Where Do Teachers Stand in the Eyes of the Public? People feel teachers should be paid more, among other things.

• Author: West, Martin R.
• Position: EDUCATION

The Education Next Harvard Kennedy School annual survey of American public opinion on education reveals growing support for increasing teacher pay--to the highest level seen in EdNexfs annual survey since 2008--amid a national wave of statewide teacher strikes and walkouts, with residents of affected states especially enthusiastic. Public support for charter schools and vouchers for all students also is up.

The Trump Administration's review--and potential rescinding--of an Obama-era "Dear Colleague" letter on racial disparities in student discipline seems to follow views of the general public, as respondents largely oppose Federal regulation to address these disparities. A sizable majority also oppose affirmative action in K-12 school assignments.

The EdNext survey includes representative samples of parents, teachers, African-Americans, and Hispanics. New is a breakdown of teacher respondents that shows sharp differences between union and nonunion members.

Support climbs for raising teacher salaries. When informed about the average teacher salary in their state, 49% of respondents say that salaries should increase--a 13-percentage point jump, and the largest change in opinion on any poll question. Support rose within both political parties, from 45% to 59% among Democrats, and from 27% to 38% among Republicans. In states that experienced teacher strikes or walkouts--Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and West Virginia--63% of respondents favor increasing teacher salaries compared to 47% elsewhere. When not informed about average teacher salaries in their state, a larger share of respondents supports raising pay: 67% say that salaries should increase; 29% say they should remain the same; and four percent say they should decrease.

Growing favor for universal vouchers. A 54% majority of the public supports school vouchers for all students, a nine-percentage-point increase. Gains have been concentrated among Republicans, but they have been realized without offsetting losses among Democrats. Public opposition to universal vouchers has fallen from 37% to 31%. Approval for vouchers targeted to low-income families has not changed: 43% express a favorable view, the same as last year. African-American (56%) and Hispanic (62%) respondents are more favorably disposed toward vouchers for low-income families than are white respondents (35%).

Support for charter schools back on the upswing. After a substantial drop in support for...