50CAN recently published The State of Educational Opportunity in America:  A 50-State Survey of 20,000 Parents.  This first-of-its-kind report highlights how parents in all 50 states perceive the current education landscape.  50CAN surveyed more than 20,000 parents and then analyzed this data in both a national and regional context.  The report not only analyzes parents/guardians by state, it also looks at income, educational attainment and other categories, including the type of school where their children are enrolled.  

Of charter school parents/guardians, 50% say they are satisfied with the type of school their child attends, compared to just 39% of traditional public school parents.  In addition, 73% of charter school parents/guardians say that if they could choose any type of school for their child they would choose a charter school.  Only 59% of parents/guardians stated that a traditional district school would be their first choice.

In North Carolina, 403 parents/guardians were surveyed this past summer.  40% of those surveyed are satisfied with their child’s school compared to 45% nationally.  61% of parents/guardians feel like they have a choice in what school their child attends compared to 65% nationally.  Only 32% of North Carolina parents/guardians are satisfied with how their school supports their child’s mental health needs compared to 37% nationally.  32% of parents/guardians in our state have reviewed information about their child’s school’s performance compared to other schools.  Only 32% of parents/guardians in North Carolina have extreme confidence their child will be well equipped to succeed in the workforce compared to 34% nationally.  Lastly, only 29% of parents/guardians in our state have extreme confidence their child will be prepared for college compared to 32% nationally.

Check out the full report for more information.