What Americans think about their schools: the 2007 Education Next-PEPG survey.Americans both care about their schools and want them to improve. Though adults give the nation's public schools only mediocre me·di·o·cre adj. Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary. See Synonyms at average. [French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo- grades--a plurality The opinion of an appellate court in which more justices join than in any concurring opinion. The excess of votes cast for one candidate over those votes cast for any other candidate. Appellate panels are made up of three or more justices. confer a "C"--they are willing to invest more money in public education and they are reasonably confident that doing so will improve student learning. They are also open to a host of school reforms ranging from high-stakes student accountability The traceability of actions performed on a system to a specific system entity (user, process, device). For example, the use of unique user identification and authentication supports accountability; the use of shared user IDs and passwords destroys accountability. to merit pay Noun 1. merit pay - extra pay awarded to an employee on the basis of merit (especially to school teachers) pay, remuneration, salary, wage, earnings - something that remunerates; "wages were paid by check"; "he wasted his pay on drink"; "they saved a quarter of all for teachers to school vouchers school vouchers, government grants aimed at improving education for the children of low-income families by providing school tuition that can be used at public or private schools. and tax credits that would give low-income low-in·come adj. Of or relating to individuals or households supported by an income that is below average. families greater access to private schools. By sizable siz·a·ble also size·a·ble adj. Of considerable size; fairly large. siz  a·ble·ness n. margins, they back reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB NCLB No Child Left Behind (US education initiative) ), the
federal law that mandates mandates, system of trusteeships established by Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations for the administration of former Turkish territories and of former German colonies. school accountability.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The public, however, also appears selective in its desire for change. Americans balk balk the action of a horse when it refuses to obey a command to which it usually responds. See also jibbing. at some market-based reforms, such as paying more for teachers who work in fields like math and science, where quality teachers are in scarce supply. And substantial percentages remain undecided about charter schools and other reform initiatives, suggesting that the current national debate over school policy has the potential to sway public opinion in one direction or another. All this--and more--is indicated by a new national survey of U.S. adults conducted under the auspices aus·pi·ces 1 n. Plural of auspex. auspices Noun, pl under the auspices of with the support and approval of [Latin auspicium augury from birds] Noun of Education Next and the Program on Education Policy and Governance Governance makes decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists either of a separate process or of a specific part of management or leadership processes. Sometimes people set up a government to administer these processes and systems. (PEPG PEPG Program on Education Policy and Governance (Harvard University) PEPG Primitive Equation Persian Gulf ) at Harvard University Harvard University, mainly at Cambridge, Mass., including Harvard College, the oldest American college. Harvard College Harvard College, originally for men, was founded in 1636 with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. . (For survey methodology, see sidebar (1) A Windows Vista desktop panel that holds mini applications (gadgets) such as a calendar, calculator, stock ticker and Vonage phone dialer. It is the Windows counterpart to the Dashboard in the Mac. See Windows Vista and gadget. on page 26.) Here we report the opinions of both the public at large and three ethnic subgroups (whites, African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. , and Hispanics). We also distinguish the views of those who have worked for the public schools from those who have not. Except for opinions on school choice issues, differences across ethnic groups are generally smaller than those between public school employees and those who have never been employed by the schools. Responses to survey questions are provided at the bottom of the ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. pages. Accountability Perhaps the most popular school reforms are those that hold students and schools to account for their performance. Accountability policies take many forms, but the public generally supports the concept in all its guises, including the federal No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB (IPA: /ˈnɪkəlbiː/), is a United States federal law that was passed in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2001 . No Child Left Behind On the most high-profile issue of the day--the debate over extending the life of NCLB--a majority of those polled indicate that they support the law's reauthorization with no more than minor changes (see Figure 1). NCLB requires states to establish performance standards in math and reading; to test students against those standards annually in grades 3 to 8 and again when students are in high school; and to intervene intervene v. to obtain the court's permission to enter into a lawsuit which has already started between other parties and to file a complaint stating the basis for a claim in the existing lawsuit. in schools that fail to make adequate annual progress toward the goal of near-universal student proficiency pro·fi·cien·cy n. pl. pro·fi·cien·cies The state or quality of being proficient; competence. Noun 1. proficiency - the quality of having great facility and competence by 2014. The 2002 law is scheduled for reauthorization this year. Despite NCLB's bipartisan origins, controversy has beset be·set tr.v. be·set, be·set·ting, be·sets 1. To attack from all sides. 2. To trouble persistently; harass. See Synonyms at attack. 3. the statute statute, in law, a formal, written enactment by the authorized powers of a state. The term is usually not applied to a written constitution but is restricted to the enactments of a legislature. ever since its passage. The law places unprecedented demands on the states, several of which have passed resolutions critical of it. Reporting on recent grass-roots grass roots pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) 1. People or society at a local level rather than at the center of major political activity. Often used with the. 2. The groundwork or source of something. efforts to overturn the law, Time magazine noted that "more than 30,000 educators This is a list of educators. See also: Education, List of education topics.
