Charter support, which dropped last year, is rebounding, especially among blacks and Republicans, according to University of Southern California’s Understanding America Study (UAS), reports Education Next.
Last year, Education Next‘s poll showed a sharp drop in support for charters.
Could the dip be a blip?, Rick Hess and Amy Cummings asked in 2017.
Apparently, so.
On the 2018 survey, 47 percent of adults supported charter schools and 29 percent oppose them, with the remaining not having an opinion. That’s up from 39 percent pro-charter and 36 percent anti-charter on the 2017 survey.
Two-thirds of black and Hispanics who have an opinion about charter schools are supporters, up from 57 percent and 54 percent in from the 2017 Education Next Poll.
The same question was asked in both surveys:
“As you may know, many states permit the formation of charter schools, which are publicly funded but are not managed by the local school board. These schools are expected to meet promised objectives, but are exempt from many state regulations. Do you support or oppose the formation of charter schools?”
Support by Republicans is way up; Democrats, who tend to oppose charters, didn’t change their views.