Parents support school improvement plan, poll shows - Boston Globe

More than two-thirds of Lawrence public school parents support the school reform plan recently announced by a state-appointed receiver, and 80 percent support the "significant involvement" of charter public schools in helping to turnaround underperforming district schools, according to a new poll sponsored by the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) and conducted by The MassINC Polling Group.

Last month, the receiver, Jeffrey Riley, announced a plan to overhaul the city's struggling schools that included lengthening the school day, improving instruction for English Language Learners, making it easier to dismiss ineffective principals and teachers, and inviting highly successful charter school operators to take over the management of the city's worst schools and launch an alternative high school.

The poll, the first of its kind to gauge opinions on the plan, showed widespread support among public school parents for the receiver's reforms.