By Lowell C. Rose and Alec M. Gallup

Welcome to the online version of the 36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Please allow the entire poll to load before attempting to use the navigational links below. Executive Summary Assessment, Problems, and Change      Grading the Public Schools: Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3      The Biggest Problem: Table 4      The Means of Improving Public Education: Table 5 No Child Left Behind Act      Information and Attitudes: Table 6 and Table 7      Reaction to NCLB Strategies: Table 8, Table 9, Table 10, Table 11, Table 12, and Table 13      Reaction to NCLB's Separate Reporting of Data: Table 14, Table 15, Table 16, and Table 17      Some Good News About NCLB: Table 18 and Table 19 Appropriate Uses of Standardized Tests      How Much and for What Purpose: Table 20, Table 21, Table 22, and Table 23 The Achievement Gap      Closing the Achievement Gap: Table 24, Table 25, Table 26, Table 27, Table 28, and Table 29 Vouchers and Other Proposals      The Public View of Vouchers: Table 30, Table 31, and Table 32      Other Proposals for Change: Table 33, Table 34, Table 35, Table 36, and Table 37 The Political Component      Election-Year Issues: Table 38, Table 39, Table 40, Table 41, and Table 42 Closing Statement Research Procedure Sampling Tolerances Design of the Sample Composition of the Sample Conducting Your Own Poll How to Order the Poll Links to Previous Polls PDK Press Release Download the 36th Annual Poll as a printable pdf file (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's site)

THE 36TH ANNUAL Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools continues the previous poll's focus on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act because of that act's potential for improving student achievement and because of last year's finding that the strategies employed by NCLB at that time lacked the public support necessary to bring success. While some critics may question the appropriateness of the expanded federal presence in the area of K-12 education and others may believe that the federal mandate of NCLB is inadequately funded, this poll focuses on whether the public supports the strategies used in NCLB, strategies that are crucial to its primary goals of improving student achievement and simultaneously closing a minority achievement gap that has plagued our society for years. Without public support for these strategies, the goals of NCLB are not likely to be accomplished.

Executive Summary

The public's attitudes toward the public schools shape the initiatives and strategies that can be brought to bear to improve those schools so that they can meet the changing needs of our society. As this poll has evolved over 35 years, its primary purpose has become that of tracing and interpreting the public's view of its schools. This, the 36th poll in the series, continues that effort. However, readers are encouraged to do their own take on the data, to measure the authors' interpretations of the data against their own, and to draw their own conclusions. If the information provided here advances the discussion of the issues, the poll's purpose will have been served.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act dominates the public education scene. It is inextricably linked to the effort to improve overall student achievement while simultaneously moving to close the achievement gap. Closely tied to this effort is the debate over the appropriate role of standardized testing. The poll addresses these issues against the background of the public's assessment of the public schools. It then turns to questions about the appropriate venue for pursuing change and how the public views selected proposals for change. Finally, the poll explores the public's opinion of the two political parties' relationship to public education and how that thinking is likely to affect the November election.

We begin this report with 16 conclusions that the authors believe capture the poll's most significant findings. Rationales are provided, and the tables containing the data on which the conclusions are based are referenced by number.

1. The trend line showing that the public in general gives reasonably high marks to the public schools continues. Those marks go higher when parents do the rating and even higher when parents rate the school their oldest child attends. This year 47% of all respondents give the schools in their community an A or a B; 61% of parents give the schools in their community an A or a B; and 70% of parents give the school attended by their oldest child an A or a B. (See Tables 1 and 3.)

2. It is important to distinguish between the schools in the community and the schools nationally, since the marks vary greatly. It is the latter schools that traditionally receive low grades. Schools nationally receive a total of 26% A's and B's in this year's poll. (See Table 2.) Respondents have no direct knowledge of these schools, and it would seem that public policy should be based on judgments of schools that are familiar to those doing the assessing.

3. Lack of financial support is now firmly established in the public's mind as the major problem facing the public schools. Issues related to discipline and drugs dominated the poll as the major concern until 2000, when lack of financial support rose to the top. In 2001, it was tied for first place; in each subsequent year it has stood alone at the top. Twenty-one percent in this year's poll mention finance as the number-one problem. (See Table 4.) No other problem exceeds 10%.

