A poll commissioned by the Show-Me Institute has found that 63 percent of Missourians think the state’s K-12 schools are “in a crisis” or have “serious problems.” But, the poll shows blue sky ahead for improving education through choice: Some 85 percent said parents, not government, should determine which school a child attends.

Boding well for plausible near-term political victories, respondents were “strongly supportive of proposals to provide tuition tax credits to families with children in private schools” and “two-thirds…embraced the notion that all families should be able to use public funds to send their children to a public or private school of their choice.”

The Show-Me Institute has published a 16-page study (PDF) on the poll's findings, "Ready for Change: What Missourians Think of Parental Choice and the Public Schools." If you're a CliffsNotes kind of person, refer to the four-page (PDF) Policy Brief.

The Missouri survey mirrors results similar to what the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, and several other organizations, discovered in a Peach State poll. Dr. Holly Robinson highlighted key findings in her commentary, “Georgians Come Around as School Choice Goes Around.” She wrote, “Remarkably, 59 percent said if it were up to them they would choose a private school or home school environment, while 27 percent said they would choose a public school environment.” And the forecast in Georgia also calls for blue sky for school choice: “82 percent said parents are better able to make educational choices than school administrators.” The executive summary of GPPF’s poll is available online (PDF).