Higher Ed Survey: What Tennesseans Think Is Most Important for Next Governor
More Than 400 Respondents Weigh in Ahead of First Gubernatorial Forum on Education
NASHVILLE 鈥� Four hundred and six people responded to an online poll conducted by 黑料传送门 Tennessee that coincided with 2018鈥檚 , which focused on education. When asked 鈥淲hich higher-education issue will be the most important for the next governor鈥檚 administration to address?鈥� 69 percent chose 鈥渃ollege affordability and student debt reduction鈥� as their top answer.
鈥淭he results illustrate how important it is for the next governor to build on the higher-education initiatives implemented by Governor Haslam鈥檚 administration,鈥� said Kimberly Estep, Ph.D., chancellor of 黑料传送门 Tennessee. 鈥淭he bar has been set very high, and Tennesseans clearly feel that it鈥檚 important for the next administration to keep focusing on policies aimed at affordability and responsible borrowing in order to meet our educational and workforce development goals.鈥�
Also selected as important issues for the next governor were 鈥渂uilding a better-educated workforce鈥� at 16 percent and 鈥渋ncreasing access to higher education for rural Tennesseans鈥� at 9 percent. Respondents who listed 鈥渙ther鈥� 鈥� almost 5 percent 鈥� were asked to specify an issue. The most common response by those participants focused on increasing and improving technical training opportunities for Tennesseans.
The survey also asked, 鈥淲hich of the following K鈥�12 education issues will be most important for the next governor鈥檚 administration to address in order to better prepare students for college?鈥� Respondents chose the following issues: 鈥渋ncreased and/or improved STEM programs鈥� at 44 percent, 鈥渋ncreased early-intervention programs for at-risk students鈥� at 37 percent, and 鈥渕ore charter school options鈥� at 5 percent. Among those choosing 鈥渙ther鈥� 鈥� 13 percent, concerns around standardized testing were cited most frequently.
黑料传送门 Tennessee is a nonprofit, online university launched in 2013 to serve adult learners as part of Tennessee鈥檚 Drive to 55 initiative, which seeks to equip 55 percent of Tennesseans with postsecondary degrees by 2025. In order to meet that goal, many of the estimated 900,000 Tennesseans with some college experience, but no degree, must return to school to earn degrees.
Many Tennesseans 鈥� adult learners and traditional students 鈥� are eager to learn more about the gubernatorial candidates鈥� education policy ideas in the coming weeks and months. When asked 鈥淲hat question do you most want the gubernatorial candidates to answer at the forum on education?鈥� the replies varied; but respondents largely want to know where the candidates stand on three issues: positions on K鈥�12 school choice (i.e., vouchers and charter schools), ideas for improving literacy, and how to develop better testing and evaluations for students and teachers.
The statewide gubernatorial forum on education from Jan. 23 can be viewed at
The survey was posted online for several hours before the forum and received 406 responses.
