The 30th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools |
EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The 1998 survey examined the effectiveness of public schools in a number of ways. One question asked respondents whether they thought children today receive a better or worse education than they did. Another listed measures used in gauging the effectiveness of schools and asked respondents to indicate which they felt was most important. Another question probed the extent to which the public schools are taking the steps necessary to promote understanding and tolerance among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Is Education Today Better or Worse?
Americans' assessment of whether children are getting a better or worse education today than they themselves received has changed little since the question was first asked nearly two decades ago. Forty-one percent believe that children get a better education, 48% say children get a worse education, and 8% believe there is no difference. The range of opinions on this issue is great. Groups more likely to believe children are receiving a worse education include those in the West (27% better, 59% worse), political independents (33% better, 52% worse), college graduates (31% better, 51% worse), those with incomes of $50,000 and over (34% better, 55% worse), and professionals and businesspeople (33% better, 55% worse). Groups likely to feel children are getting a better education include nonwhites (53% better, 40% worse), Democrats (47% better, 42% worse), those in the South (49% better, 43% worse), and public school parents (49% better, 43% worse).
The question:
As you look on your own elementary and high school education, is it your impression that children today get a better or worse education than you did?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |||||
| '98 | '79 | '98 | '79 | '98 | '79 | '98 | '79 | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Better | 41 | 41 | 38 | 36 | 49 | 53 | 38 | 36 |
| Worse | 48 | 42 | 49 | 43 | 43 | 39 | 55 | 54 |
| No difference | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| Don't know | 3 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Size of School
This was the first poll in a number of years to raise the question of school size as an element relating to school effectiveness. The large comprehensive high schools that students in many communities attend today are far different from most of the schools of the past. Large elementary schools and middle schools have also become more common. It is not unusual to hear parents and students complain that the school the youngsters attend is large and impersonal. Two questions related to school size were asked.
The first question asked whether public schools in the community are too big, too small, or about the right size in terms of the number of students they serve. About half of the respondents (49%) say schools are about the right size, while 30% say they are too big. The two groups most likely to believe that public schools are about the right size are those age 50 and over (59% say they are about the right size) and rural residents (64% say they are about the right size). Since respondents were not asked the size of the schools in their communities, there is no way of identifying the size of the schools being judged as "about the right size." However, the fact that rural residents, who live where the smaller schools are located, so strongly believe that their schools are the right size and the fact that the public expresses a preference (in the second question) for smaller high schools both seem to indicate that the public thinks small is better.
The second question asked respondents to indicate how big a high school should be. Four choices were offered, ranging from less than 1,000 students to more than 2,000 students. Fifty-eight percent of respondents prefer a high school of less than 1,000 students. Only 2% prefer a high school larger than 2,000 students. The latter is, of course, the size of the high schools that a vast number of students currently attend. The preference for smaller high schools is uniform across all groups.
The first question:
In your opinion, are public schools in your community too big, too small, or about the right size in terms of the number of students?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |
| % | % | % | % | |
| Too big | 30 | 29 | 29 | 55 |
| Too small | 15 | 13 | 21 | 6 |
| About the right size | 49 | 51 | 48 | 28 |
| Don't know | 6 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
The second question:
If you had the choice, which size high school would you prefer for a child of yours a high school with less than 1,000 students, a high school with between 1,000 and 1,500 students, one with between 1,500 and 2,000 students, or one with more than 2,000 students?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |
| % | % | % | % | |
| Less than 1,000 students | 58 | 56 | 57 | 84 |
| Between 1,000 and 1,500 students | 28 | 29 | 30 | 10 |
| Between 1,500 and 2,000 students | 6 | 6 | 7 | * |
| More than 2,000 students | 2 | 2 | 3 | * |
| Don't know | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| *Less than one-half of 1%. | ||||
Measuring School Effectiveness
In the public school forums conducted by Phi Delta Kappa, the National PTA, and the Center on Education Policy, participants have struggled to identify the indicators they believe should be used to measure school effectiveness. This year's poll listed six indicators often mentioned in these forums and asked respondents to state the importance of each. The highest rating (82% very important) is given to the percentage of students who graduate from high school. Second is the percentage of high school graduates who practice good citizenship (79% very important). Third comes the percentage of high school graduates who go on to college (71% very important). The indicator rated lowest is the scores that students receive on standardized tests (50% very important).
Nonwhites show the greatest tendency to vary from the general population, with 65% saying that standardized test scores are very important, 83% rating the percentage going on to college or junior college as very important, and 86% citing the percentage graduating from college or junior college as very important.
The question:
How important do you think each of the following is for measuring the effectiveness of the public schools in your community? Would you say very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important?
| Very Important |
Somewhat Important |
Not Very Important |
Not at All Important |
Don't Know | |
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| Percentage of students who graduate from high school | 82 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Percentage of high school graduates who practice good citizenship | 79 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Percentage of high school graduates who go on to college or junior college | 71 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Percentage who graduate from college or junior college | 69 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Percentage of graduates who get jobs after completing high school | 63 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Scores that students receive on standardized tests | 50 | 34 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
Understanding and Racial Tolerance
Promoting racial understanding and tolerance among students is one of the goals of the public schools. With a national commission studying racial matters, poll planners deemed this a good time to revisit a question asked in earlier polls to determine how effective Americans think the public schools are in this area. Sixty-two percent of Americans say they feel the public schools in their community are taking the necessary steps to promote understanding and tolerance among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Public school parents agree. Nonwhites, a group that would be expected to be sensitive in this area, also concur, but only 56% of nonwhites believe schools are taking the necessary steps to promote tolerance and understanding.
The question:
In your opinion, are the public schools in your community taking the necessary steps to promote understanding and tolerance among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds or not?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |||||
| '98 | '92 | '98 | '92 | '98 | '92 | '98 | '92 | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Yes | 62 | 50 | 62 | 44 | 64 | 59 | 57 | 47 |
| No | 27 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 31 |
| Don't know | 11 | 22 | 13 | 30 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 22 |
Impact of the Public School on Students
Appropriately, the final question related to effectiveness dealt with the impact of the public schools on students. Obviously, the schools would like to have every child become an eager learner. In response to this question, 50% of public school parents say they believe the public schools have made their oldest child an eager learner. Another 34% indicate that the public schools have caused their child to tolerate learning as a necessary chore. Only 15% feel that the public schools have caused their child to be turned off to learning.
This question also separates those who say their child is an above-average learner from those who indicate their child is an average or below-average learner. Sixty percent in the former group say the public schools have made their child an eager learner, as compared to 36% in the latter category. Twenty-three percent of those who indicate that their child is an average or below-average achiever also say that the public schools have turned off their child to learning.
The question:
How would you describe the impact school has had or is having on your oldest child's attitude toward learning? Has it caused your child to become an eager learner, caused your child to tolerate learning as a necessary chore, or caused your child to be turned off to learning?
| Public School Parents | |
| % | |
| Caused child to become eager learner | 50 |
| Caused child to tolerate learning as a necessary chore | 34 |
| Caused child to be turned off to learning | 15 |
| Don't know | 1 |
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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