Advertorial in Education Week, November 2, 2005

As Phi Delta Kappa International approaches its centennial in 2006, the association’s traditional tenets of leadership, research, and service in education have never been more important. This summer, as it has done for 37 years, PDK took the leadership initiative to conduct public opinion research with the Gallup Organization. The annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools is a service to educators, policy makers, and the information-seeking public.

The complete poll report in the September Phi Delta Kappan (www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kpollpdf.htm) offers insights on how the U.S. public views the schools that most American children attend — and how the public sees policy initiatives designed to improve those schools. A sample of findings is illustrative. For instance, an increasing number of Americans say they know a fair amount about the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). But the more they know, the less they like it. The public likes the act’s goals but objects to the strategies in NCLB. Asked how they would feel if a large number of schools fail to meet the law’s standards, the public split on whether to blame the law or the schools.

With NCLB reauthorization looming, public opinion also points to some specific concerns. For example, poll respondents believe the public schools should be judged on how much students improve in a given year, rather than on the percentage of students passing a state-mandated test. Thus public opinion would support increasing the use of growth assessments in any reauthorization of NCLB.

This type of research helps policy makers and educators make informed decisions. For example, what about specific challenges for the public schools? For one, the public is of a single mind about the importance of “closing the achievement gap.” They do not blame schools for the gap but believe that it is the schools’ responsibility to close the gap. What about innovative approaches to school improvement? An example: Americans support publicly funded charter schools but believe that charter schools must be held accountable in the same way as regular public schools.

Of course, some opinions do not change much from year to year, according to the poll’s trend questions. For example, for many years the poll has shown that the public’s support for the public schools increases with familiarity. Simply stated, Americans are most supportive of the public schools they know most directly.

Finally, if parents’ aspirations for their children are any indication, today’s educators can take heart that the teaching profession seems to be highly regarded. Almost two-thirds of Americans would approve if their child took up teaching in the public schools as a career.

PDK International President Jo Ann Fujioka, who took office July 1, has set her sights on making PDK “the bridge to the future” as the association approaches its centennial. She has articulated three priorities: mentoring educators to recruit and retain the best and brightest, developing education leaders who can improve schools for all children, and recognizing the leadership and service that local PDK chapters provide to communities across the nation and around the world. The annual PDK/Gallup Poll is a starting point. Learning what the public thinks about public schools is a way to take the first steps on this bridge to the future.

Phi Delta Kappa
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Bloomington, IN 47402-0789

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Support for this message provided by the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation