More than 4,400 ASCD members participated in this year's Issues Survey, which will guide ASCD's Issues Committee as it develops the proposed positions to be considered for adoption by the Board of Directors at ASCD's Annual Conference. This year, members could respond to the survey by fax, online, or by mail. A six-point scale was used, with 1 meaning "least important" and 6 meaning "extremely important." These issues were ranked highest in importance:
- "Teaching students how to find information rather than memorize information" (84 percent of respondents rated this statement with a 5 or 6).
- "Encouraging more family engagement in schooling" (75 percent of respondents rated this statement with a 5 or 6).
- "Requiring teachers to demonstrate that they know both how and what to teach" (73 percent of respondents rated this statement with a 5 or 6).
Issues receiving the lowest percentage of 5 and 6 votes were "providing educational alternatives, such as charter schools," "administering the same tests to children nationwide to determine how well they are doing," "teaching about religion," and "vouchers and school choice."