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The Third Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers' Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

by Carol A. Langdon

Do teachers agree with the public about how their schools might be improved? Do they see the same problems in their classrooms that the public sees from a distance? Have teachers' ideas about perennial issues in education changed over the last decade? To find out, in May 1996 Phi Delta Kappa conducted its third poll of teachers' attitudes toward the public schools. In the summer of 1996, a series of focus group interviews was also conducted with public school teachers. To compare teachers' opinions with those of the public, teachers were asked selected questions from the 1996 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll of public attitudes toward the schools. Some highlights of those comparisons follow.

• Like the public, teachers give their local public schools higher grades than the nation's schools, but more teachers than members of the public give higher marks to all public schools: 30% of teachers surveyed give a grade of A or B to all public schools, while 21% of the public do so.
• Teachers say the biggest problem they face in their classrooms is lack of support from parents, but the public says that the biggest problem their local public schools have is student drug abuse. Teachers' second-biggest problem, funding for public education, ranks fourth among the public's concerns. Both teachers and the public agree that student discipline is one of the biggest problems schools face.
• Less than half of all teachers (46%) say they would encourage the brightest student they know to become a teacher, while 73% of the public would do so.
• Practically all teachers and public respondents agree that it is important for the nation's schools to prepare students to be responsible citizens, but teachers and the public do not agree about how important other goals are. For instance, 58% of the public says it is very important for schools to improve social conditions, while only 29% of teachers agree.
• While teachers oppose vouchers by a 4-1 margin, public opinion is more evenly divided.
• Majorities of teachers and the public agree that students should wear uniforms to school and perform some kind of community service in order to graduate, but more teachers than members of the public favor these requirements.
• While majorities of teachers and of the public say that we are spending too little or about the right amount on special education, seven times as many teachers say we are spending too much.
• Teachers agree with the public that teachers are more committed to improving education than are state and local officials, but fewer teachers believe their governor and state legislators are committed to improving public education.
• Teachers were also asked selected questions from the 1984 and 1989 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup teacher polls. Here is a summary of some trends in teacher opinion:
• Teachers remain firm in their opposition to basing promotion from grade to grade on exams. But 19% more teachers in 1996 than in 1984 say high school students should pass a standard national exam to get a diploma.
• For the first time, teachers in 1996 say discipline is the main reason teachers leave the profession. In 1984 and 1989 teachers said it was low salaries, a response that fell to second place this year.
• Most teachers still say unionization has helped the quality of public education in the United States, and a majority still say those wanting to become teachers should be required to pass a state board exam.

Grading the Schools

Local Public Schools

Teachers consistently assign higher marks to their local schools than does the public; this year 63% of teachers give their local schools a grade of A or B, compared to 43% of the public. Teachers in suburban areas give their schools the most A's or B's (76%); teachers in inner-city or urban areas give local schools the fewest A's or B's (50%).

The question:

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

Teachers were asked in 1984, 1989, and 1996 to grade the public school in which they taught. The distribution of their answers has not varied significantly since 1984, although more teachers give their own school an A this year. More teachers in suburban areas rate their own school high, with 83% giving an A or a B. More elementary teachers (80%) give their schools an A or a B than secondary teachers (66%).

The question:

How about the public school in which you teach? What grade would you give your own school?

Public Schools Nationally

For the first time this year, teachers were asked to grade the nation's public schools. Like the responses to the PDK/Gallup poll of the public, teachers' answers depend on the proximity of the school they are asked to rate. The fewest teachers (30%) award the nation's schools a grade of A or B, and the most (73%) award the school in which they teach a grade of A or B. However, 9% more teachers give an A or a B to the nation's schools than the public. Only 25% of teachers in rural areas give the nation's schools an A or a B.

The question:

How about the public schools in the nation as a whole? What grade would you give the nation's public schools?