4. As it has indicated in every poll since 1999, the public expects change in the public schools to come through reforming the existing system, not through seeking an alternative. Given the choice of reforming the existing system or finding an alternative system, 66% choose reform of the existing system while 26% point to seeking an alternative. (See Table 5.)

5. The public lacks the information it believes it would need to form an opinion about NCLB.

• Last year, 76% of respondents said they knew little or nothing about NCLB; this year, that figure is 68%. (See Table 6.)
• Last year, 78% of public school parents said they knew little or nothing about NCLB; this year, that figure is 62%. (See Table 6.)
• Last year, 69% of respondents said they did not know enough about NCLB to say whether their view was favorable or unfavorable; this year, that figure is 55%. (See Table 7.)

6. The public disagrees with the major strategies NCLB uses to determine whether a school is or is not in need of improvement. Unless these strategies are modified, there is little reason to change last year's conclusion that greater familiarity with NCLB is unlikely to bring approval.

• Sixty-seven percent say the performance of a school's students on a single test is not sufficient for judging whether the school is in need of improvement. (See Table 8.)
• Eighty-three percent say testing in English and math only will not yield a fair picture of a school. (See Table 9.)
• Seventy-three percent say it is not possible to judge a student's proficiency in English and math on the basis of a single test. (See Table 10.)
• Eighty-one percent are concerned that basing decisions about schools on students' performance in English and math only will mean less emphasis on art, music, history, and other subjects. (See Table 11.)
• If a school is found to be in need of improvement, 80% would favor keeping students in that school and making additional efforts to help them, while 16% would favor permitting students to transfer to a school not in need of improvement. (See Table 12.)
• If a school is found to be in need of improvement, 55% would prefer to have students tutored by teachers in that school as compared to 40% who would prefer tutoring to be provided by an outside agency. (See Table 13.)

7. At this time the public does not support the separate reporting of test data mandated by NCLB and does not support the inclusion of special education students on the same basis as all other students. Fifty-two percent of respondents oppose separating test scores by race and ethnicity, disabled status, English-speaking ability, and poverty level; 61% oppose requiring special education students to meet the same standards as other students; 57% oppose including special education scores in determining whether a school is in need of improvement; and 56% oppose designating a school as in need of improvement based on special education scores alone. (See Tables 14-17.)

8. There is still time to make the changes that must be made in NCLB if it is to improve student achievement while contributing to closing the achievement gap. Despite the problems NCLB has encountered, 56% of respondents believe the goal of having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom by the end of 2005-06 is likely to be met, and 51% believe the act will improve student achievement in their local schools. (See Tables 18 and 19.)

9. Despite the controversy that has accompanied the increasing use of standardized tests for high-stakes purposes, there is majority support for at least the current level of testing. Forty percent say there is about the right amount of emphasis on standardized tests, 32% say there is too much emphasis, and 22% say there is too little emphasis. The percentage saying there is too much emphasis is up 12% since 1997. (See Table 20.)

10. The public is divided regarding the use of standardized tests for high-stakes purposes. This poll queried respondents about the use of standardized tests for deciding whether to grant a high school diploma and for judging the quality of teachers and principals.

• Fifty-one percent of respondents favor using a single standardized test as the basis for awarding a diploma; 47% oppose. (See Table 21.)
• Forty-nine percent say students' performance on standardized tests should be one of the measures used in judging teacher quality; 47% say student test scores should not be used. (See Table 22.)
• As to judging principals, 47% say standardized test scores of students in the school should be one measure of quality; 50% say test scores should not be used for this purpose. (See Table 23.)

11. The public believes strongly that the achievement gaps that separate white students from black and other minority students must be closed. Though respondents do not attribute the gap to schools, they believe the schools must close it. Eighty-eight percent say that it is important that the achievement gap be closed. Although 74% attribute the gap to factors other than schooling, 56% say it is the responsibility of the schools to close it. (See Tables 24-26.)

