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Welcome to the online version of the
37th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

PDK/Gallup Poll Advisory Panel

The following individuals worked with Alec Gallup and the Gallup Organization to select and frame the questions asked in the 37th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.

G. Thomas Houlihan, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, D.C.
Jack Jennings, President and CEO, Center on Education Policy, Washington, D.C.
Rossi Ray-Taylor, Executive Director, Minority Student Achievement Network, Evanston, Ill.
Ted Sanders, Executive Chairman, Cardean Learning Group, Chicago.
William J. Bushaw, Executive Director, Phi Delta Kappa International.
Sherry G. Morgan, Past President, Phi Delta Kappa International,
    and Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Knoxville.
Lowell C. Rose, Executive Director Emeritus, Phi Delta Kappa International.
Bruce Smith, Editor, Phi Delta Kappan.
Sandra Weith, Associate Executive Director, Phi Delta Kappa International.

The 37th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

THIS IS the 37th consecutive year for this poll. Its early success can be credited to George Gallup, Sr. Gallup considered it his poll, picked the panel to select the questions, oversaw the surveying, analyzed the results, and wrote the report. The close relationship between Phi Delta Kappa and the Gallup Organization continued after the death of George Gallup, Sr., with his son, Alec Gallup, representing that organization. Since 1992, I have had the privilege of directing the poll for PDK. Alec and I share the beliefs that the procedures used minimize the possibility of bias in the poll and present the results in user-friendly fashion. The Gallup Organization has absolute authority over the phrasing of the questions and certifies that the data support the findings and conclusions. Alec and I use the executive summary to state our best judgment as to what the data mean. Each conclusion cites the table or tables containing the data on which it is based. Some readers tell us that they read the tables first, draw their own conclusions, and then compare those with the ones we have drawn. Alec and I believe the information in this poll is unusually significant and commend it to your use. -- LCR

Executive Summary

In this Executive Summary we present a number of findings and conclusions of this, the 37th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/
Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Some conclusions strike us as more significant than others. Conclusions 10 and 11, for example, regarding the achievement gap, and conclusions 12 through 16, dealing with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, seem worthy of special notice. That the public is so strong in its support for closing the achievement gap should send a clear message to policy makers. There is also a message in the conclusions related to NCLB in that they note the public’s disagreement with the law’s strategies and, at the same time, suggest that there is still time for midcourse corrections. Again, we feel that policy makers would do well to heed the message.

Another important contribution of the poll results is that they should help to destroy one of the myths surrounding the public schools: that the public schools are losing public support. The trend lines in this poll suggest the exact opposite. The grades the public assigns the schools remain as high as ever and are truly impressive when public school parents give their evaluation; the public continues to express a strong preference for change through the existing public schools; support for choice shows no sign of increasing and could be said to be lagging; and it is the public schools to which the public turns for closing the achievement gap.

Finally, before we move to the specific conclusions, it seems necessary to comment on the important distinction between the nation’s schools and schools in the community. These polls have repeatedly documented that the public has a low opinion of the nation’s schools and a high opinion of schools in the local community. The media, some education experts, and some government leaders base their comments on the nation’s schools and are then surprised when they do not resonate with a public that is concerned primarily with the schools in the community, schools that generally draw approval. As long as those seeking to improve the public schools make their case on the supposed inadequacy of the schools in the community, support for improvement will be hard to build.

We turn now to the 20 conclusions that we believe summarize the most significant findings of this year’s poll. The data supporting each conclusion are provided, and the tables in which additional supporting data will be found are cited by number.

1. Lack of financial support is solidly entrenched in the public mind as the major problem facing the nation’s public schools. Responding to an open-ended question, 20% of those surveyed mention lack of financial support. This problem has been among the top problems mentioned for 15 straight years and has been the top problem for six years running. This year, it attracts almost twice the number of mentions of any other problem. (See Table 1.)

2. The high level of support Americans give to schools in their community is unchanged, and support for the public schools grows in direct proportion to the closeness of respondents to those schools. In this poll, 24% assign an A or a B to the nation’s schools; 48% award an A or a B to schools in the community. This figure rises to 57% when public school parents grade the schools in the community and to 69% when parents grade the school their oldest child attends. (See Tables 2, 3, and 4.)