General
Written instrument directed to an individual, government official, legislative body, or court in order to seek redress of grievances or to request a favour. calling for the repeal The Annulment or abrogation of a previously existing statute by the enactment of a later law that revokes the former law. The revocation of the law can either be done through an express repeal of the 1,100 page statute." It is perhaps surprising, then, that the American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of public holds NCLB in reasonably high regard. When asked for their view on the matter, 57 percent of respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. prefer that Congress renew the act either as is or with minimal changes. Still, the intense debate over NCLB appears to be eroding public support for the law as a symbol. When NCLB is described as "federal legislation" rather than mentioned by name, as was the case for a randomly selected half of our survey respondents, support for extending its accountability provisions rises to 71 percent (Q. 1a, 1b). Similar levels of support are observed ob·serve v. ob·served, ob·serv·ing, ob·serves v.tr. 1. To be or become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention; notice. 2. across ethnic lines, with never less than one-half of African Americans, Hispanics, or whites recommending that Congress renew the act as is or with minor changes, regardless of how the question is asked. Current and former public school employees, however, consistently register lower levels of support for NCLB. National Standards Just because the public favors reauthorization of NCLB does not mean that it opposes efforts to amend the act by establishing a single national standard. Currently, NCLB asks each state to set its own standards, design and administer To give an oath, as to administer the oath of office to the president at the inauguration. To direct the transactions of business or government. Immigration laws are administered largely by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. its own tests, and establish its own definition of student proficiency. A number of prominent Washington Washington, town, England Washington, town (1991 pop. 48,856), Sunderland metropolitan district, NE England. Washington was designated one of the new towns in 1964 to alleviate overpopulation in the Tyneside-Wearside area. think tanks, including the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is a nonprofit education policy organization based in Washington, D.C., and Dayton, Ohio. Its stated mission is "to close America's vexing achievement gaps by raising standards, strengthening accountability, and expanding education options for and the Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress is a progressive American political policy research and advocacy organization. Its website describes it as "...a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. , have argued that proficiency standards vary so widely that they should be replaced by a single national definition. But other groups, on both the right and the left of the political spectrum, oppose any single standard as unnecessary federal intrusion Unauthorized access to a computer system or network. See intruder and IDS. into local matters. Given the controversy surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. all proposals to establish a uniform national standard, it is noteworthy that nearly three-quarters Noun 1. three-quarters - three of four equal parts; "three-fourths of a pound" three-fourths common fraction, simple fraction - the quotient of two integers three-quarters npl → of the American public support the concept (Q. 2). Student Accountability Separate and apart from NCLB, which focuses on the performance of schools and districts, the public strongly supports reforms designed to hold individual students accountable for their performance on state tests. Currently, only a few states (e.g., Florida Florida, state, United States Florida (flôr`ĭdə, flŏr`–), state in the extreme SE United States. A long, low peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean (E) and the Gulf of Mexico (W), Florida is bordered by Georgia and ) and cities (e.g., Chicago Chicago, city, United States Chicago (shĭkä`gō, shĭkô`gō), city (1990 pop. 2,783,726), seat of Cook co., NE Ill., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1837. and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ) require students to pass a test in order to move from one grade to the next, thereby modifying the practice of "social promotion," which keeps youngsters with their peers by passing them to the next grade regardless of academic performance. Twenty-three states currently require students to pass an examination in order to graduate from high school, but the rest, a group that includes Illinois Illinois, river, United States Illinois, river, 273 mi (439 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, NE Ill., and flowing SW to the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. It is an important commercial and recreational waterway. , Michigan Michigan (mĭsh`ĭgən), upper midwestern state of the United States. It consists of two peninsulas thrusting into the Great Lakes and has borders with Ohio and Indiana (S), Wisconsin (W), and the Canadian province of Ontario (N,E). , Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (pĕnsəlvā`nyə), one of the Middle Atlantic states of the United States. It is bordered by New Jersey, across the Delaware River (E), Delaware (SE), Maryland (S), West Virginia (SW), Ohio (W), and Lake Erie and New York , and Wisconsin Wisconsin, state, United States Wisconsin (wĭskŏn`sən, –sĭn), upper midwestern state of the United States. It is bounded by Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, from which it is divided by the Menominee , do not. Despite the fact that holding students accountable for their performance is far from a universal practice in American education, student accountability commands widespread public support (see Figure 2). No less than 81 percent of all respondents support requiring students in certain grades to pass an exam before they proceed to the next grade, and 85 percent support requiring students to pass an exam before graduating from high school. Only 10 percent of respondents oppose either policy. African Americans, Hispanics, and current and former school employees are all modestly less likely to support graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. exams than other respondents, but in no case does more than 16 percent of a subgroup sub·group n. 1. A distinct group within a group; a subdivision of a group. 2. A subordinate group. 3. Mathematics A group that is a subset of a group. tr.v. oppose the policy (Q. 3, 4). Although Americans appear quite willing to use test results to determine the pace of students' progress through school, they are less enthusiastic about using them to open up alternative routes into higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. . Only 45 percent of respondents support allowing students who pass an exam at the 10th-grade level to transfer immediately to a community college, as recently proposed by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Rather, 55 percent of all respondents, and roughly the same share of each subgroup, support requiring students to complete four years of high school (Q. 5). School Accountability under NCLB High-stakes student accountability is more popular than the simple practice of publishing the average test performance of each school's students. Only 60 percent of those surveyed support the latter policy, which is less stringent than the NCLB requirement that states publish the percentage of students in each school, and of various subgroups within it, that are proficient pro·fi·cient adj. Having or marked by an advanced degree of competence, as in an art, vocation, profession, or branch of learning. n. An expert; an adept. in math and reading. Just 20 percent of the public oppose publishing average test scores at the school level, with another 20 percent expressing neither support nor opposition (Q. 6). NCLB also requires that schools be reconstituted if they fail to meet state-mandated performance benchmarks for five years in a row. Currently, states and districts are granted a great deal of flexibility in deciding how to reconstitute re·con·sti·tute tr.v. re·con·sti·tut·ed, re·con·sti·tut·ing, re·con·sti·tutes 1. To provide with a new structure: The parks commission has been reconstituted. 