INTRODUCTION
The 29th Annual
Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll
Of the Public's Attitudes
Toward the Public Schools
Illustration by Fred Bell
INTRODUCTION |
The 29th Annual Illustration by Fred Bell |
|
PLACE A computer in every classroom. Move persistent ''troublemakers'' into alternative schools. Establish national standards for measuring the academic performance of the public schools. Let parents and students choose which public schools the students will attend. Group students in classes according to ability level. Establish a national curriculum. Use standardized national tests to measure the academic achievement of students. Provide health-care services in schools. These are all measures that the public believes would improve student achievement in the public schools. Probing attitudes about improving achievement was a major focus of the 1997 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, conducted by the George H. Gallup International Institute.
Why do some public schools achieve better academic results than others? The public believes that three factors are important: 1) strong support from parents, 2) the amount of money spent, and, to a lesser extent, 3) the kinds of students in attendance.
This year's poll data make it clear that public schools continue to enjoy strong public support. Most respondents give good grades to the schools in their own communities, and parents of public school students express even stronger satisfaction. While there is an obvious desire for improvement, almost three-fourths (71%) of those surveyed believe that this improvement should come through reforming the existing system rather than through seeking an alternative system.
At the same time, however, the public seems more willing than in earlier years to approve government financial support for students who wish to attend nonpublic schools. This continues a trend tracked by these polls for nearly three decades. As recently as 1993, only 24% of respondents favored ''allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public expense.'' Seventy-four percent were opposed. In 1997, 44% favor this and 52% oppose it. When the words ''public expense'' are changed to ''government expense,'' the public is exactly divided, with 48% in favor and 48% opposed. (Although on the borderline of statistical significance, this difference reminds us of the need for very careful wording of questions that assess opinion on sensitive issues.) On the basic ''voucher question,'' asking respondents to indicate whether they would support allowing parents and students to choose a public or nonpublic school to attend with the government paying ''all or part of the tuition,'' this poll shows a virtual deadlock, for the first time, with 49% favoring and 48% opposing. While this is good news to advocates of nonpublic schools, the conditions the public would impose on such support suggest that proposals of this kind are certain to be controversial.
The public expresses the strong belief that any nonpublic school that accepts public funds should be required to enroll students from a wider range of backgrounds and academic ability than is now the case. This popular conviction would seem to invite the kind of government regulation that has led some proponents of nonpublic schools to oppose the voucher idea.
This year's poll reflects a strong public belief in the important role parents can and should play in the education of their children. Respondents regard the amount of support provided by parents of public school students as a major factor in determining why some schools are better than others; they also believe strongly that parents should be notified if their children have a substance abuse problem or suffer from a sexually transmitted disease.
Other findings in the 1997 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll include the following.
* Majorities in all demographic groups believe that the problems faced by the public schools in urban areas are more serious than those affecting nonurban schools.
* Lack of discipline and inadequate financing are the local school problems most frequently mentioned by respondents. The use of drugs and ''fighting, violence, and gangs'' are not far behind.
* Forty-six percent of those surveyed give the public schools in their community an A or a B. Fifty-six percent of public school parents give them a grade of A or B, and almost two-thirds (64%) of public school parents give the school their eldest child attends an A or B.
* The public believes that, if given the opportunity, the students most likely to move from public schools to private schools under a voucher system would be the higher-achieving students. Furthermore, the public believes that the academic achievement of these students would improve as a result of the move, while the academic achievement of the students remaining in the public schools would stay about the same.
* The public believes the home school movement is a bad thing for the nation; however, fewer respondents hold this belief today than when this question was asked in 1988 and 1985. Moreover, the public feels strongly that home schools should be required to guarantee a minimum level of educational quality.
* The public does not believe that state takeover of failing schools will improve academic achievement. Indeed, a strong majority (69%) believes that achievement would remain the same or get worse.
* Do the public schools overemphasize achievement testing? Approximately half (48%) believe the current emphasis is appropriate; the remaining half are divided between ''too much'' (20%) and ''not enough'' (28%).
* There is no consensus regarding the effect on academic achievement of lowering a school's starting age for children. However, a majority (75%) of the public would have students start school at age 5 or under.
* People divide almost equally in assessing the way a part-time job outside of school affects students' academic performance: one-third say it lowers performance, one-third say it improves performance, and one-third say it has no effect.
* The public supports President Clinton's main education initiatives. The President would assess performance of the nation's public schools according to how well students score on achievement tests at two different grade levels; he proposes a five-year, two-billion-dollar program to place a computer with access to the Internet in every classroom; and he seeks a tax credit for each first-year college student in a family with an annual income of $100,000 or less.
* Seven out of 10 respondents (71%) reject the idea that the local public schools are infringing on the right of parents to direct their children's education.
* Children today are getting more parental help with their homework than in earlier years, and Americans in general report an increased willingness to work as unpaid volunteers in their local public schools.
* A majority of public school parents (57%) say they would be more likely to take the school's side than their child's if a teacher or principal reported the child misbehaving or being disruptive in school.
* A majority of the public (60%) indicates that a C is the lowest grade a child of theirs could bring home on a report card without causing them to be upset or concerned.
* Fifty-four percent of Americans believe that the curriculum in their local schools needs to be changed to meet today's needs, while 39% believe it already does so.
* Majorities define curriculum ''basics'' as including mathematics and English. Pluralities would add history/U.S. government and science to the list.
* A small majority (52%) of the public believes that gifted and talented students should be placed in separate classes. Moreover, 66% believe that grouping students by ability in classrooms improves student achievement overall.
* Almost two-thirds of Americans (63%) believe that extracurricular activities are very important. Another 27% believe they are fairly important. The importance assigned to these activities is substantially greater today than when the question was last asked in 1985.
* A small majority (53%) of the public believes that the emphasis placed on sports such as football and basketball is about right. However, 39% believe there is too much emphasis.
* Ninety-six percent of respondents would require an average grade of C or better for interscholastic athletic eligibility.
* Americans are divided as to whether public schools should be financed through local property taxes, state taxes, or federal taxes. They are also divided as to whether local property taxes or local income taxes should be the main source of school funding.
* A small majority of the public (53%) is at least somewhat satisfied with the steps being taken to deal with the use of drugs in the local schools. Fifty-two percent of respondents believe an educational approach is the best way to deal with the problem; 42% believe severe penalties are best.
* The public gives strong support to ''zero tolerance'' policies that call for automatic suspension for drug and alcohol possession in school and for carrying weapons of any kind into school.
Last updated: 25 August 1997
URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/kpoll97a.htm
Contact: bucheri@pdkintl.org