3. The public’s strong preference is for improvement that comes by reforming the current public schools rather than by finding an alternative system. Asked to choose between the two options, the public has, since this question was first asked, consistently chosen reform through the existing system. (See Table 6.)

4. The public opposes permitting parents and students to choose to attend private schools at public expense. Fifty-seven percent of respondents oppose making this choice available as compared to 38% who favor it. The percentage in favor peaked at 46% in 2002 and has declined by 8% since that time. (See Table 7.)

5. The major reason cited for supporting private school attendance at public expense is the belief that achievement is better in private schools. Forty-nine percent of those supporting this alternative point to better achievement, 18% cite safety, and 25% mention receptivity to religious practices. (See Table 8.)

6. A plurality of respondents support the idea of charter schools. However, strong majorities say that such schools should be accountable to the state in the same way as regular public schools and should not be created if doing so means less funding for regular public schools. While 49% favor charter schools, 80% say they should be accountable to the state just as regular public schools are accountable. In addition, 65% of respondents oppose having charter schools in their community if it means reducing regular public school funding. (See Tables 9, 10, and 11.)

7. The public believes that the amount of achievement testing in schools is just about right, and a majority of respondents support additional testing in three grades at the high school level. The 40% saying there is about the right amount of testing and the 17% saying there is not enough constitute a majority in support of testing at least at current levels, while 67% support testing in high school at grades 9, 10, and 11. (See Tables 12 and 13.)

8. The public is divided regarding the use of student scores on standardized tests for the purpose of evaluating teachers and principals. Fifty-two percent believe student performance on standardized tests should be one measurement used in determining a teacher’s ability; 44% say it should not. As for evaluating principals, 50% endorse taking student test scores into consideration, while 46% disapprove. It is important to note that the question asks if standardized test results should be "one measure." (See Tables 14 and 15.)

9. The public believes that the current emphasis on standardized tests will lead teachers to teach to the test and does not regard this as a positive outcome. Fifty-eight percent say that teaching to the test will be encouraged, and 54% say that this is a bad thing. (See Tables 16 and 17.)

10. The public approaches consensus on the importance of closing the achievement gap, attributes the gap to factors other than schooling, believes parents and students have more to do with whether students learn than teachers, but still believes that it is the responsibility of the schools to close the gap.

•  Ninety percent say it is either very important or somewhat important to close the gap.
•  Seventy-five percent relate the gap to factors other than the quality of schooling received.
•  Sixty-three percent say that parents or students themselves determine student performance.
•  Nevertheless, 58% say that it is the responsibility of the public schools to close the gap. (See Tables 18, 19, 20, and 21.)

11. The public believes that the achievement gap can be substantially narrowed while maintaining high standards for all students. Eighty-one percent of respondents hold the view that the gap can be narrowed without sacrificing high standards. (See Table 22.)

12. The fact that so much of the public still considers itself uninformed regarding No Child Left Behind (NCLB) can be taken as reason to regard current opinions as preliminary. The public’s final judgment of NCLB is presumably yet to be made. While the number saying they know a great deal or fair amount about NCLB has grown from 24% in 2003 to 40% in this year’s survey, 59% say they know very little or nothing at all. (See Table 23.)

13. We drew the conclusion in 2003 that the public’s dissatisfaction with the strategies used in NCLB gave reason to believe that greater familiarity with the act was unlikely to bring approval. Based on the findings in this year’s poll, that conclusion is even more valid today. Forty-five percent in the current poll still say that they do not know enough about NCLB to express an opinion. Twenty-eight percent of respondents say that their view is either very favorable or somewhat favorable, while 27% say that it is somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable. More significant is the fact that among those professing a “great deal” of knowledge about NCLB, 57% view it unfavorably, while 36% view it favorably. (See Table 24.)

