The 30th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools |
GRADING THE SCHOOLS
Since 1974 respondents to the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup education polls have been asked to grade the public schools in their communities on a scale of A to F. In 1981 a second question was added in which the public was asked to grade the "nation's public schools." Then, beginning in 1985, parents were asked to grade the public school their oldest child was attending.
The importance of this series of questions cannot be overestimated. At a time when much criticism was being directed at the public schools, these questions provided annual evidence that people did not feel that the criticism applied to the schools in their own communities. This kept the discussion of the public schools more rational and recognized that schools vary widely and must be judged on a school-by-school and district-by-district basis.
The trends established by this series of questions have been consistent. They make it clear that the closer people are to the public schools, the higher their regard for them. The schools they rate lowest are those they do not know, the "nation's schools." These are the schools about which information comes through media reports. Ask people about the schools they do know, and the grades they assign go up. Indeed, the percentage of respondents who award the schools a grade of A or B increases almost 30 points when respondents are asked about the schools in their own community rather than about the "nation's schools." It rises again when public school parents, those closest to the schools, are asked to rate the local schools. And, finally, it increases again when public school parents are asked to grade the public school their oldest child attends.
Local Public Schools
The grades assigned to the public schools in the community remain high, as has been the case for four decades, with 46% assigning those schools a grade of A or B. Adding in those assigning a C brings to 77% the percentage giving at least a passing grade to the schools in the community.
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?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |||||
| '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| A & B | 46 | 46 | 43 | 42 | 52 | 56 | 39 | 26 |
| A | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 9 |
| B | 36 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 37 | 41 | 31 | 17 |
| C | 31 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 35 |
| D | 9 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 21 |
| FAIL | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Don't know | 9 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
Public Schools Nationally
As has been true since 1981, the nation's public schools continue to be those receiving the lowest grades. In fact, the schools people are rating so low are, in many cases, the same ones receiving high marks from the people in the communities they serve. This year 18% assign the nation's schools an A or a B, down from 22% in 1997. No demographic groups assign these schools high grades, although nonwhites (24% A or B) and Democrats (25% A or B) give slightly higher grades than others.
The question:
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 |
Nonpublic School Parents | |||||
| '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | '98 | '97 | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| A & B | 18 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 16 | 23 | 12 | 24 |
| A | 1 | 2 | * | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| B | 17 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 8 | 22 |
| C | 49 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 52 | 46 | 52 | 38 |
| D | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 15 |
| FAIL | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| Don't know | 13 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 17 |
| *Less than one-half of 1%. | ||||||||
Public School Oldest Child Attends
It would be difficult to argue that the parents of public school children would not be the best-informed people about the effectiveness of the public schools. That is why the grades that public school parents give the school their oldest child attends are so important. This year 62% assign a grade of A or B. Another 25% assign a C, bringing to 87% the proportion of parents who assign a passing grade to the school their oldest child attends.
There is some indication that the grades parents assign are somewhat affected by the success their children have had in school. For parents indicating that their child is above average in achievement, the percentage assigning an A or a B is 69%. For those indicating average or below-average achievement for their child, the percentage assigning an A or a B drops to 53%.
The question:
Using the A, B, C, D, FAIL scale again, what grade would you give the school your oldest child attends?
| Public School Parents | ||
| '98 | '97 | |
| % | % | |
| A & B | 62 | 64 |
| A | 22 | 26 |
| B | 40 | 38 |
| C | 25 | 23 |
| D | 8 | 7 |
| FAIL | 3 | 4 |
| Don't know | 2 | 2 |
TOPICS:
Introduction to the Poll
Public Versus Nonpublic Schools
Grading the Schools
Effectiveness of Public Schools
Improving the Nation's Inner-City Schools
Politics and the Public Schools
Problems Facing the Public Schools
School Operation/Curriculum
Impact of Unions
The Public's Knowledge of Local Schools
Confidence in Institutions
Closing Comments
How to Order the Poll
Research Procedure
Sampling Tolerances
Design and Composition of the Sample
Conducting Your Own Poll
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