Nearly three-fourths of registered D.C. voters support education reforms such as charter schools and private school vouchers, the same time as confidence in public schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is inching up, according to a new survey.

The report, released jointly by eight Washington-area organizations that advocate shaking up the traditional public school system, partly reflects the growth seen in nonpublic education. Charter schools now enroll more than one-third of public school students, up 17 percent from 2008. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, which has provided money for low-income students to attend private schools, has served more than 8,000 students since its start in 2001.

About 74 percent of the survey's 1,000 respondents voiced at least "somewhat favorable" reactions to both public charters and the voucher program. About 27 percent favored ending the voucher program, which Congress likely will not renew. Rhee, who oversees traditional public schools, received higher marks than on past surveys. Her 62 percent approval rating is up from 59 percent in a January 2008 poll conducted by The Washington Post. "People in Congress have a lot of skepticism about vouchers, [D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty] tries to undermine financial support for charters, and the city council tries to undermine Rhee, but this survey shows that the city residents don't agree," said Barnaby Towns, spokesman for Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, one of the survey's sponsors. The District is unique with its three-part public education system consisting of regular public schools, charter schools and publicly funded vouchers. Rhee, who is rare among school superintendents for her support of charter schools, last week voiced qualified support for the voucher program, too. "Given the situation that our families face today, vouchers can be an important part of the choice dynamic," Rhee told a panel of U.S. senators questioning her about the school system that they ultimately fund. "In the long term, I'm not sure they'll be necessary, but given where we are now and how far we have to go, I believe the tri-sector approach makes sense." Teachers union officials spent much of the week in contract negotiations and were not available for comment.