By Fritz Edelstein
March 31, 2003

A recent national poll conducted by Celinda Lake for the Public Education Network and Education Week indicates that voters are concerned that the people they elect be accountable for education policies and spending. The polls results are a strong signal that voters are very interested in mayors taking leadership roles and becoming involved in improving their local school systems. Sixty-two percent of the respondents polled wanted mayors or county supervisors to "play a greater role in advocating for quality public education."

Poll respondents identified strong leadership by public officials as the second most important factor — after high levels of parental involvement — in ensuring that a community has strong public schools. When asked to rank on a scale from zero to 10 the importance of various factors to achieve this goal, 81 percent of respondents rated the importance of "strong leadership from officeholders committed to taking action to improve public schools" as an 8, 9, or 10.

When asked what mayors or county supervisors could do to make low-performing schools succeed, 56 percent of respondents gave a 10 to "know education issues." Forty-eight percent gave a 10 to "fight for more education funds in the state legislatures and Congress," and 42 percent gave a 10 to "hold schools accountable for quality performance."

More than 80 percent of the voters polled said they would be more likely to re-elect a public official who protects the education budget from cuts, "fights for their share" of federal funds for education, supports getting tough on failing schools, votes to pay for reducing class size, or supports providing more early-childhood programs.

In addition, 70 percent of the voters said they would be more than likely to vote to re-elect an official who supports "investing more in teachers, including higher pay," putting more money into low-performing schools, or providing more before- and after-school programs. Also, 69 percent said candidates who pushed for higher pay for teachers who work in low-performing schools would be more likely to get their votes.

Another very interesting result was that roughly half the voters polled said they would be more likely to re-elect a candidate who "raises taxes to increase education funding" or "supports high-stakes testing."

Several conclusions can be drawn from this polling data. One is that voters expect a greater effort and role on the part of mayors in solving problems related to the quality of local education. Second, is that education is a pivotal issue in re-election. Third, and most importantly, voters see mayors having a role in advocating for quality public education — whether or not they have direct governance responsibility. The polls results clearly make the case that mayors have a responsibility to their electorates to become involved in improving public education in the community. A complete copy of the survey can be obtained from the Public Education Network at www.publiceducation.org.