14. The NCLB strategies are frequently out of step with approaches favored by the public.

• NCLB uses a single test to determine if a school is in need of improvement. Sixty-eight percent say that a single test cannot give a fair picture. (See Table 25.)
• NCLB tests only English and math to determine if a school is in need of improvement. Eighty percent say testing English and math only will not give a fair picture. This rises to 87% within the "great deal" of knowledge group. (See Table 26.)
• NCLB gives parents of a child attending a school found to be in need of improvement the chance to transfer their child to a school making "adequate yearly progress" (AYP). Seventy-nine percent say they would prefer to have additional help given to their child in his or her own school. (See Table 28.)
• NCLB requires that test scores be broken out into eight groups based on ethnicity, English-speaking ability, poverty level, and disability status and reported separately by each group. A plurality of 48% opposes this requirement, with most of that group saying that they do so because they believe all students are equal -- and presumably should be treated in the same way. Support for reporting scores separately, however, is strong among those claiming knowledge of NCLB. (See Tables 29 and 30.)
• With limited exceptions, NCLB requires students enrolled in special education to meet the same standards as other students. Sixty-eight percent say these students should not be held to the same standards. (See Table 31.)
• NCLB includes the scores of special education students in determining whether a school is or is not in need of improvement. Sixty-two percent say these scores should not be included. (See Table 32.)
• NCLB designates a school in need of improvement if one group fails to make AYP for two consecutive years. The public is evenly split on whether this should happen if the special education group is the only one failing. However, a majority of the “great deal” of knowledge group says that scores of the special education group alone should not determine the designation. (See Table 33.)
• NCLB determines whether a school has made AYP based on the percentage of students meeting fixed goals in passing English and math. Eighty-five percent believe that it would be better to base AYP on improvement shown during the year. (See Table 35.)
•  NCLB requires that all of the groups meet the same fixed goals regardless of how far a given group starts from the goals. Sixty-three percent say the goals should vary according to where the school starts. (See Table 36.)

15. The public is split as to whether teachers and principals will be less willing to accept special education students at their schools knowing that doing so could reduce their chances of making AYP. However, those professing knowledge of NCLB are more likely to say that teachers and principals will be less willing to accept these students. The public splits on this question, with 47% saying that teachers and principals will be less willing to accept special education students and 45% saying that it will make no difference. Sixty-two percent of those in the “great deal” of knowledge group and 56% of those in the "fair amount" of knowledge group say that teachers and principals will be less willing to accept these students. (See Table 34.)

16. The public is equally divided on whether a large number of school failures would reflect shortcomings of the schools or of the law. Forty-five percent believe that the public schools should be blamed if a large number of schools fail to meet requirements. Forty-three percent say it is the law that should be blamed. (See Table 37.)

17. The public’s concerns regarding NCLB are consistent with the facts that the public favors a curriculum that offers a wide variety of courses and would prefer to see a child of theirs be active in extracurricular activities and earn average grades in school as compared to earning A grades but not participating in activities. Asked to choose between a wide variety of courses and a concentration of courses, 61% of respondents opt for a wide variety of courses. Given a choice between having a child of theirs earn A grades and having a child earn average grades but be active in extracurricular activities, 64% choose average grades and extracurricular activities. (See Tables 38 and 39.)

18. The public does not believe that the increasingly common practice of pursuing postsecondary education online should lead to a requirement that each high school student take at least one course online. Fifty-six percent of respondents say they would not require each high school student to take one course online. (See Table 40.)

19. The public believes that students who do not speak English should learn to do so in public school classes before enrolling in regular classes. Sixty-one percent of respondents support requiring non-English-speaking students to learn English in public school classes before enrolling in regular classes. (See Table 41.)

20. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed would like to see a child of theirs take up teaching as a career. Sixty-two percent of respondents endorse teaching as a career for their child. (See Table 42.)

The question asked in every year since 1969 gives those surveyed the chance to mention the biggest problem the schools in their communities face. The public is consistent and slow to change. Discipline topped the list for the first 16 years of the poll. Use of drugs then occupied the top by itself until 1991, when lack of financial support drew into a tie. Lack of financial support has been unchallenged as the top problem since 2000.

Grading the Public Schools

Three questions dealing directly with the public’s assessment of its schools trace back to the 1980s. The data are reported in Tables 2, 3, and 4. This year’s responses vary little from recent years. Twenty-four percent give the nation’s schools an A or a B. The percentage rises to 48% for schools in the community, to 57% when public school parents grade their community’s schools, and to 69% when parents grade the school their oldest child attends. The long-term trend line for community schools shows the percentage assigning an A or a B at 41% in 1990, 49% in 1999, and 48% in 2005. In addition to the three longtime questions, respondents to this year’s poll were asked a new question regarding the effectiveness of community schools in preparing students for employment after graduation. The data in Table 5 show that 41% assign the schools an A or a B in preparing students for employment.