2. schools. Options range from minimal reorganization The process of carrying out, through agreements and legal proceedings, a business plan for winding up the affairs of, or foreclosing a mortgage upon, the property of a corporation that has become insolvent. to replacing teachers and administrators to conversion into charter schools. When asked about these options, Americans express greater support for replacing teachers and principals than for converting failed district schools into charter schools. Roughly two-thirds of the adult population support replacing teachers and/or and/or conj. Used to indicate that either or both of the items connected by it are involved. Usage Note: And/or is widely used in legal and business writing. principals at persistently per·sis·tent adj. 1. Refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately. 2. Insistently repetitive or continuous: a persistent ringing of the telephone. 3. failing schools, and only one in ten opposes such options. Just 29 percent support converting the schools into charter schools. Still, that doesn't does·n't Contraction of does not. signal widespread opposition to charter schools, a topic we return to below. Only 25 percent of the population actually opposed op·pose v. op·posed, op·pos·ing, op·pos·es v.tr. 1. To be in contention or conflict with: oppose the enemy force. 2. charter-school conversion, while fully 46 percent take no position one way or the other (Q. 7). School Choice Many accountability initiatives have long enjoyed the support of policymakers and the general public. More controversial in state and national policy discussions have been proposals to enable parents, especially low-income parents, to exercise greater choice over their children's education through school vouchers, tax credits, charter schools, or home schooling home schooling, the practice of teaching children in the home as an alternative to attending public or private elementary or high school. In most cases, one or both of the children's parents serve as the teachers. . Despite that controversy, a plurality of the general public supports choice initiatives. African Americans and Hispanics express more support for school choice than do white Americans The term white American (often used interchangeably with "Caucasian American"[2] and within the United States simply "white"[3]) is an umbrella term that refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. . Opponents of most forms of choice, meanwhile, constitute a fairly small segment of the American public, though many adults have yet to be persuaded per·suade tr.v. per·suad·ed, per·suad·ing, per·suades To induce to undertake a course of action or embrace a point of view by means of argument, reasoning, or entreaty: one way or the other. Vouchers Few education reforms inspire as much debate as do proposals to provide low-income families with vouchers that would allow them to send their children to private schools. Apart from programs serving disabled students, only Wisconsin, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., have publicly funded voucher A receipt or release which provides evidence of payment or other discharge of a debt, often for purposes of reimbursement, or attests to the accuracy of the accounts. programs in operation. Elsewhere, state legislatures A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: Despite the legislative and legal disputes, a plurality of the public supports the voucher idea (see Figure 3). Forty-five percent of those surveyed favor offering vouchers to low-income families, 34 percent oppose the idea, and 20 percent neither favor nor oppose it. Both African Americans and Hispanics are markedly more likely to support vouchers than are whites. Indeed, 68 percent of African Americans and 61 percent of Hispanics favor vouchers, compared to 38 percent of whites. Only 15 percent of African Americans and 23 percent of Hispanics oppose vouchers, compared to 40 percent of whites (Q. 8). When asked about the design of a school voucher A school voucher, also called an education voucher, is a certificate by which parents are given the ability to pay for the education of their children at a school of their choice, rather than the public school (UK state school) to which they were assigned. program, 85 percent of Americans support allowing parents using vouchers to choose both religious and nonreligious private schools, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2002. Though African Americans appear slightly more likely to support the option of sending a child to a religious school, subgroup differences on this matter are small (Q. 9). Tax Credits Tax credit programs that help defray de·fray tr.v. de·frayed, de·fray·ing, de·frays To undertake the payment of (costs or expenses); pay. [French défrayer, from Old French desfrayer : des-, the cost of a private education are a less publicized pub·li·cize tr.v. pub·li·cized, pub·li·ciz·ing, pub·li·ciz·es To give publicity to. Adj. 1. publicized - made known; especially made widely known publicised , but more widely available, form of school choice than vouchers. Such programs exist in one form or another in several states, including Pennsylvania, Arizona Arizona (âr'əzō`nə), state in the southwestern United States. It is bordered by Utah (N), New Mexico (E), Mexico (S), and, across the Colorado R., Nevada and California (W). , Minnesota Minnesota, state, United States Minnesota (mĭn'ĭsō`tə), upper midwestern state of the United States. It is bordered by Lake Superior and Wisconsin (E), Iowa (S), South Dakota and North Dakota (W), and the Canadian provinces , Illinois, and Florida. The greater incidence of tax credit programs could be due to the broader public support for this approach than for vouchers. Nationwide, 53 percent of adults favor tax credits, while only 25 percent oppose them, with another 23 percent neither favoring favoring an animal is said to be favoring a leg when it avoids putting all of its weight on the limb. A part of being lame in a limb. nor opposing op·pose v. op·posed, op·pos·ing, op·pos·es v.tr. 1. To be in contention or conflict with: oppose the enemy force. 2. the idea. As with vouchers, African Americans and Hispanics express the highest levels of support for tax credits (Q. 10). Charter Schools Compared to school vouchers and tuition For tuition fees in the United Kingdom, see . Tuition means instruction, teaching or a fee charged for educational instruction especially at a formal institution of learning or by a private tutor usually in the form of one-to-one tuition. tax credits, state legislatures have generally found charter schools to be more politically palatable pal·at·a·ble adj. 1. Acceptable to the taste; sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten. 2. Acceptable or agreeable to the mind or sensibilities: a palatable solution to the problem. . Charter schools are public schools of choice that are privately managed under a renewable performance contract that exempts EXEMPTS. Persons who are not bound by law, but excused from the performance of duties imposed upon others. 