February-March 2009

Primary and Secondary Education

Three questions related to primary and secondary education policy were asked in the March poll. One such question concerned Texans' views about the teaching of creationism/intelligent design in public schools. The results for this question are somewhat surprising -- 59% of Texans believe either that creationism/intelligent design should replace evolution as the primary biological theory taught to students in schools, or that creationism/intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution as a competing theory.

Another item asked respondents to name their most preferred educational policy proposal from a list of six possible proposals that have been mentioned by legislators. Results for this question suggest that Texans do not overwhelmingly support one or two such policy proposals above all others. Twenty-seven percent of respondents named increasing teacher salaries as their most preferred proposal, making it the number one choice). Finally, respondents were asked which unit of government (federal, state, or local) should bear responsibility for setting academic standards - the top choice was state government (41%), followed by local government (31%), with only a small minority (16%) naming the federal government as their preferred venue for the setting of such standards.

Higher Education

Responses to questions about funding of higher education show Texans broadly in favor of more funding, though with widely distributed views of how to increase that funding. Forty eight percent favored reinstating legislative control over university tuition rates, with 26% opposed and 27% responding "don't know".

But in the face of recent legislative reluctance to increase funding for higher education, we found significant support for increased state spending to make college more affordable. When asked about the the amount of state revenue that should be used to make education at state colleges and universities more affordable for Texans, the most frequent response (48%) was, "it should be increased to make college education more affordable for at Texas." An additional 15% responded funding should be increased to improve affordability for "only the most need Texans." As the figure linked on the right side of the page illustrates, much smaller numbers registered support for keeping funding the same (14%) or decreasing it (6%). The margins for support of each category was similar to responses in our July 2008 survey.

The legislature is also considering modifications to the top ten percent admissions rule for state colleges and universities. The survey asked:

"Under current Texas law, students graduating in the top 10% of their high school class are guaranteed admittance to the Texas public university of their choice. Opponents of this "top 10% rule" argue that too many students qualify for automatic admission, giving universities almost no discretion over their own admissions and leaving very few openings for other students to gain admission to Texas public universities. Supporters of the "top 10% rule" argue that it has helped to increase the number of minorities and students from low-income households admitted to Texas public universities. If the Texas legislature were to reconsider the "top 10% rule," what is your opinion on what the legislature should do?"

Thirty three percent chose "leave the "top 10% rule" as it currently is," with 17% opting for "raise the bar to the top 5% of a high school graduating class." Much smaller numbers chose "cap the number of students eligible for college admission under the "top 10% rule" (8%), with 22% choosing to eliminate the "top 10% rule" altogether and 20% saying they didn't know.