Biggest Problems Facing Local Schools

Lack of support from parents is the problem most frequently mentioned by teachers (24%), consistent with answers in 1984 and 1989. Only 2% of public respondents cite this as one of the biggest problems facing their schools. Drug abuse, which was the problem most frequently mentioned by the public this year, has ranked seventh in all three teacher polls. In general, the public perceives more problems related to student behavior in their schools, while teachers see more problems related to parent behavior. As one teacher wrote on a survey, "Parents either blame the teacher for their child's behavior and grades, or they just don't care at all."

As in 1984 and 1989, lack of financial support is again the second most frequently named problem for teachers. Among the public, this problem ranks fourth. The surveyed teachers frequently mentioned their concern about how schools are funded. One wrote, "We need funding that is fair to our area and at least equivalent to the state average."

Lack of discipline, the public's second most frequently mentioned problem, climbed from fourth place in 1984 and 1989 to third place among teachers this year. And moral standards climbed from 22nd place in 1984 to sixth place this year.

The question:

What do you think are the biggest problems with which the public schools of this community must deal?

Teachers and Teaching

Encouraging Bright People to Become Teachers

Less than half of teachers (46%) say they would encourage the brightest young person they know to become a teacher, whereas almost 75% of the public would do so. When teachers in focus groups were asked to explain this discrepancy, most said there is a public misperception about what it means to be a teacher. For example, the public thinks that teaching is "a piece of cake" and believes that teachers "have it easy because they get their summers off." About an equal number of teachers surveyed (42%) say they would suggest this bright young person consider other fields before deciding. One teacher in a focus group said that the brightest students tend to pursue careers in business "because that's where the money is." Focus group teachers talked about how many things teachers do besides teach, and they speculated that prospective teachers would have more realistic expectations if classroom experience occurred in the first year of college.

The question:

Suppose the brightest young person you know said to you that he or she would like to be a teacher. What would you be most likely to do - encourage that person, discourage that person, or suggest he or she consider other fields before deciding?

Why Teachers Leave the Profession

This year, for the first time, teachers cite discipline problems in schools as the main reason their colleagues leave their jobs. Low teacher salaries, the top reason mentioned by teachers in 1984 and 1989, dropped to second place, and lack of motivation or interest among students moved to third place from fifth in 1989. Most teachers in focus groups expressed sentiments similar to those of one middle school teacher who said, "I don't think a teacher really goes into it for [the money]. If a teacher quits, it's because the discipline has just gotten so bad it's hard to handle." Some teachers talked about "no backing" from the administration.

The question:

Many public school teachers are leaving the classroom. Here are some reasons that are sometimes given. Which three of these do you think are the main reasons why teachers are leaving their jobs?

Effect of Unionization on School Quality

Teachers' opinions about the effect of unionization have fluctuated since 1984, when they were first asked their opinion on the issue. A majority of teachers this year (56%) say unionization has helped the quality of education. Some teachers in focus groups said unionization has helped teachers but not students. A middle school teacher said, "The benefits I have are wonderful, and if it weren't for the union, I don't think we'd have [them]. [But] we have terrible teachers who are being protect-ed by the union. It hurts the kids to have those awful teachers. I don't need the union to protect my job."

The question:

Most teachers in the nation now belong to unions or associations that bargain over salaries, working conditions, and the like. Has unionization, in your opinion, helped, hurt, or made no difference in the quality of public education in the U.S.?

A State Board Examination for Teachers

Roughly three-fourths of the states require college graduates to pass one or more examinations before they can be certified to teach. Teachers' views on this matter have not changed much since 1984. On average, 62% say would-be teachers should be required to pass an exam, and 32% say they should not. Most new teachers in focus groups said they had taken a state board exam or the National Teacher Examination, noting that these tests were not difficult. "It would be nice if [a test] weeded some people out, but it doesn't," one commented.

The question:

In addition to meeting college requirements for a teacher's certificate, should those who want to become teachers also be required to pass a state board examination before they are hired to prove their knowledge in the subjects they will teach?

