Ties Between Ideology, Education Views Probed

Although a majority of local school board members describe themselves as political and religious conservatives, that orientation does not always affect the way they view key issues in education, a national survey of members of the National School Boards Association concludes.

The findings show that some of the education reforms most closely linked with conservatives, such as vouchers and school prayer, do not enjoy support from a majority of the nation's 95,000 school board members.

Not surprisingly, however, the board members who support such proposals are much more likely to describe themselves as religious or political...