AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY FAVOR MERIT PAY, ELIMINATION OF TEACHER TENURE

 
2009 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on Education in America:
 
Today, the 41^st Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools was released. Conducted annually, this national survey tracks public opinion on education in America.
 
According to the Poll’s Key Findings, Americans:
 
·         FAVOR merit pay for teachers. “Almost three out of four Americans favor merit pay for teachers. Interestingly, the issue of merit pay appears to be nonpartisan, approved at the same levels by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”
 
·         OPPOSE awarding tenure to teachers for life. “We asked half those participating in this year’s poll if they approved or disapproved of teacher tenure, equating it to receiving a ‘lifetime contract.’ That group of Americans overwhelmingly disapproved of teacher tenure 73% to 26%.”
 
·         SUPPORT basing merit pay on student achievement. “Student academic achievement, administrator evaluations…are the…most favored criteria for awarding merit pay.”
 
·         BACK accountability and annual standardized measurement of student achievement. “By a two-to-one margin, Americans continue to support one element of the legislation (No Child Left Behind), annual testing of students in grades three through eight.”
 
·         APPROVE of charter schools. “During the last five years, Americans’ approval of charter schools has increased by 15%, as almost two out of three Americans now say they favor the idea of charter schools.”
 
·         UNDERSTAND how critical teacher quality is to improving student achievement. “Americans identified two issues as most important in moving schools in the right direction: better teachers and more parental support.”
 
To access the full report on the poll, please visit http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/M-Polldocs/2009Report.pdf.
 
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable organization launched in 2007 by Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Our mission is to improve the quality of education in classrooms across Florida and the nation by sponsoring innovative programs based on high academic standards, accountability, school choice and quality teaching.  For more information on the Foundation for Excellence in Education, please visit www.ExcelinEd.org.