Purposes of the Nation's Public Schools

In 1996 both teachers and the public rated the importance of six potential purposes for the nation's public schools. While a majority of teachers and the public agree that all six are important, they do not always agree about how important they are. Nearly everyone agrees that it is "very important" or "quite important" to prepare students to become responsible citizens and to help people become economically self-sufficient. But more than twice as many public respondents as teachers say it is "very important" for schools to promote cultural unity among all Americans, and twice as many say it is "very important" for the schools to improve social conditions. An elementary teacher in a focus group said she thought her biggest responsibility was to provide a basic education, and she would try to accomplish these six goals in the process. "But where's the responsibility of the family?" she asked. "Are we going to take responsibility for teaching these children everything?"

The question:

Here are some possible purposes of the nation's public schools. Apart from providing a basic education, indicate how important you consider each is as a purpose of the nation's schools - very important, quite important, not too important, or not at all important?

Support for Vouchers

So far, there is little research showing that students using vouchers to attend private schools fare better academically than students in public schools, and what research does exist is mixed. A majority of teachers (76%) oppose vouchers to help parents send their children to any school, public, private, or religious; only 20% favor them. A smaller majority of public poll respondents (54%) oppose vouchers, but 43% favor them.

Overall, teachers in focus groups opposed the idea of vouchers. "What would happen to our students whose parents don't have money?" a high school teacher asked. "Parents with money will be able to pay more for their kids to be with kids just like them. Or parents who care [will] search for their choice school, and [we] are left with an entire school of kids whose parents didn't care enough to make the choice."

A few teachers supported vouchers, saying they would create competition and weed out bad schools. One middle school teacher said teachers in his school spend more than half of their time "trying to keep kids under control so the ones who want to learn can." But another middle school teacher asked, "What do you think would happen in public education if the leaders in your class were gone? I think that's bad for kids."

The question:

A proposal has been made that would allow parents to send their school-age children to any public, private, or church-related school they choose. For those parents choosing nonpublic schools, the government would pay all or part of the tuition. Would you favor or oppose this proposal in your state?

How to Improve the Public Schools

Higher Standards

At the 1996 National Education Summit, President Clinton told the nation's governors, "You have to have an assessment system . . . at the state level that says no more social promotions, no more free passes."1 With so much public debate about standards, teachers were asked for the third time what they think about raising standards for promotion and graduation.

Just 35% of teachers favor promoting students from grade to grade only if they can pass exams. Teachers' answers vary depending on the level at which they teach: only 28% of elementary teachers favor such exams, whereas 44% of secondary teachers (and 51% of high school teachers) do so. Most teachers in focus groups admitted promoting students who are not academically prepared for the next grade. One middle school teacher said he had promoted underprepared students because of their age. "I realize I'm just passing the problem along to the high school," he said.

The question:

In your opinion, should children be promoted from grade to grade only if they can pass examinations?

The number of teachers who believe that high school students should pass a standardized national exam before receiving their diplomas has grown steadily, from 48% in 1984 to 54% in 1989 to 67% in 1996. This year slightly more elementary teachers (70%) than secondary teachers (65%) favor such a graduation exam. Teachers in focus groups said such a requirement might address issues raised by the business community regarding the preparedness of the work force. "But I'm afraid kids who didn't pass would just drop out," one high school teacher noted.

The question:

Should all high school students in the United States be required to pass a standard nationwide examination in order to get a high school diploma?

Student Uniforms

The idea of requiring students to wear uniforms to school has wide appeal. Among 5,500 secondary school principals surveyed this year, 70% agreed that this step would reduce violent incidents and discipline problems, and 60% thought it would lead to increased academic achievement.** Yet there is scant evidence that uniforms have such effects. More teachers (65%) than public respondents (53%) think students in their communities should be required to wear uniforms. In a focus group one high school teacher thought uniforms might reduce some problems associated with gangs, but she cautioned that "if they're not wearing their colors, they're going to be wearing one sock down and one sock up. Kids are creative, and the way they dress is one way they express themselves."

