My Kids, Our Kids, Your Kids: Experimental Evidence on Americans’ Desires for Schools

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring the Influences of Politics, Public Perceptions, and Accountability Measures on School Practices

Abstract

This study examines differences between what Americans desire from schools that educate their own children, children in their communities, and children around the country. It draws upon three sets of survey experiments, one of which uses a nationally representative sample of respondents. When asked about their broad, abstract desires for schools, parents, unlike non-parents, want schools to prioritize the private interests of their students over broader societal economic and political health. However, when asked about more tangible issues, like the ideal length of a school day or hour allocation across subjects, differences between parents and non-parents essentially disappear. We discuss implications for the types of pressures schools might experience under market control (empowering school choosers) and democratic control (empowering voters).

Authors

• Jon Valant, Stanford University

• Daniel Newark, Stanford University