2. By the Act of Congress of May 8, 1792, 1 Story, L. U. S. 252, it is provided, Sec. 2. them from many of the regulations that apply to other public schools. The first of these schools opened its doors in Minnesota in 1992, and their numbers have grown steadily since. In the 2006-07 school year, roughly 4,000 charter schools served 1.15 million students across 40 states and Washington, D.C. For the most part, Americans either express support for charter schools or opt not to take a position one way or the other (see Figure 4). Forty-four percent of respondents support their formation, and another 42 percent neither support nor oppose them. Only 14 percent of Americans oppose charter schools. Differences across subgroups are reasonably small, with slightly higher proportions of African Americans supporting charter schools and school employees opposing them (Q. 11). Three-quarters of Americans also believe that charter schools should be given at least the same amount of funding per child as district-operated public schools, in contrast to the widespread state practice of awarding charter schools less funding. Even 68 percent of present or past school employees endorse To sign a paper or document, thereby making it possible for the rights represented therein to pass to another individual. Also spelled indorse. endorse (indorse) v. funding charter schools at levels equivalent to (or better than) those of traditional public schools (Q. 12). Though Americans appear cautiously cau·tious adj. 1. Showing or practicing caution; careful. 2. Tentative or restrained; guarded: felt a cautious optimism that the offer would be accepted. supportive supportive adjective Pertaining to a Pt management philosophy in which only the Sx of a particular condition are treated; supportive measures are often taken when no specific and/or effective therapy is available or accessible–eg, viral meningitis, or of charter schools, most are confused about them. For example, when asked whether charter schools are free to teach religion (they are not), or whether they can charge tuition (they cannot), almost two-thirds of the public confesses to not knowing the answer and another quarter offers the wrong answer. Indeed, only 13 percent of adults nationwide correctly note that charter schools cannot teach religion and 16 percent correctly observe TO OBSERVE, civil law. To perform that which has been prescribed by some law or usage. Dig., 1, 3, 32. that charter schools may not charge tuition (Q. 13). Importantly, support for charter schools appears especially high among those adults who reveal higher levels of knowledge about them. Fully 66 percent of those adults who correctly answer both of the knowledge-based questions support charter schools, as compared to 38 percent of those who answer both incorrectly in·cor·rect adj. 1. Not correct; erroneous or wrong: an incorrect answer. 2. Defective; faulty: incorrect programming of the computer. 3. . Similarly, 81 and 68 percent of the two respective groups claim that funding for students in charter and other public schools should be equalized. Opposition to charter schools, to the extent that it exists, appears to be highest among those who know less about them. School Choice under NCLB Under NCLB, if a school has failed to meet the law's accountability provisions two years in a row, parents have the option of sending their child to a higher-performing public school within the same district. But only about 1 percent of those eligible to move to a different school under NCLB have taken advantage of this option. As a result, choice advocates have proposed revisions ReVisions is a 2004 anthology of alternate history short-stories. It is edited by Julie E. Czerneda and Isaac Szpindel. Contents Title Author The Resonance of Light James Alan Gardner Out of China Julie E. in the legislation that would expand the range of options available to parents. A clear plurality of the public at large supports revisions in NCLB to increase the number of choice options available to parents whose children attend low-performing schools. Sixty percent support allowing them to select a school in another district, a step that would vastly expand the range of options, yet has not received serious consideration in Congress. Only 14 percent oppose it. Meanwhile, 47 percent support giving parents the option of sending their child to a private school, and only 23 percent oppose it (Q. 14). Americans reveal low levels of support for the option of sending children to a failing school within the same district. Only 25 percent express support, probably because the public sees scant scant adj. scant·er, scant·est 1. Barely sufficient: paid scant attention to the lecture. 2. Falling short of a specific measure: a scant cup of sugar. benefit from moving a child from one failing school to another. Home Schooling The number of American families American Family is a photographic artwork exhibition by Renée Cox. See also
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as part of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States; conducts studies , about 1.1 million students were being home schooled in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in 2003, the most recent year for which official data are available, up from roughly 850,000 students in 1999. Forty percent of the public say they know a family that currently home schools its children. And most Americans support allowing home-schooled a. 1. Receiving or having received formal education, especially primary or secondary education, at home rather than in a school. The instruction at home may be accomplished by parents or by professionals who come to the home; as, home-schooled children to take advantage of public school resources (see Figure 5), including attendance in selected classes and participation in sports and other extracurricular activities. Americans who know a home-schooling family are especially likely to support a more expansive array of schooling options for them. Fully 68 percent of adults who themselves know a home-schooled child believe that such children should have the option of taking selected classes at local public schools, and another 61 percent support allowing them to participate in sports and extracurricular programs, as compared with 48 percent and 51 percent, respectively, of adults who do not know a home-schooled child (Q. 15, 16, 17). Teacher Pay and Licensure licensure (lī´s  nsh
