Gallup Poll - Parents and Common Core

While public debate rages about the Common Core state standards, a new Gallup poll found that many public school parents haven’t heard of the standards at all.

1. 37 % of parents told Gallup they either hadn’t heard of them or didn’t know enough to have an opinion of  the Common Core.
2. Parents who did have thoughts on the Common Core were slightly more likely to have a positive view: 52 % had a positive impression of the Common Core, while 42 % had a negative impression. 6% had no opinion.
3. Of parents who had an opinion on the Common Core, relatively few had strong opinions: 13 % said they felt “very positive” about the standards and 19 percent said they felt “very negative” about them. Only 16 % of parents said they had heard “a great deal” about the standards in both states that are implementing the Common Core and states that aren’t.
4. Republicans were more likely to have negative views on the standards than Democrats. 42% of Republican parents had a negative view, whereas only 23 % of Democratic parents did. Democrats were also more likely than Republicans to think that standardized computer-based tests and linking teacher performance to student test scores would have a positive impact on education.