Nationwide Polling Reveals Overwhelming Support for New Publicly Funded Flexible State-Based Education Programs

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Nov 06, 2023, 10:15 ET

Amid continued educational challenges, new polling from Odyssey reveals vast majority of parents want Education Savings Accounts and modern technology solutions to access high-quality education

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Odyssey, a platform that helps states connect families to public funding and education services – today released new nationwide polling, which found that an overwhelming majority of parents (73%) want publicly funded flexible state-based education programs. This includes Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), microgrants, and other K-12 education funding programs to aid in providing higher-quality education to their children. Among the states that were surveyed which do not currently offer publicly funded ESAs— Alabama, Pennsylvania, and California —over 70% of parents said they want ESAs to be made available in their state, and 64% said they would apply for ESA support were it to be made available.

"Every student and family deserves access to the tools and opportunities that will help them thrive inside and outside of the classroom," said Joseph Connor, founder and CEO at Odyssey. "It is now clear that parents of all backgrounds want new flexible funding education programs and modern tech to help their kids succeed. Odyssey's all-in-one platform makes it easier and faster for states to create and scale education funding programs with easy-to-use technology.

With record-high childhood poverty rates and the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our schools are facing difficulties addressing the academic struggles and needs of the COVID generation. There's bipartisan support for innovative state-based approaches to improve access to quality education, especially for low-income families. The new polling reveals strong support for ESAs, with 71% approval from Californians and 67% from Alabamans. This support remains consistent across geographic and racial demographic groups, showing that the creation of ESAs has favorability across political, racial, and geographically diverse constituencies.

"The results are crystal clear: parents are advocating for more accessible and adaptable education funding options to support their students," said John Zogby, co-founder of John Zogby Strategies who conducted the poll. "These new findings should show states across the country that education saving accounts and microgrants play a central role in providing parents with the resources they are seeking for their children. On top of that, parents clearly want easy and modern technology tools at their fingertips."

Additional key findings from the polling include:

The vast majority (80%) of respondents who supported ESAs said they would prefer to complete these applications using either a computer or mobile device rather than through analogue methodologies.
87% of parents preferred a process that could approve eligibility in seconds.
When it comes to determining eligibility for funding for their children, convenience and speed are the premium—a notion reinforced by the fact that 77% of parents preferred technological solutions enabling direct access to funding for their child.
A vast majority of parents (80%), who have applied and participated in an Educational Savings Account (ESA) program, reported that ESAs have resulted in a positive impact for their child.

Led by educators and skilled developers, Odyssey this year has boosted program participation and distributed over $110 million to 66,000+ students, elevating Iowa's ESA program to a top-three ranking nationally. On September 20, 2023, The Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) and Odyssey launched Close the Gap, a new microgrant program of $1,500 for Missouri public and charter school students.

Odyssey commissioned John Zogby Strategies to conduct the nationwide online polling in 9 states where the issue of educational savings accounts is relevant. States polled include Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, South Carolina, Utah, Alabama, California, and Pennsylvania. A total of 2,714 parents of children 17 years of age or younger responded to the poll. John Zogby Strategies conducted the surveys online from September 1, 2023 through September 5, 2023.

To learn more about Odyssey and its new national polling results, please visit: https://withodyssey.com/press.html.

About Odyssey

Odyssey is the first platform designed exclusively for education savings account (ESA) and microgrant management. Led by a team of educators and developers, Odyssey takes a unique approach, combining a cutting-edge technology platform for enrollment and payment and high-quality user experience with on-the-ground engagement with parents and providers to increase participation in the programs. A turnkey solution, Odyssey is focused on making ESA and microgrant programs more accessible to families and more transparent for state leaders. Learn more at www.withodyssey.com.

About John Zogby Strategies

John Zogby Strategies is a full-service opinion/survey research firm with global capabilities having conducted business in over 80 countries. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small local municipalities. Learn more at johnzogbystrategies.com.

SOURCE Odyssey