Just as lively (and divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi sive·ly adv.di·vi ) as the controversy over school choice and home schooling has been the debate over teacher pay and licensure. On these issues, pluralities of the public support some, but not all, reform proposals. Differential Pay Although most scholars agree that teachers represent the single most important school contributor to a student's academic progress, consensus breaks down as soon as the question turns to how best to design compensation systems to enhance teacher quality. On one side, the National Education Association defends the current practice of paying all teachers the same amount, except for differences based on past experience and graduate coursework coursework Noun work done by a student and assessed as part of an educational course Noun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's . On the other side, groups such as the Teaching Commission, and the Progressive Policy Institute have proposed that we pay teachers according to how much students are learning in their classrooms (often as measured by test results), the difficulty of the teachers' classroom environment or how hard it is to recruit RECRUIT. A newly made soldier. quality teachers knowledgeable in a particular subject. Though willing to entertain some reforms, the public is in no rush to abandon abandon v. to intentionally and permanently give up, surrender, leave, desert, or relinquish all interest or ownership in property, a home or other premises, a right of way, and even a spouse, family, or children. the traditional compensation system. Forty-five percent agree that a teacher's salary should depend in part upon students' academic progress while 31 percent disagree, and the remaining 24 percent choose not to express an opinion (see Figure 6). (Opinions about merit pay do not differ notably if Americans are asked about basing a teacher's pay on "students' academic progress" or on "students' academic progress on state tests.") A bare majority of Americans support increasing the salaries of those teaching in challenging school environments instead of using the same funds to offer all teachers a smaller pay increase. By a two-to-one Two´-to-one´ a. 1. (Mach.) Designating, or pert. to, a gear for reducing or increasing a velocity ratio two to one. margin, however, respondents would prefer to see new funds for teacher pay distributed equally across all teachers rather than targeted toward those in high-demand subject areas, such as math and science (Q. 18, 19, 20). State Licensure To be fully certified See certification. , public school teachers in nearly every state must complete a requisite number of courses in education and the subject matter appropriate to their chosen area of instruction. In recent years, however, some states have modified mod·i·fy v. mod·i·fied, mod·i·fy·ing, mod·i·fies v.tr. 1. To change in form or character; alter. 2. this practice by allowing principals to hire college-educated individuals who have not completed the coursework ordinarily or·di·nar·i·ly adv. 1. As a general rule; usually: ordinarily home by six. 2. In the commonplace or usual manner: ordinarily dressed pedestrians on the street. required for certification. The innovation remains controversial, as many education schools and teacher organizations believe that a teacher is only qualified after completing appropriate pedagogical ped·a·gog·ic also ped·a·gog·i·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of pedagogy. 2. Characterized by pedantic formality: a haughty, pedagogic manner. training. A plurality of the public, however, supports a more permissive permissive adj. 1) referring to any act which is allowed by court order, legal procedure, or agreement. 2) tolerant or allowing of others' behavior, suggesting contrary to others' standards. PERMISSIVE. teacher-recruitment policy. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed say that principals should be allowed to hire college graduates who lack formal teaching credentials A United States teaching credential is a basic multiple or single subject credential obtained upon completion of a bachelor's degree and prescribed professional education requirements. , while only 33 percent oppose the idea, and 20 percent express no opinion. A larger share, 41 percent, of current and former school employees oppose the idea (Q. 21). School Spending The average amount of money spent per pupil pupil: see eye. by U.S. public schools has more than doubled in real terms since 1970, and the number of pupils per employed teacher has declined from 22 to 15. Teacher salaries have only barely kept pace with average wages nationwide, and the gap between teacher salaries and those of other college-educated workers has actually widened. Given these facts, some policy analysts claim that current spending levels are more than adequate and that further cuts in class size are unnecessary, while others say much more needs to be done, especially on the teacher salary front. The public is closely divided on this issue (see Figure 7). Specifically, 51 percent say that spending on public education should increase, while 38 percent think it should remain the same and 10 percent favor spending cuts Noun 1. spending cut - the act of reducing spending cut - the act of reducing the amount or number; "the mayor proposed extensive cuts in the city budget" . Support for additional spending is highest among African Americans, Hispanics, and current and former public school employees, with more than 60 percent of each of those groups calling for increases in public school budgets (Q. 22). Most Americans also express confidence that spending more on public education in their local school district would result in increased student learning. Fifty-nine Adj. 1. fifty-nine - being nine more than fifty 59, ilx cardinal - being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; "cardinal numbers" percent of the public is at least somewhat confident that spending would increase student learning, as are 80 percent of African Americans, 70 percent of Hispanics, and 64 percent of school employees (Q. 23). Given the stagnation Stagnation A period of little or no growth in the economy. Economic growth of less than 2-3% is considered stagnation. Sometimes used to describe low trading volume or inactive trading in securities. Notes: A good example of stagnation was the U.S. economy in the 1970s. of teacher salaries in the last three decades and the concomitant concomitant /con·com·i·tant/ (kon-kom´i-tant) accompanying; accessory; joined with another. concomitant adjective Accompanying, accessory, joined with another decline in class sizes, it is somewhat surprising that the public continues to prefer further cuts in class size over increases in teacher salaries. When asked whether education dollars are better spent increasing teacher salaries or decreasing class size, fully 77 percent prefer the latter option. Though scholars continue to debate the benefits of class-size reductions, the general public would appear convinced con·vince tr.v. con·vinced, con·vinc·ing, con·vinc·es 1. To bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action. See Synonyms at persuade. 2. (Q. 24). Voting in School Board Elections The expanding reach of federal and state policies notwithstanding, responsibility for the day-to-day day-to-day adj. 1. Occurring on a routine or daily basis: the day-to-day movements of the stock market. 2. management of the nation's 14,000-plus school districts still lies primarily with locally elected e·lect v. e·lect·ed, e·lect·ing, e·lects v.tr. 1. To select by vote for an office or for membership. 2. To pick out; select: elect an art course. school boards. Yet turnout for school board elections, which are often held at dates different from those of general elections, is notoriously no·to·ri·ous adj. Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous: a notorious gangster; a district notorious for vice. low, often lingering lin·ger v. lin·gered, lin·ger·ing, lin·gers v.intr. 1. To be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry. See Synonyms at stay1. 2. in the single digits. Such dismal dis·mal adj. 1. Causing gloom or depression; dreary: dismal weather; took a dismal view of the economy. 2. figures may make it possible for a motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo group, such as the local teachers union or advocates of a particular curricular innovation, to disproportionately dis·pro·por·tion·ate adj. Out of proportion, as in size, shape, or amount. dis  pro·por influence election outcomes. One wonders, then, whether the relatively
small number of voters who show up on election day share the general
views of other district residents.
