GRADING THE SCHOOLS
The 29th Annual
Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll
Of the Public's Attitudes
Toward the Public Schools
Illustration by Fred Bell
GRADING THE SCHOOLS |
The 29th Annual Illustration by Fred Bell |
|
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, people were first asked to rate the ''nation's public schools'' on the same scale. Then, beginning in 1985, parents were asked to grade the public school their oldest child was attending.
One significant generalization derived from responses to these questions over the years is the fact that the closer respondents are to the public schools, the higher the grades they give them. Thus people give the schools in their own community much higher grades than they give the nation's schools. Parents give the schools in the community much higher grades than do those who do not have children in the public schools. By the same token, public school parents, when asked to grade the school their oldest child attends, give that school higher grades than they give to schools in the community as a whole. Current poll findings reinforce the basic generalization: familiarity with the public schools breeds respect for them.
The differences are impressive. Over the last nine years the differences between the percentage of A's and B's given to the nation's public schools and to the local schools have averaged about 23 points. Even more startling is the difference between the percentage of A's and B's parents give to the school their oldest child attends and the percentage of A's and B's given to the nation's schools. Here the difference over the last nine years has averaged 47 percentage points.
Taken together, these items suggest a second generalization: the low grades given the nation's public schools are primarily media-induced. Whereas people learn firsthand about their children's schools, they learn about the nation's schools primarily from the media.
Local Public Schools
As has been the case for two decades, over four Americans in 10 -- 46% this year -- award a grade of A or B to the public schools in their own communities. And almost eight in 10 -- 78% this year -- award them at least a grade of C. An even higher percentage of public school parents (56%) assign an A or a B to the schools in their 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 | |||||
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 | |
| A & B | 46 |
43 |
42 |
38 |
56 |
57 |
26 |
24 |
| A | 10 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
15 |
15 |
9 |
2 |
| B | 36 |
35 |
34 |
32 |
41 |
42 |
17 |
22 |
| C | 32 |
34 |
33 |
36 |
30 |
29 |
35 |
43 |
| D | 11 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
21 |
13 |
| FAIL | 6 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
13 |
13 |
| Don't know | 5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
7 |
Public Schools Nationally
As has been the case since this question was first asked in 1981, about half as many Americans give a grade of A or B to the nation's public schools as give these grades to the local public schools. This year the figures are 22% and 46% respectively. The groups assigning unusually high percentages of A's and B's to the nation's public schools include blacks (44%) and nonwhites (35%).
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 | |||||
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 |
'97 |
'96 | |
| A & B | 22 |
21 |
23 |
20 |
23 |
26 |
24 |
8 |
| A | 2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| B | 20 |
20 |
20 |
19 |
21 |
24 |
22 |
7 |
| C | 48 |
46 |
49 |
47 |
46 |
43 |
38 |
57 |
| D | 15 |
18 |
15 |
19 |
16 |
14 |
15 |
21 |
| FAIL | 6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
| Don't know | 9 |
10 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
10 |
17 |
11 |
Public School Oldest Child Attends
The parents of public school children are likely to be among the best-informed citizens about the public schools. Since 1985, this poll has asked parents to grade the school their oldest child attends. This year almost two-thirds (64%) of public school parents assign the school their oldest child attends an A or a B. Another 23% assign this school a C, bringing to 87% the proportion of parents giving the school their oldest child attends at least a passing grade of C. The parents who are most likely to give the school their oldest child attends an A or a B include college graduates (75%), parents who live in the East (74%), and those parents whose children are at the top of their class or above-average academically (74%).
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 | ||
'97 |
'96 | |
| A & B | 64 |
66 |
| A | 26 |
23 |
| B | 38 |
43 |
| C | 23 |
22 |
| D | 7 |
6 |
| FAIL | 4 |
5 |
| Don't know | 2 |
1 |
Last updated: 25 August 1997
URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/kpoll97d.htm
Contact: bucheri@pdkintl.org