Hunger for Stability Quells Appetite for Change: Results of the 2021 'Education Next' Survey of Public Opinion
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| Title: | Hunger for Stability Quells Appetite for Change: Results of the 2021 'Education Next' Survey of Public Opinion |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Henderson, Michael B., Houston, David M., Peterson, Paul E., West, Martin R. |
| Source: | Education Next. Win 2022 22(1):8-24. |
| Availability: | Education Next Institute, Inc. Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 310, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; Fax: 617-496–4428; e-mail: Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu; Web site: https://www.educationnext.org/the-journal/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Change, Public Opinion, National Surveys, COVID-19, Pandemics, Elementary Secondary Education, Attitude Change, Public Schools |
| ISSN: | 1539-9664 1539-9672 |
| Abstract: | The 15th annual "Education Next" survey investigates how Americans are responding to the worst pandemic since the influenza pandemic of 1919. In the realm of education, a desire for sweeping reform might well be expected, given the pandemic's particularly severe toll on K-12 schooling. While few children suffered serious illnesses, the effects of the pandemic on the nation's youth were nonetheless dramatic. Schools across the country were shuttered for months, some for more than a year. State-mandated testing, a tool for holding schools accountable, was largely abandoned. Remote instruction, implemented under crisis conditions, failed to live up to the claims of virtual-learning enthusiasts. Learning loss was severe, especially among children from low-income families. According to parents, children's friendships and social ties suffered. Even their physical fitness was put at risk. Obesity, drug abuse, mental health challenges, and teenage suicides appeared to be on the rise. In desperation, some parents shifted their children from district schools to private schools, homeschooling, and other options that provided more in-person learning. The authors ask what is the state of public opinion as parents and school leaders nationwide transition back to in-person schooling? Is the public demanding innovation that can make up for educational losses over the past year? Or do people want a quiet return to the familiar? This survey is a continuation of Education Next's long-standing annual poll of public attitudes on education issues. This year, they interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,410 adults. The survey repeats many questions asked in past surveys, making it possible to see how the pandemic has affected public opinion. As in previous years, the survey contains a number of experiments in which the sample is split into two or three groups at random and then each group is asked a variation on the same question. These experiments allow the researchers to gauge how different question wordings and the provision of additional information affect participants' responses. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Access URL: | https://www.educationnext.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ednext_XXII_1_ednext_poll.pdf |
| Accession Number: | EJ1348128 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The 15th annual "Education Next" survey investigates how Americans are responding to the worst pandemic since the influenza pandemic of 1919. In the realm of education, a desire for sweeping reform might well be expected, given the pandemic's particularly severe toll on K-12 schooling. While few children suffered serious illnesses, the effects of the pandemic on the nation's youth were nonetheless dramatic. Schools across the country were shuttered for months, some for more than a year. State-mandated testing, a tool for holding schools accountable, was largely abandoned. Remote instruction, implemented under crisis conditions, failed to live up to the claims of virtual-learning enthusiasts. Learning loss was severe, especially among children from low-income families. According to parents, children's friendships and social ties suffered. Even their physical fitness was put at risk. Obesity, drug abuse, mental health challenges, and teenage suicides appeared to be on the rise. In desperation, some parents shifted their children from district schools to private schools, homeschooling, and other options that provided more in-person learning. The authors ask what is the state of public opinion as parents and school leaders nationwide transition back to in-person schooling? Is the public demanding innovation that can make up for educational losses over the past year? Or do people want a quiet return to the familiar? This survey is a continuation of Education Next's long-standing annual poll of public attitudes on education issues. This year, they interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,410 adults. The survey repeats many questions asked in past surveys, making it possible to see how the pandemic has affected public opinion. As in previous years, the survey contains a number of experiments in which the sample is split into two or three groups at random and then each group is asked a variation on the same question. These experiments allow the researchers to gauge how different question wordings and the provision of additional information affect participants' responses. |
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| ISSN: | 1539-9664 1539-9672 |