When using poll data to examine turnout, it is important to keep in mind that Americans consistently overstate their propensity to vote in U.S. elections. As a result, the precise proportion of Americans who claim to vote in school board elections--40 percent, in our survey--is less informative than differences in reported turnout across the various subgroups. Whites and African Americans appear slightly more likely than Hispanics to have voted in their last school board election (Q. 25). Important differences, meanwhile, are observed among public school employees and the rest of the population. Indeed, current and former public school employees are 21 percentage points more likely to claim that they voted in their last school board election than is everyone else (see Figure 8). Support for school choice in all its forms and for NCLB appears to be somewhat weaker among voters in school board elections than among the population as a whole. Compared to the rest of the population, those who claim to have voted in the last election are 8 percentage points more likely to oppose school vouchers, 7 percentage points more likely to oppose charter schools, and 9 percentage points more likely to oppose tax credits. Voters are also 10 percentage points more likely to oppose the renewal of NCLB when the law is mentioned by name, than is the rest of the population; but when the law is described but not named, nonvoters are actually 2 percentage points more likely to oppose its renewal. Overall Assessment When asked to grade the public schools, respondents in this survey offer assessments that look much like those observed in other national surveys of education attitudes (see Figure 9). Forty-three percent give the schools in their own community an A or a B, 38 percent assign a C, and 18 percent give a D or F. When asked about public schools around the nation, these grades drop. Just 22 percent of Americans give public schools in general an A or B, 55 percent a C, and 24 percent a D or F. Among the various subgroups, some interesting differences emerge. When asked about the schools around the nation, whites, Hispanics, and African Americans offer similar assessments, as do public school employees and the remaining population. When asked about the schools in their own district, however, African Americans and Hispanics give notably lower marks than whites. Fully 48 percent of whites award the schools in their community an A or B grade, as compared to 40 percent of Hispanics and 27 percent of African Americans. The responses of public school employees and everyone else do not differ significantly (Q. 26, 27). For the most part, how Americans evaluate the public schools in their own communities does not strongly correlate with their support for the reform proposals included in this survey. One exception, though, bears mentioning. Though respondents who give their schools a C, D, or F are just as likely as respondents who give their schools an A or B to support increases in school spending, the former group is twice as likely to express no confidence that more spending will improve student learning. Conclusions This survey reveals a U.S. public that continues to support its public schools, but also one that wants these schools to become more effective and is willing to endorse a wide variety of reforms it thinks will bring that about. Americans, for the most part, are pragmatists. They are searching for something that works. It could be accountability, it might be choice, it could be class-size reduction, and it may be changes in teacher recruitment recruitment /re·cruit·ment/ (re-krldbomact´ment) 1. the gradual increase to a maximum in a reflex when a stimulus of unaltered intensity is prolonged. 2. and pay. Reform proposals in each of these areas have pluralities in support of them. In some instances, though, sizable portions of the public remain unpersuaded by advocates on either side. Clearly, the debate over American education is far from over. William William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack G. Howell How´ell n. 1. The upper stage of a porcelian furnace. is associate professor in the Harris Harris, Scotland: see Lewis and Harris. School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Martin R. West is assistant professor of education at Brown University and an executive editor of Education Next. Paul E. Peterson Paul E. Peterson is a leading scholar on education reform.[1] His work has largely focused on the importance of parental choice for improving school outcomes. He is Editor-In-Chief of Education Next is professor of government at Harvard University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded by Herbert Hoover at Stanford University, his alma mater. The Institution was founded in 1919 and over time has amassed a huge archive of documentation related to President . He serves as editor-in-chief of Education Next. RELATED ARTICLE No Child Left Behind 1a. As you may know, the No Child Left Behind Act requires states to set standards in math and reading and to test students each year to determine whether the standards are being met. This year, Congress is deciding whether to renew the No Child Left Behind Act. What do you think Congress should do? Should they ...
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Renew the Act as is 31% 28% 43% 42%
Renew with minimal changes 26 29 19 18
Renew with major changes 25 23 31 23
Not renew at all 18 20 6 17
Public School Employee?
(Past or Present)
Not Employee Employee
Renew the Act as is 33% 20%
Renew with minimal changes 26 22
Renew with major changes 23 32
Not renew at all 17 25
1b. As you may know, federal legislation requires states to set standards in math and reading and to test students each year to determine whether the standards are being met. This year, Congress is deciding whether to renew this federal legislation. What do you think Congress should do? Should they ...
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Renew the Act as is 37% 36% 50% 31%
Renew with minimal changes 34 37 21 32
Renew with major changes 18 16 20 21
Not renew at all 11 11 9 16
Public School Employee?
(Past or Present)
Not Employee Employee
Renew the Act as is 39% 30%
Renew with minimal changes 34 29
Renew with major changes 16 26
Not renew at all 11 16
National Standards 2. Under No Child Left Behind, should there be a single national standard and a single national test for all students in the United States? Or do you think that there should be different standards and tests in different states?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
One test and standard for 73% 74% 68% 73%
all students
Different tests and 27 26 32 27
standards in different
states
Public School Employee?
