WASHINGTON — Most voters see public education as an economic issue, a new poll shows. And if Congress doesn’t act to reform the education system before November, about half say that inaction will be “highly important” when they cast their midterm ballots.
About two-thirds of voters believe the high school drop-out rate in the United States significantly affects the economy and the nation’s competitiveness in the global economy, according to a phone survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research and Consulting in June.
“People see a very, very strong connection between high schools and our economy,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners and a Democratic strategist, at a presentation of the findings Wednesday. “The voters think this is a major place to impact our economy both as a nation and our global competitiveness.”
• 69 percent of voters said a high school diploma from a public school does not prepare graduates for jobs that pay well
• 45 percent said a high school diploma from a public school prepares graduates to succeed at college, while 45 percent said it does not
• 82 percent said they were “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” that 30 percent of high school students don’t graduate with their peers
Commissioned by the Washington-based Alliance for Excellent Education, the poll comes as lawmakers consider reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal statute addressing school funding.
According to the poll, 52 percent of voters said congressional inaction on education reform this year will be “very important” or “one of the most important” factors in their decision whether to vote for an incumbent this year.
Almost three-quarters of voters nationwide characterize the need to improve public high schools as “very urgent” or “extremely urgent.”
“There really is an urgency in this data that surprised all of us,” Lake said.
Christine Matthews, who is president of Bellwether and a Republican pollster, said the sense of urgency is nonpartisan. She said 70 percent of those who said they support the Tea Party movement said they consider the need to reform high schools urgent, for instance.
State Rep. Galen Clagett, a Democrat who represents Frederick County, said education ranks about third or fourth in local priorities according to recent polls.
“It’s usually No. 1 in polls in the last few years,” he said. “It’s shifted because of the state of the economy.”
According to the poll, 68 percent of voters nationwide said they were more likely to support a candidate who “gives significant attention to improving the quality of public high schools, even if it means increasing taxes.”
Republican state Sen. David Brinkley of the 4th District, who is running for reelection this year, said though education is a big concern, he’s skeptical of that number.
“I don’t buy it, at least out here,” Brinkley said. “We’re investing a tremendous amount into public education, and it’s now come to the point where families have got to be able to cover their mortgage, they’ve got to be able to pay for college, they’ve got to be able to provide for a lot of things.”
Clagett said he thinks the economy will be the voters’ main concern in the upcoming elections.
“What good’s education if you don’t have a job?” Clagett said.