12. The public gives strong support to a variety of measures mentioned as possibilities for closing the gap. Six strategies that are among those frequently mentioned as possibilities for closing the gap all draw strong support. Strategies supported by more than 90% of respondents include encouraging more parent involvement, providing more instructional time for low-performing students, and strengthening remedial programs for low-performing students. (See Table 27.)

13. The idea of allowing parents to choose a private school for their child to attend at public expense continues to lack majority support. Fifty-four percent of respondents oppose this choice option, as compared to 42% who favor it. (See Table 30.) The other choice-related questions suggest that religious reasons would be the major factor in causing people to use a voucher to attend a nonpublic school. This conclusion applies whether the voucher covers all or half of the tuition. (See Tables 31 and 32.)

14. The public supports adding rigor to the high school curriculum and supports mandatory attendance until age 18. Seventy-eight percent of respondents favor requiring students to complete four years of English, math, and science in order to receive a diploma, and 66% would increase the mandatory attendance age to 18. (See Tables 34 and 35.)

15. While a plurality of respondents believe the Democratic Party is more interested in improving public education, the Republican Party continues to narrow the gap. Forty-two percent of respondents identify the Democratic Party as more interested in education, while 35% identify the Republican Party. The gap narrowed by 5 percentage points from 1996 to 2000 and by 5 percentage points from 2000 to 2004. (See Table 38.)

16. A dead heat results when respondents are asked which of the Presidential candidates they would support if they were voting solely on education issues. John Kerry and George Bush each draw support from 41% of respondents. (See Table 39.)

Assessment, Problems, and Change

Grading the Public Schools

Tables 1, 2, and 3 report the trend questions used to track the public's assessment of the public schools. Adding this year's 33% of respondents who give the schools a C to the 47% who give the schools an A or a B brings the total to 80%. For public school parents, the percentage who assign the top three grades is 85%.

TABLE 1. Students are often given the grades of A, B, C, D, and FAIL to denote the quality of their work. Suppose the public schools themselves, in your community, were graded in the same way. What grade would you give the public schools here -- A, B, C, D, or FAIL?

	National Totals		No Children In School		Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %
A & B	47	48	42	45	61	55
A	13	11	11	8	17	17
B	34	37	31	37	44	38
C	33	31	37	30	24	31
D	10	10	9	10	10	10
FAIL	4	5	3	7	5	3
Don't know	6	6	9	8	*	1
*Less than one-half of 1%.

TABLE 2. How about the public schools in the nation as a whole? What grade would you give the public schools nationally -- A, B, C, D, or FAIL?

	National Totals		No Children In School		Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %
A & B	26	26	28	26	22	26
A	2	2	2	1	3	5
B	24	24	26	25	19	21
C	45	52	45	52	44	49
D	13	12	13	11	13	13
FAIL	4	3	3	4	6	2
Don't know	12	7	11	7	15	10

TABLE 3. Using the A, B, C, D, FAIL scale again, what grade would you give the school your oldest child attends?

	Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %
A & B	70	68
A	24	29
B	46	39
C	16	20
D	8	8
FAIL	4	4
Don't know	2	*
* Less than one-half of 1%.

The Biggest Problem

Table 4 provides responses to an open-ended question for which the public initiates the answers. The question is also the only one to have appeared in all 35 previous polls. The major problem has varied with the times and has included discipline, use of drugs, lack of financial support, and gangs and violence. For the moment, the public is firmly settled on lack of financial support as the biggest problem.

TABLE 4. What do you think are the biggest problems the public schools of your community must deal with?

	National Totals				No Children In School				Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'02 %		'04 %	'03 %	'02 %		'04 %	'03 %	'02 %
Lack of financial support/ funding/money	21	25	23		22	26	23		20	24	23
Lack of discipline, more control	10	16	17		10	17	18		8	13	13
Overcrowded schools	10	14	17		9	12	14		13	16	23
Use of drugs/dope	7	9	13		7	10	14		7	7	11
Fighting/violence/gangs	6	4	9		6	3	9		6	5	9

The Means of Improving Public Education

Starting in 2000, the poll began to ask the public how it expected improvement in schooling to come about. The choices offered were reforming the existing system or finding an alternative system. The public has consistently opted for improving the existing system.

