Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Survey Finds Principals More Optimistic About State of K-12 Education

  • 01/15/15

Annual Principals’ Assessment of Public Education from MCH Strategic Data Finds Significant Number of Schools Are Common Core Ready

Sweet Springs, Mo. —MCH Strategic Data, the leading provider of real-time educational marketing data, releases results from the fourth annual Principals’ Assessment of Public Education. Conducted in partnership with edWeb.net, the assessment reveals principals are more optimistic than last year about changes in learning standards and technology taking place in their schools.

Designed to track trends within K-12 schools, the assessment compiled survey responses from more than 500 principals in elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The results provide a snapshot of the current state of schools as they implement Common Core and college and career readiness standards, develop student data privacy policies, and establish a better understanding of what constitutes 21st century learning.

“Shifting expectations for what is taught in schools and how it is being taught are active conversations taking place in every district, whether they are implementing Common Core standards or not,” said John F. Hood, president of MCH Strategic Data. “There are new benchmarks for student achievement and new evaluation methods for educators, making principals’ voices even more important.”

The Principals’ Assessment of Public Education reveals that among the respondents working in districts that have adopted the Common Core, nearly 90 percent have implemented or are in the process of implementing Common Core standards. Additional key findings of the survey include:

  • More than 56 percent of principals report that the implementation of Common Core is driving their technology purchases. Only half of the districts surveyed have sufficient bandwidth for conducting online assessments. When asked if they were more focused on increasing bandwidth or acquiring mobile devices, 63.6 percent of principals responded they were purchasing both.
  • Protecting student privacy from the encroachment of big data is also an issue for principals. More than 90 percent of respondents report that their districts have written policies protecting student data.
  • School funding and student readiness remain the greatest concerns for principals; however, many see better instruction and increased rigor of the curriculum within their schools as a positive shift from last year.

To view the full results of the principal survey, visit http://mchdata.com.

Featured

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.