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

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.