TABLE 5. In order to improve public education in America, some people think the focus should be on reforming the existing public school system. Others believe the focus should be on finding an alternative to the existing public school system. Which approach do you think is preferable -- reforming the existing public school system or finding an alternative to the existing public school system?

	National Totals						No Children In School						Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'02 %	'01 %	'00 %		'04 %	'03 %	'02 %	'01 %	'00 %		'04 %	'03 %	'02 %	'01 %	'00 %
Reforming existing system	66	73	69	72	59		63	73	69	73	59		72	73	69	73	60
Finding alternative system	26	25	27	24	34		28	24	26	23	34		21	25	27	25	34
Don't know	8	2	4	4	7		9	3	5	4	7		7	2	4	2	6

No Child Left Behind Act

Information and Attitudes

More than two years after the passage of NCLB and despite the publicity it has received, the public continues to regard itself as insufficiently informed to comment on the law. The data in Table 6 indicate that public school parents have gained the most knowledge in the past year: the percentage saying they know very little or nothing at all about NCLB has dropped from 78% to 62%. Table 7, which reports on attitudes toward NCLB, summarizes separately the results for those saying they know "a great deal" or "a fair amount" about the law and those saying they know "very little" or "nothing at all" about it. In the groups claiming knowledge, a greater number of respondents indicate a favorable attitude toward NCLB, while a somewhat smaller number indicate an unfavorable attitude. The division between favorable and unfavorable opinions is smaller among those saying they know "very little" or "nothing at all." Note, however, that a large percentage of those in this group do not feel they know enough to express an opinion.

TABLE 6. Now, here are a few questions about the No Child Left Behind Act. How much, if anything, would you say you know about the No Child Left Behind Act -- the federal education bill that was passed by Congress in 2001 -- a great deal, a fair amount, very little, or nothing at all?

	National Totals		No Children In School		Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %
Great deal + fair amount	31	24	28	25	37	22
A great deal	7	6	6	5	8	7
A fair amount	24	18	22	20	29	15
Very little	40	40	41	37	38	44
Nothing at all	28	36	30	38	24	34
Don't know	1	*	1	*	1	*
Very little + nothing at all	68	76	71	75	62	78
* Less than one-half of 1%.

TABLE 7. From what you know or have heard or read about the No Child Left Behind Act, do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable opinion of the act -- or don't you know enough about it to say?

	National Totals		Those Knowing Great Deal	Those Knowing Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little	Those Knowing Nothing at All
	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'04 %	'04 %	'04 %
Very favorable + somewhat favorable	24	18	50	47	19	5
Very favorable	7	5	27	9	5	2
Somewhat favorable	17	13	23	38	14	3
Somewhat unfavorable	12	7	10	26	11	1
Very unfavorable	8	6	31	11	6	3
Don't know enough to say	55	69	8	14	64	89
Don't know	1	*	1	2	*	2
Somewhat unfavorable + very unfavorable	20	13	41	37	17	4
* Less than one-half of 1%.

Reaction to NCLB Strategies

Tables 8 through 13 focus on specific NCLB strategies, some of which are used to determine if a school is in need of improvement and others that come into play after such a determination has been made. In Table 8 respondents reject the use of a single statewide test for determining a school's status. In Table 9 they reject basing that decision on English and math only. In Table 10 they reject using a single test as the basis for judging student proficiency in English and math. Table 11 data reflect the public's concern over the negative impact the emphasis on English and math will have on other subjects. The data in Table 12 show that parents prefer helping students in the school over allowing students to transfer out. Table 13 indicates that parents prefer tutoring by teachers in their child's school over tutoring by an outside agency. And those claiming knowledge of NCLB are as critical of its strategies as those claiming little knowledge and in some cases more critical.

