof,…

This poll was conducted between October 11-October 21, 2021 among a sample of 444 Black school parents. The interviews were conducted online. Results based on the Black school parents sample have a measure of precision of plus or minus 5.3 percentage points. Among the key findings are: (1) Black parents' comfort with their child returning to…

Unless otherwise noted, data and charts are based on surveys conducted between July 14 and October 16, 2021 among a sample of 1,007 special education parents and 3,648 non-special needs parents. The interviews were administered online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of parents based on gender, educational attainment, age,…

The public education landscape has changed dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities and school systems throughout the country have faced unimaginable consequences from this public health crisis and the disruption to K-12 public schools. The pandemic's disproportionate impact on low-income communities of color, along with…

For more than a quarter century, Michigan public schools have been financed under a structure commonly known as Proposal A. This funding system's greater dependence on using state revenue to finance an enrollment-based funding formula has led to greater parity among districts over time and fueled more publicly supported schooling options for…

In March 2022 a random sample of one third of Stride K12 families (37,856) were emailed a survey asking parents a series of questions about their families' experiences in their children's current Stride K12-powered online schools and their experiences in their children's former schools. 1,949 parents completed the survey, and of that total, 1,613…

This poll was conducted between January 23-February 7, 2023 among a sample of 1,311 Black parents. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Black school parents based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results based on the full survey have a measure of precision of…

This poll was conducted between December 14-December 21, 2021 among a sample of 435 Black school parents. The interviews were conducted online. Results based on the Black school parents sample have a measure of precision of plus or minus 5.2 percentage points. Among the key findings are: (1) Black, white, and Hispanic parents all have similar…