New poll of K-12 parents finds sharp disagreements on reopening plans
A new survey of K-12 parents finds Black and Latino parents much more skeptical than white parents of their schools’ ability to prevent the spread of coronavirus as schools reopen in the fall. Overall, a majority of parents say they are either “very” confident (25%) or “somewhat” confident (39%) that their schools can reopen safely. But while 69% of white parents feel either “very” or “somewhat” confident, just 48% of Black parents and 44% of Latino parents feel the same.
This is closely related to preferences for how parents would like to see next year structured. White parents, by a 61% to 26% margin, would prefer to see schools reopen with a modified schedule rather than continuing distance learning until a normal schedule is possible. By contrast, Black parents are more evenly divided (45% favor a modified schedule while 40% want to wait) while Latino parents (36% to 50%) are more likely to favor waiting.
That’s according to data released today from a new survey of K-12 parents in Massachusetts. The landmark survey includes 1,502 responses from parents, and features oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian parents.The survey was sponsored by The Barr Foundation and The Boston Foundation and conducted by The MassINC Polling Group. The rest of the survey will be released next week.
As Massachusetts state government prepares to release new guidelines for school reopening, most parents say they still haven’t been asked for input. Just 29% say their school or district has asked for their opinion, while 68% say they have not been asked. Charter parents were the most likely to say they’ve been given a chance to offer input (56%) while just 24% of public school parents say the same.
The survey finds deep cleavages not just between racial and ethnic groups, but also within the Black and Latino communities. Among Black men, for instance, 68% say they are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in schools’ ability to open safely, a view shared by just 35% of Black women. A similar difference exists between Latino men (62%) vs. women (32%). Among white parents, there is no gender gap in confidence levels. Among Asian parents, a majority of men (73%) and women (57%) express confidence in schools reopening safely.
Similar gaps exist based on income level, with Black and Latino parents in lower-income households expressing much more skepticism than those in higher-income households. Majorities of white and Asian parents of all income levels expressed confidence in reopening, and prefer a modified schedule over waiting to resume.
“This survey was a very large endeavor and lets us look at breakdowns at a level of detail that would normally not be possible in a statewide survey,” said Steve Koczela, President of The MassINC Polling Group. “This exploration reveals differences in opinion very important to consider as reopening plans are discussed.” Conducting multicultural and multilingual surveys and surveying harder-to-reach populations is a specialty of The MassINC Polling Group.
Because demographics of different school districts vary dramatically, understanding these differences is especially important. For instance, residents of Gateway Cities are divided on the question of a quicker, modified reopening (45%) vs waiting for a normal schedule (43%). Just 30% of Gateway Cities parents say they have been asked for input on reopening plans.
About the poll: These results are based on a survey of 1,502 parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. Live telephone interviews and online interviewing were conducted in English and Spanish June 4-19, 2020. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian respondents were obtained to bring the total interview count up to at least 250 for each group. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The poll was sponsored by The Boston Foundation and The Barr Foundation.
About the MassINC Polling Group: The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public's voice with cutting-edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base.