TABLE 8. According to the NCLB Act, determining whether a public school is or is not in need of improvement will be based on the performance of its students on a single statewide test. In your opinion, will a single test provide a fair picture of whether or not a school needs improvement?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
Yes	31	32		33	32		28	31		28	32
No	67	66		64	67		70	66		71	65
Don't know	2	2		3	1		2	3		1	3

TABLE 9. According to the NCLB Act, the statewide tests of students' performance will be devoted to English and math only. Do you think a test covering only English and math would provide a fair picture of whether a school in your community is or is not in need of improvement, or should the test be based on other subjects also?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
Test covering only English and math would provide a fair picture of whether a school is in need of improvement	16	15		15	14		18	18		20	14
Test should be based on other subjects also	83	83		84	84		81	81		79	85
Don't know	1	2		1	2		1	1		1	1

TABLE 10. In your opinion, is it possible or not possible to accurately judge a student's proficiency in English and math on the basis of a single test?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
Yes, possible	25	26		26	27		24	22		27	24
No, not possible	73	72		72	71		75	77		72	74
Don't know	2	2		2	2		1	1		1	2

TABLE 11. How much, if at all, are you concerned that relying on testing for English and math only to judge a school's performance will mean less emphasis on art, music, history, and other subjects? Would you say you are concerned a great deal, a fair amount, not much, or not at all?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
A great deal plus a fair amount	81	80		81	80		85	82		84	81
A great deal	37	40		35	38		43	45		42	35
A fair amount	44	40		46	42		42	37		42	46
Not much	13	14		13	13		11	15		10	14
Not at all	4	6		4	7		3	3		4	5
Don't know	2	*		2	*		1	*		2	0
* Less than one-half of 1%.

TABLE 12. Assume you had a child attending a school identified as in need of improvement by the NCLB Act. Which would you prefer, to transfer your child to a school identified as NOT in need of improvement or to have additional efforts made in your child's present school to help him or her achieve?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
To transfer child to school identified as not in need of improvement	16	25		16	24		14	25		18	15
To have additional efforts made in child's present school	80	74		79	75		85	74		81	80
Don't know	4	1		5	1		1	1		1	5

TABLE 13. Now, let's assume that your child was failing in his or her school. Which kind of tutoring would you prefer -- tutoring provided by teachers in your child's school or tutoring provided by an outside agency that you would select from a state-approved list?

	National Totals			No Children In School			Public School Parents			Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing At All
	'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'03 %		'04 %	'04 %
Tutoring provided by teachers in child's school	55	52		53	52		60	54		53	56
Tutoring provided by outside agency	40	45		42	46		34	42		41	39
Don't know	5	3		5	2		6	4		6	5

Reaction to NCLB's Separate Reporting of Data

The findings in Table 14 are the most surprising and should be of most concern for the supporters of NCLB. The separate reporting of test data would appear to have brought much-needed attention to the existing achievement gap. Nonetheless, Table 14 data indicate that a divided public rejects this strategy. The data in Tables 15 through 17 may be part of the problem, since they indicate that the public rejects holding special education students to the same grade-level standards as other students, rejects their inclusion in the base for determining if a school is in need of improvement, and rejects deciding a school's status on the basis of special education students' performance alone. This issue may prove difficult to resolve, since many in the special education community believe special education students should be included and judged according to the same standards as all other students.

TABLE 14. The No Child Left Behind Act requires that test scores be reported separately by students' race and ethnicity, disability status, English-speaking ability, and poverty level. Do you favor or oppose reporting test scores in this way in your community?

	National Totals %	No Children in School %	Public School Parents %	Those Knowing Great Deal/Fair Amount %	Those Knowing Very Little/Nothing at All %
Favor	42	41	45	47	41
Oppose	52	53	53	51	53
Don't know	6	6	2	2	6

TABLE 15. In your opinion, should students enrolled in special education be required to meet the same standards as all other students in the school?

	National Totals		No Children In School		Public School Parents
	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %	'04 %	'03 %
Yes, should	36	31	37	31	35	31
No, should not	61	67	59	66	63	68
Don't know	3	2	4	3	2	1

TABLE 16. In your opinion, should the standardized test scores of special education students be included with the test scores of all other students in determining whether a school is in need of improvement under NCLB or not?

	National Totals %	No Children In School %	Public School Parents %
Yes, should	39	40	40
No, should not	57	56	57
Don't know	4	4	3

TABLE 17. In your opinion, should a school be designated in need of improvement if the special education students are the only group in that school that fails to make state goals or not?

	National Totals %	No Children In School %	Public School Parents %
Yes, should	39	40	39
No, should not	56	54	58
Don't know	5