Despite the increasing number and impact of charter schools in Arizona, and across the country, many people still don’t know what they are.

According to the results of a recently released poll of 801 registered voters, while slightly more than half (57 percent) of those surveyed had some knowledge of public charter schools, one third had no knowledge whatsoever. Worse still, only 34 percent correctly identified charter schools as public schools.

The good news? Once they learned that charter schools are “independent public schools that are free to be more innovative and are held accountable for improved student achievement,” their responses to a number of questions indicated widespread support for the charter school movement.

Among the findings of the survey, commissioned by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, were these:

• 74% favored expanding charter schools
• 62% said they supported state legislatures lifting legislative caps that curtail charter school growth
• 55% said they would be interested in enrolling their child in a charter school
• 85% favored giving parents more options for where to send their child to school

The complete report is available at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools web site, www.publiccharters.org.