(Past or Present)
Not Employee Employee
One test and standard for 74% 63%
all students
Different tests and 26 37
standards in different
states
Student Accountability 3. In some states, students in certain grades must pass an exam before they are eligible to move on to the next grade. Do you support or oppose this requirement?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 52% 54% 49% 43%
Somewhat support 29 28 33 36
Neither support nor oppose 9 9 5 9
Somewhat oppose 6 6 8 5
Completely oppose 3 3 5 6
Public School Employee?
(Past or Present)
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 52% 53%
Somewhat support 30 26
Neither support nor oppose 9 7
Somewhat oppose 6 9
Completely oppose 3 6
4. In some states, students must pass an exam before they are eligible to receive a high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. . Do you support or oppose this requirement?
Public School
Racial/Ethnic Identity Employee?
African Not
National White American Hispanic Employee Employee
Completely 60% 61% 53% 53% 61% 53%
support
Somewhat 25 23 30 29 24 26
support
Neither support 6 7 4 4 6 6
nor oppose
Somewhat oppose 6 5 6 7 5 9
Completely 4 3 8 6 4 7
oppose
5. Do you think students who pass an examination at the tenth-grade level should be given the opportunity to transfer immediately to a community college, or do you think all students should be required to complete four years of high school before going on to further education?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African
National White American Hispanic
Give opportunity to transfer to 45% 45% 42% 43%
community college
Require four years of high school 55 55 58 57
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Give opportunity to transfer 46% 44%
to community college
Require four years of high school 54 56
School Accountability under NCLB 6. Do you support or oppose making available to the general public the average test scores of students at each public school?
Public School
Racial/Ethnic Identity Employee?
African Not
National White American Hispanic Employee Employee
Completely 38% 39% 33% 40% 38% 40%
support
Somewhat 22 22 18 20 21 23
support
Neither support 20 20 24 21 21 16
nor oppose
Somewhat oppose 9 9 12 9 9 8
Completely 11 10 13 10 10 12
oppose
7. Suppose a public school does not meet state-determined standards for five years in a row. Do you support or oppose the following measures? 7.1 replacing teachers
Public School
Racial/Ethnic Identity Employee?
African Not
National White American Hispanic Employee Employee
Completely 33% 34% 27% 36% 34% 32%
support
Somewhat 34 33 44 28 34 32
support
Neither support 22 23 18 25 24 14
nor oppose
Somewhat oppose 6 7 5 6 6 12
Completely 4 3 6 6 3 9
oppose
7.2 replacing the principal
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 38% 37% 39% 40%
Somewhat support 30 32 28 23
Neither support nor oppose 23 23 19 28
Somewhat oppose 6 5 7 5
Completely oppose 3 2 6 5
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 38% 40%
Somewhat support 30 29
Neither support nor oppose 25 14
Somewhat oppose 5 11
Completely oppose 3 5
7.3 turning the school into a charter school
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 12% 12% 14% 12%
Somewhat support 17 17 20 14
Neither support nor oppose 46 46 38 51
Somewhat oppose 11 11 12 10
Completely oppose 14 13 16 13
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 11% 19%
Somewhat support 17 20
Neither support nor oppose 48 28
Somewhat oppose 10 15
Completely oppose 13 19
Vouchers 8. A proposal has been made that would use government funds to pay the tuition of low-income students who choose to attend private schools. Would you favor or oppose this proposal?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 21% 14% 41% 35%
Somewhat favor 24 24 27 26
Neither favor nor oppose 20 22 17 17
Somewhat oppose 15 17 8 12
Completely oppose 19 23 7 11
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 21% 18%
Somewhat favor 25 22
Neither favor nor oppose 21 18
Somewhat oppose 15 17
Completely oppose 19 25
9. Some people say low-income students participating in these programs should be allowed to attend either religious or non-religious private schools. Other people say low-income students participating in these programs should be allowed to attend only non-religious private schools. Which comes closer to your view?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African
National White American Hispanic
Choose both religious and 85% 84% 91% 82%
non-religious schools
Choose only non-religious schools 15 16 9 18
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Choose both religious and 85% 81%
non-religious schools
Choose only non-religious schools 15 19
10. A proposal has been made to offer a tax credit to low-income parents who send their child to a private school. Would you favor or oppose such a proposal?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 27% 22% 42% 37%
Somewhat favor 26 26 25 23
Neither favor nor oppose 23 22 21 24
Somewhat oppose 10 12 6 7
Completely oppose 15 17 6 8
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 27% 25%
Somewhat favor 26 25
Neither favor nor oppose 23 22
Somewhat oppose 10 13
Completely oppose 15 15
Charter Schools 11. Many states allow for the formation of charter schools, which are privately managed under a renewable performance contract that exempts them from many of the regulations of other public schools. Do you support or oppose the formation of charter schools?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 19% 18% 25% 19%
Somewhat support 25 24 22 29
Neither support nor oppose 42 44 41 35
Somewhat oppose 8 8 5 10
Completely oppose 6 6 7 7
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 19% 22%
Somewhat support 25 25
Neither support nor oppose 43 33
Somewhat oppose 8 8
Completely oppose 5 13
12. Do you think charter schools should be given more, less, or the same amount of government funding for each child as other public schools?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
More 7% 4% 14% 9% 7% 9%
Less 25 27 16 22 24 32
Same 68 68 70 69 70 59
13. Based on what you have heard about charter schools, are the following statements true or false? 13.1 Charter schools are free to teach religion
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
True 24% 24% 22% 25% 24% 28%