Source of School Improvement

Taking as a given the public’s desire to see improvement, the 1997 poll queried respondents as to whether they wanted that improvement to come by reforming the existing public schools or by finding an alternative system. Seventy-one percent said in 1997 that reform should come through the existing schools. That percentage has changed little in the intervening years and now stands at 68%. The fact that over two-thirds of Americans want change to come through the existing schools provides a benchmark against which proposals for change can be assessed.

Private School at Public Expense

Two possible alternatives to regular public schools -- private school choice and charter schools -- are covered in Tables 7 through 11. Table 7 reports on this poll’s trend question related to choice. Respondents are asked whether they favor or oppose permitting parents to have their child attend a private school at public expense. This year’s percentage in support is the lowest since 2001, 38%. The percentage opposed is up to 57% from 54% in 2004. This year’s poll also explored why attendance at private schools is favored by some respondents. Forty-nine percent cite better student achievement at private schools, and 25% attribute their support to private schools’ greater receptiveness to religious practices.

Charter Schools

The next three tables deal with the charter school alternative. Started in 1992, charter schools are considered public schools. Their supposed advantage is that they operate with fewer rules and more flexibility. The data in Table 9 suggest that about half of the public supports the concept of charter schools. However, 80% of respondents say that charter schools should be accountable to the state in the same way as other public schools. This is significant in that it seems contrary to the greater flexibility that is one of the reasons for organizing such schools. The response to a final question indicates that a majority of the public would oppose operating charter schools if it meant reduced funding for regular public schools.

Testing

Amount of Testing

The testing mandated by NCLB and additional testing required by state-level initiatives have meant that the use of standardized testing to drive instruction has increased. The trend question reported in Table 12 assesses the public’s opinion on the amount of testing. The percentage saying there is too much testing is up 6% since 2000, while the percentage saying there is about the right amount is down by 3%. That suggests a slight movement in the direction of concern about too much testing. That concern, however, is countered by the fact that two-thirds support President Bush’s proposal for testing in grades 9, 10, and 11.

Testing and High-Stakes Decisions

One result of the growing emphasis on accountability has been an increase in the use of standardized tests for making high-stakes decisions involving schools and students. Several instances of this practice will be dealt with in the subsequent section on NCLB. The four tables that follow relate to the use of standardized test results in evaluating teachers and principals and the extent to which high-stakes uses encourage teaching to the test. Table 14 deals with the public's view of using standardized test data to assess teacher performance. Fifty-two percent support such use. Similarly, 50% of the public supports using student test results for evaluating principals. Tables 16 and 17 summarize the responses on the issues of teaching to the tests. A majority of respondents believe that the emphasis on standardized test results will cause teachers to teach to the test, and 54% say this is a bad thing.

The Achievement Gap

The achievement gap -- white students outperforming black and Hispanic students and non-poverty-level students outperforming those from poverty-level homes -- is present in all states. This poll has consistently delved into the public’s views on what causes the gap and who is responsible for closing it. Table 18 deals with a trend question on the importance of closing the gap. For four years running, some 9 of 10 respondents indicate that it is very important or somewhat important to close the gap. The results reported in Tables 19 and 20 make it clear that the public does not see the schools as responsible for the gap. On the contrary, the percentage blaming the gap on the quality of schooling is down 12 points since 2002. Data in Table 20 may explain this belief, with 63% of respondents saying parents or students are responsible for what students learn and only 33% saying teachers. But the majority of the public nonetheless believes that schools are responsible for closing the gap, and 81% believe substantial progress in doing so can be made while maintaining high standards.

No Child Left Behind

NCLB was signed into law on 8 January 2002 and was explored in depth for the first time in this poll later that year. The results then led to the conclusion that the public knew little about the law. In the 2003 poll, the public’s attitudes toward the strategies the law employs led us to conclude that greater familiarity with the law was unlikely to bring approval. Developments to date have given no cause to change that assessment.

Knowledge and Approval

The data in Table 23 show that, while the percentage claiming some level of knowledge about NCLB has climbed, 59% still say they know little or nothing at all. Surprisingly, a majority of public school parents say they are in the uninformed group. Meanwhile, the percentage saying they do not know enough to say whether their view is favorable or unfavorable is down from 69% in 2003 to 45% this year. Twenty-eight percent say their view is favorable while 27% say it is unfavorable.