People Really Do Recognize the Importance of Education : Recent poll of Orange County residents is encouraging

The recent Times Orange County Poll on education produced some encouraging findings about the local public schools. In Orange County, 54% of respondents grade their community’s public schools at an A or B--about 11 percentage points higher than do Americans nationwide. Parents who actually have children in the schools give an even better response: Some 67% rank their schools in those categories.

Teachers also are graded highly: A majority of residents give the quality of their work a good grade, although they are less sanguine about texts and instructional material and school administration. Again, those who have children in school are more positive.

There is strong support for various reforms that would place more emphasis on the so-called “three Rs,” and allow more charter schools. There is also backing for vouchers. True to their Orange County roots, respondents do not back a tax increase for buildings, books and teacher salaries in sufficient numbers to allow two-thirds voter approval required under California law. However, a solid 57% say they would favor such increases. At the same time, there is a solid minority opposed to any school levy, in keeping with the prevailing anti-tax sentiment that was expressed in recent years in the defeated sales tax measure for bankruptcy recovery.

Perhaps most telling in the current political climate was the belief, even in the absence to date of supporting research, that the state’s effort to reduce class sizes has made a difference in the teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic.

At the forum “What is Quality Education” presented by The Times Orange County edition and UC Irvine on June 7, it was clear that the class size issue really has resonated. Among other things, it has inspired educators to a fresh sense of mission and purpose, and has reaffirmed faith in the public education system.

At the same time, teachers and educators are doing their jobs in a highly charged environment, where, as Newport-Mesa Unified School District Supt. Mac Bernd argued at the forum, single-issue politics is a continual problem for educators.

The matter of vouchers mentioned in the polling is always lurking in the background of any discussion of public education. To some extent, it represents people’s interest in retaining the power to control choices in educational matters. The interest in charter schools reflects the importance of innovation and local control. While vouchers were defeated in 1993, the movement retains support in Orange County, and is a reminder to educators that parents see themselves as consumers who retain an interest in shopping around if the product falls short.

The poll noted that there is a gap between how people feel about their own schools, which is generally favorable, and how they feel about the system. Teachers and administrators at minimum are owed the support of the community in defining what those goals are and in sticking to them, so that, as Bernd suggested, these things are not constantly moving targets. The schools need to be able to focus on their tasks.

Moreover, there are other challenges, such as the technological revolution. It is clear that while preparation for the computer world is essential, there is not much solid research to date to support the idea that learning really improves with an infusion of classroom technology. This will require teachers and administrators to strike a wise balance between the demands of technological literacy and the mastery of basic educational skills.

All this makes for an interesting time, to say the least. All should take encouragement and inspiration from the poll that people really do recognize the importance of education.