Headlines

For immediate release:
1/14/2006

Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education
(804) 827-2415 office
(804) 647-2715 cell
mdfronti@vcu.edu

VCU POLL: MOST VIRGINIANS SUPPORT PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS
But opinions mixed on who should fund them

Editors note:  A copy of the 54-page poll is available at www.cepi.vcu.edu/polls/2006/CEPI_Education%20Report%20
2006.pdf

RICHMOND, Va. – As Gov. Timothy M. Kaine promotes his plan to offer universal preschool by the end of his term, a Virginia Commonwealth University poll shows an “overwhelming majority” believe preschool programs improve student performance. But opinions vary on who should pay for them.

The Commonwealth Education Poll of 807 adults was conducted in December 2006 for the VCU Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute (CEPI) by the VCU Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory. Conducted annually since 2000, the poll measures public opinion in Virginia on schools and education.

When asked if they believe preschool programs improve student performance, 84 percent of poll respondents said yes, nine percent said no, and seven percent either did not know or declined to answer.

When asked who should pay for preschool programs, 30 percent of respondents said state government, 21 percent said federal government, 24 percent said parents, 12 percent said local governments, eight percent said other, and four percent either did not know or declined to answer.

As for whether the addition or expansion of pre-school programs in their district would require funding to expand facilities, 64 percent responded yes, 14 percent said no, and 22 percent were unsure.

The poll also revealed Virginians are divided on the impact local school boards have had on schools over the last five years

Respondents were evenly split about whether school boards had improved school operational efficiency (39 percent said yes, 34 percent said no, 27 percent either did not know or declined to answer) and recruitment of highly qualified teachers (40 percent said yes, 38 percent said no, 22 percent either did not know or declined to answer).

Other results of the poll:

• 65% of Virginians rate our public schools as “excellent” or “good”
• 63% believe current funding levels for public schools are insufficient
• A majority of Virginians see the state as more responsible for schools in setting academic standards, funding, and testing
• Generally, Virginians believe the 2006 elections will have a positive impact on education or no impact at all
• About seven in 10 Virginians see schools as either better than or about the same as they have been in:  providing skills useful in obtaining a job; teaching the basics such as reading, writing, and mathematics; and providing skills needed for pursuing a four-year college degree
• 83% support licensure for public school principals and superintendents, but 59% say licensure should not be waived or altered for people with private sector or military experience

About the CEPI: The Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute supports the development and implementation of research-based comprehensive educational public policy for the improvement of elementary and secondary education through research, policy analysis, service to school divisions and support services for local, state, and national educational policy-makers.

About VCU and the VCU Medical Center: Virginia Commonwealth University is the largest university in Virginia and ranks among the top 100 universities in the country in sponsored research. Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 30,000 students in nearly 200 certificate and degree programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-three of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 15 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.