The Voters Speak

See Also

Return to the main story, “The States of NCLB.”

All responses except the first one are drawn from an annual survey of 800 registered voters conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for Education Week and the Public Education Network. The first question is from a CBS News poll.

4%	consider education the top issue in this year's presidential election, behind the war in Iraq (26 percent), the economy (25 percent), and health care (8 percent).
59%	believe that public schools in their community do not receive enough funding.
14%	are "very willing" to increase taxes to fund public education. An additional 45 percent are "somewhat willing" to do so.
28%	oppose NCLB, up more than threefold from the 8 percent who opposed the law in 2003. More than one-third—36 percent—favor legislation, and 34 percent have not made up their minds.
59%	would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who says that public education would be the centerpiece of his or her administration. But fewer than half—48 percent—believe such statements are "sincere."