The question:

A few public schools are now requiring students to wear uniforms to school. Would you approve or disapprove of the public schools in your community requiring all students to wear uniforms?

Extending the School Year or Day

Unlike public respondents, a majority of teachers in 1996 oppose increasing the amount of time students spend in school. Of those teachers who favor extending the school day or year, 43% favor doing so for high school students, but only 34% favor extra school time for elementary students. Public responses exhibit a similar pattern, with 60% favoring more time for high school students and 49% favoring more time for elementary students.

The question:

Some public schools in the nation have increased the amount of time students spend in school by extending the school year or the school day. Do you favor or oppose increasing the amount of time children spend in the local elementary schools?

The second question:

How about the high schools in your community? Do you favor or oppose increasing the amount of time students spend in the local high schools?

Internet Access for Schools

The nation's telephone and cable television companies have joined President Clinton's commitment to connect all schools to the Internet by the year 2000, promising to give most public schools free access. How important is the President's initiative when there is only one computer capable of connecting to the Internet for every 35 students?* Most teachers (85%) and public respondents (80%) agree that it is "very important" or "somewhat important" to connect students to global communication systems. Teachers in focus groups agreed, but they also noted that "the Internet has a long way to go before it's going to be really beneficial to the kids." One middle school teacher said, "We need computers. We're not ready for the Internet."

The question:

The federal government and some states have attempted to provide all students with access to global electronic communication systems such as the Internet in their schools. How important do you think this would be for the public school students in your community - very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important?

Community Service

Some call it "mandated volunteerism," and some charge that it violates students' constitutional rights. But a majority of teachers (76%) favor requiring public school students to participate in some type of community service in order to graduate from high school; 66% of public respondents agree. While 32% of the public opposes such a requirement, only 14% of the teachers oppose it. Teachers in focus groups generally agreed that students would benefit. "It helps students to get outside of the self," an elementary teacher observed. "[My] students . . . did not realize that there are kids living in the homeless shelter, that there was no place for them to go."

The question:

Would you favor or oppose a requirement for high school graduation that all students in the local public schools perform some kind of community service?

Superintendent's Qualifications

In the fall of 1995, the Seattle school board hired John Stanford, a retired major general with a master's degree in management, as its superintendent. Other urban districts are turning to people with backgrounds in public policy, finance, and other fields to take over management of the schools. A strong majority of both teachers (90%) and public respondents (87%) said it is "very important" or "quite important" for superinten-dents to be experienced educators. Teachers in focus groups said it was important for their superintendent to know something about education in order to understand such issues as inclusion, but they didn't think it was necessary for that person to have "spent 25 years in the classroom."

The question:

A large city district recently employed a retired Army general with no training or experience in education as its superintendent of schools. How important do you think it is that the superintendent of public schools in your community be a trained and experienced educator - very important, quite important, not very important, or not at all important?

Spending on Special Education

The biggest proportion of new K-12 spending since 1967 has been for special education.2 More public respondents (41%) than teachers (35%) say America is spending about the right amount on students with special needs. Three times as many public respondents (47%) as teachers (16%) say that we are spending too little. Seven times as many teachers (36%) as public respondents (5%) say we are spending too much. "I don't think we use the money effectively," one special education staff developer said in a focus group. "I don't think we do it right. Four adults and three kids in the room . . . that's just an obscene waste of money," another teacher asserted.

The question:

How do you feel about spending for students with special education needs such as those with mental and physical disabilities? In your opinion, is America spending too much of its total education budget on students with special needs, too little, or about the right amount?

State and Local Officials' Commitment To Public Education

How committed do teachers think state and local officials are to improving public education in their communities? Like 80% of this year's public respondents, 96% of teachers say teachers are "very committed" or "quite committed" to improving public education. On the other hand, teachers are almost twice as likely as the public to say that their governor and state legislators are not committed to improving education: 54% of teachers and 29% of public respondents say that their governor is not committed to improving education; 63% of teachers and 35% of the public say that their state legislators are not committed to improving education.

