Dr. Susan Berry | BREITBART
Ted S. Warren/AP Photo
A RealClear Opinion Research poll released Thursday found 40 percent of families are more
likely to choose to homeschool their children or engage in virtual learning
once the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
The survey asked parents, “Are you more or less likely to
enroll your son or daughter in a homeschool, neighborhood homeschool co-op, or
virtual school once the lockdowns are over?”
Of the 626 parents who responded, 40.8 percent said they
were “more likely” to do so, while 31.1 percent replied they were “less
likely.”
With political party as a factor, 45.7 percent of parents
who said they would be “more likely” to homeschool identified as Democrat,
while 42.3 percent identified as Republican.
Among those parents who said they were “more likely” to
homeschool, 36.3 percent were white, 50.4 percent were black, 38.2
percent were Hispanic, and 53.8 percent were Asian.
The survey also questioned 2,122 registered voters on the
issue of whether parents should be able to use tax dollars designated for
education for the schooling of their choice.
Among the respondents, 64 percent said they support that
idea, including 59 percent of Democrats, 75.2 percent of Republicans, and 60.2
percent of Independents.
Of the parents who said they support the concept of
school choice, 64.4 percent were white, 67.6 percent were black, 63.4 percent
were Hispanic, and 55.5 percent were Asian.
Results of the poll appeared on the website of the
American Federation for Children (AFC), which promotes school choice. U.S.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was
chairwoman of AFC prior to her nomination by President Donald Trump.
John Schilling, president of AFC, said in a statement:
Every single family with kids in school has been
incredibly disrupted by the lockdowns. With 55 million students no longer
in their normal educational setting, families are clearly considering new
options and many are seeing the benefits of homeschooling and virtual
schooling. Policymakers should note that there is a strong desire to have
these and other educational options available to families, with both
strong support for the general concept of school choice and even stronger
support for a specific federal proposal, Education Freedom Scholarships.
Schilling added many families are also seeing “the
inadequacies of school districts that are too inflexible.”
“Moreover, policymakers owe it to the taxpayers who
are footing the $800 billion K-12 education bill to maximize
their investment by ensuring every child has access to a quality education and
outcomes are improved across the board,” he said.
The poll was conducted April 18-21 and has a +/- 2.31
percent margin of error.
