Changing Perspectives on Education

November 21, 2022

Voters say K-12 education should be a top priority for lawmakers in 2023
Voters say K-12 education should be a top priority for lawmakers in 2023
Dramatic learning loss is sinking in
Parents have felt learning loss in significant numbers — they report their children are behind and have missed a great deal of learning time
Parents are ready for and expect schools to change
Demand for bold changes in education is growing among parents and voters

How parents, educators and students experienced learning at the height of school closures will forever change the American education system. Two polls conducted in 2022 provide valuable insights into what parents and voters think and want from our schools

Voters say K-12 education should be a top priority for lawmakers in 2023.

While education did not seem to be a top motivating factor in recent elections, educational change is one of voters’ top expectations of lawmakers as they move from elections to leadership.

Education is at the top of the priority list, even more than health care and infrastructure.

72% of voters say improving K-12 education should be a top priority for state lawmakers.

Dramatic learning loss is sinking in.

Parents can see their children’s learning setbacks firsthand. But the scale of learning loss - for their own children and those across the country - is jarring. Recent results on the Nation’s Report Card showed significant declines for 9-year-olds in math and reading scores saw the biggest drop in 30 years.

75% of voters say students are mostly still behind due to school closures from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eighth-grade math scores fell by 8 points and reading scores fell by 3 points.

Parents have felt learning loss in significant numbers — they report their children are behind and have missed a great deal of learning time.

Survey: Two-thirds of parents say their kids have lost learning due to the pandemic.

Survey: On average, parents say their children missed 21 days of school last year due to COVID-19 quarantines and school closures.

Parents are ready for and expect schools to change.

Survey: 67% of parents want their child's school to change in the wake of the pandemic.

Demand for bold changes in education is growing among parents and voters.

In October 2021, only 36% of voters wanted bold changes in education and for schools to adopt new ways of doing things. In November 2022, that number jumped to 46%. Parents had a similar shift over the same time period, going from 35% to 46%.

Here are the voters' top priorities for improving education.

• Read the results of the February 2022 poll of K-12 parents here.
• Read the results of the November 2022 poll of voters here.