Teachers in focus groups were not surprised about the differences in teachers' and the public's answers. A teacher from California said that the governor had promised aides to teachers with more than 22 children in their classrooms, but she had yet to see an aide in her classroom. A teacher from Florida and a teacher from Illinois agreed that state lottery money that had been promised for improving education was instead being used to replace lost revenues.

The question:

How strongly committed do you think each of the following people is to improving education in the public schools in your community?

Composition of the Sample

Demographic information provided by respondents indicates that
75% are female and 25% are male. The mean age of respondents is 44 years. Racial/ethnic background information indicates that 92% are white; 4% are black; 2% are Asian or Pacific Islander; 1% are American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut; and 1% are "other." Of all persons answering the survey, 3% indicated that they are of Hispanic origin.

Respondents indicated that their highest degree earned was a bachelor's (46%), master's (48%), specialist's (5%), or doctorate (1%). They have taught an average of 17 years. A majority -- 55% -- indicated that they teach at the elementary level; 21%, at the middle/junior high school level; 23%, at the high school level; and 1%, at some other level. Nine
percent teach in inner cities; 15%, in urban areas; 29%, in suburban areas; 29%, in small towns; 17%, in rural areas; and 1% are not sure.

Research Procedure

The Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research developed and implemented the Phi Delta Kappa Poll of Teachers' Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. The mail survey consisted of 16 questions from the 1996 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools and seven questions from the 1984 and 1989 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Polls of Teachers' Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Only 14 questions from the Gallup poll and six questions from the teachers' polls are reported here. (Two questions from the public opinion poll, grading local schools and biggest problems in the local schools, are trend questions that were asked of teachers in 1984 and in 1989.) National Computer Systems designed and printed the survey form for optical scanning. A random sample of 2,000 public school teachers throughout the United States was provided by Market Data Retrieval. The sample was stratified proportionately by the Gallup Organization's four regions and by grade level taught.

The survey - along with a cover letter and a return envelope - was mailed on 2 May 1996, at the same time the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll was being conducted. A follow-up postcard was mailed on May 10. One survey was returned as undeliverable. The response rate was 25.5%,

with 510 respondents returning completed surveys. This sample has a margin of error estimated to be plus or minus 5% at the 95% confidence level. In 1984 the response rate was 41%; in 1989 it was 41.5%. The sample of 830 respondents in 1989 allowed for a margin of error of plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level. A margin of error of plus or minus 5% at the 95% confidence level means that sample responses would differ by no more than plus or minus 5% from the true values.

Focus group interviews were conducted three times during the summer of 1996 to amplify quantitative data for specificity, depth, and personal context. Participants were drawn from public school teachers enrolled in professional development seminars at Phi Delta Kappa headquarters. In all, 20 teachers were interviewed. They represented the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Comments from focus group participants reported in this article are not generalizable to all public school teachers. However, an effort was made to conduct enough focus group interviews to establish consensus across groups on each question.

An advisory committee selected the questions for this year's teacher poll. The committee was composed of Stanley Elam, former editor, Phi Delta Kappan; Alec Gallup, Gallup Organization; Pauline Gough, editor, Phi Delta Kappan; John Kennedy, director, Center for Survey Research, Indiana University; Lowell Rose, former executive director, Phi Delta Kappa; Bruce Smith, managing editor, Phi Delta Kappan; and Nick Vesper, policy analyst, Indiana Education Policy Center, Indiana University. John Kennedy also advised on procedural questions related to survey research, and Nick Vesper advised on sampling, data analysis, and the final report. Sarah Martin, editor, Indiana Education Policy Center, critiqued the final report.

1. Millicent Lawton, "Summit Accord Calls for Focus on Standards," Education Week, 3 April 1996, p. 15.

2. Press Release, National Association of Secondary School Principals, 26 February 1996.

CAROL A. LANGDON is research editor for Phi Delta Kappa's Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research, Bloomington, Ind.

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Last modified January 17, 2008
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This article appeared in the November 1996 issue of Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 78, No. 3.
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