WHAT PARENTS WANT:
Education Preferences
and Trade-Offs
Edited by Dara Zeehandelaar and Amber M. Northern
Data collection and analysis by Harris Interactive
January 27, 2014
Portfolio Meeting Houston 2014
Questions and Answers
•  What are K-12 parents’ priorities?
•  Do groups of parents share priorities?
•  Study used innovative methods to parse rankings
•  2,007 participants nationwide, all K-12 parents
•  30 school characteristics and 17 educational goals
Ranking Example
Non-Negotiables and Must-Haves
1 Offers a strong core curriculum in reading and mathematics 222
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
11
Emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education
Learns good study habits and self-­‐discipline
Develops strong critical thinking skills
Offers a strong education in life skills (e.g., money management, nutrition, etc.)
Learns strong verbal and written communication skills
Holds students to extremely high academic standards
Has high standards for student behavior
Emphasizes character development, ethics, and/or morality
203
181
178
173
172
167
155
154
Desirables
13 Is prepared for college
142
Develops strong social skills (e.g., respect, conflict resolution, 14
132
ability to make friends)
16 Develops strong self-­‐esteem
128
17 Develops a love of learning
125
20 Offers vocational classes or job-­‐related programs
114
23 Offers a variety of extracurricular activities other than sports 97
Learns to work with people from diverse racial, ethnic, or 25
95
socio-­‐economic backgrounds
Emphasizes instruction in citizenship, democracy, and 27
91
leadership
30 Has high test scores
82
Expendables
33 Emphasizes arts and music instruction
35 Is accepted at a top tier college
36 Has a small total student enrollment
37 Is close to home (or workplace/other convenient location)
Has a strong athletic program, offering a variety of sports 40
with successful teams
41 Has updated building facilities
43 Offers longer school day or school year of instruction
66
44
44
44
45 Develops fluency in a foreign language
20
38
30
25
Slight differences by race/ethnicity
•  White parents prioritize good study habits higher than other
groups of parents
•  African American, Hispanic, and Asian parents prioritize
acceptance into a top-tier college
•  African American and Hispanic parents value high test scores,
preparing students for state tests, and stressing the
importance of going to college
•  African American and Hispanic parents value athletics and
after school programs
•  African American parents value diversity
Slight differences by household income
•  Higher income groups prioritize developing strong
critical thinking skills, an emphasis on STEM, and
schools with high academic standards
•  The lowest income group prioritize students
understanding how important it is to go to college
and finishing high school with job skills
•  Lower income groups prioritize schools that offer job-
related programs and programs for struggling
students
Slight differences by school attendance
•  Private school parents prioritize schools with a
curriculum compatible to personal beliefs,
small student enrollment, and that students
develop a strong moral code of conduct
•  Charter school parents prioritize that students finish
high school with job skills and are accepted into
a top-tier college
Slight differences by political ideology
•  Conservatives prioritize traditional
approaches to learning more than moderates or
liberals.
•  Liberals prioritize a diverse student body, arts
and music instruction.
•  Conservatives are more interested in a school that
has a strong code of moral conduct and that
develops patriotism/love of country.
•  Liberals value an appreciation for nature and
fluency in a foreign language more than their
moderate/conservative brethren.
Single-preference “niche” markets
So what do parents want?
•  To fulfill their educational “hierarchy of need”
•  A diverse portfolio with a strong basic core and varied
bells and whistles
•  Recognition of their different signals for quality and
definitions of success
Full report and findings:
www.edexcellence.net/publications/what-parents-want.html
Questions:
[email protected]
Discussion
•  Really do need portfolio of options: Importance of
CTE with college-for-all pushback
•  Civic education, arts education, STEM programs
•  More non-profits, CMOs, etc. offering high
quality schools and programs for families
•  Examples of schools meeting these needs?
•  Importance of conducting your own survey even
though parents don’t “segment”; we will share
our survey tools and methods