False 13 13 9 15 12 19
Don't know 63 63 69 60 64 54
13.2 Charter schools may not charge tuition
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
True 16% 15% 18% 16% 14% 27%
False 24 22 21 28 23 28
Don't know 60 62 61 56 63 45
School Choice under NCLB 14. Students attending a public school that fails to meet state-determined standards for two years in a row currently have the option of using government funds to attend another public school in their district, provided that school meets state-determined standards for student learning. Do you support or oppose also allowing these students to attend any of the following schools? 14.1 public schools in another district
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 31% 30% 32% 33%
Somewhat support 29 28 35 30
Neither support nor oppose 26 27 20 23
Somewhat oppose 8 8 7 10
Completely oppose 6 7 5 5
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 31% 35%
Somewhat support 29 26
Neither support nor oppose 27 16
Somewhat oppose 7 13
Completely oppose 6 10
14.2 a private school
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 22% 22% 23% 24%
Somewhat support 25 24 29 30
Neither support nor oppose 29 29 31 30
Somewhat oppose 10 11 9 7
Completely oppose 13 15 8 9
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 22% 25%
Somewhat support 25 26
Neither support nor oppose 31 20
Somewhat oppose 10 11
Completely oppose 13 18
14.3 public schools in their district that failed to meet state standards
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely support 11% 11% 14% 11%
Somewhat support 14 13 20 14
Neither support nor oppose 30 31 24 32
Somewhat oppose 19 18 19 23
Completely oppose 25 27 24 20
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely support 11% 17%
Somewhat support 14 16
Neither support nor oppose 32 22
Somewhat oppose 19 20
Completely oppose 25 25
Home Schooling 15. Rather than send them to a school, some parents prefer to educate their children at home. Do you favor or oppose allowing home-schooled children to attend selected classes at local public schools?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 30% 31% 17% 24%
Somewhat favor 25 24 25 30
Neither favor nor oppose 28 28 36 27
Somewhat oppose 9 9 13 12
Completely oppose 8 8 10 6
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 30% 31%
Somewhat favor 26 22
Neither favor nor oppose 29 22
Somewhat oppose 9 9
Completely oppose 6 16
16. Do you favor or oppose allowing home-schooled children to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities at local public schools?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 34% 32% 24% 37%
Somewhat favor 22 22 22 24
Neither favor nor oppose 26 27 30 25
Somewhat oppose 8 8 12 7
Completely oppose 10 11 12 7
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 34% 33%
Somewhat favor 23 18
Neither favor nor oppose 26 24
Somewhat oppose 8 12
Completely oppose 10 14
17. Do you know any family that currently home schools their child?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
Yes 40% 46% 24% 24% 38% 56%
No 60 54 76 76 62 44
Differential Pay 18. Do you favor or oppose basing a teacher's salary, in part, on students' academic progress [on state tests]?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 14% 14% 11% 16%
Somewhat favor 31 33 22 29
Neither favor nor oppose 24 22 32 24
Somewhat oppose 16 16 19 14
Completely oppose 15 15 16 16
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 14% 13%
Somewhat favor 32 23
Neither favor nor oppose 25 19
Somewhat oppose 16 17
Completely oppose 13 28
19. Do you think it is more important to give a larger salary increase to teachers who work in challenging schools, such as schools in central cities? Or is it better to give a smaller salary increase to all teachers?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Larger increase to teachers 53% 52% 61% 45%
in challenging schools
Smaller salary increase to 47 48 39 55
all teachers
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Larger increase to teachers 52% 56%
in challenging schools
Smaller salary increase to 48 44
all teachers
20. Some states are considering increasing teacher salaries. Do you think it is more important to give a larger salary increase to teachers in subject areas where there are shortages, such as math and science? Or is it better to give a smaller salary increase to all teachers?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African
National White American Hispanic
Larger salary increase to 33% 32% 38% 33%
teachers in math and science
Smaller salary increase to all 67 68 62 67
teachers
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Larger salary increase to 33% 31%
teachers in math and science
Smaller salary increase to all 67 69
teachers
State Licensure 21. Do you favor or oppose allowing principals to hire college graduates who they believe will be effective in the classroom even if they do not have formal teaching credentials?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Completely favor 16% 15% 17% 15%
Somewhat favor 32 31 29 39
Neither favor nor oppose 20 20 19 16
Somewhat oppose 18 18 16 19
Completely oppose 15 16 19 12
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Completely favor 15% 18%
Somewhat favor 32 30
Neither favor nor oppose 21 11
Somewhat oppose 18 17
Completely oppose 13 24
School Spending 22. Keeping in mind that the money for public education has to be paid by taxes, do you think that government funding for public schools in your district should increase, decrease, or stay about the same?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Greatly increase 13% 12% 22% 16%
Increase 38 35 43 44
Stay about the same 38 42 28 34
Decrease 8 9 3 5
Greatly decrease 2 3 4 1
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Greatly increase 12% 22%
Increase 38 41
Stay about the same 39 29
Decrease 8 5
Greatly decrease 2 3
23. If more money were spent on public schools in your district, how confident are you that students would learn more?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Very confident 16% 13% 34% 18%
Somewhat confident 43 40 46 52
Not very confident 29 33 17 22
Not confident at all 12 14 4 8
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Very confident 16% 20%
Somewhat confident 43 44
Not very confident 30 25
Not confident at all 12 12
24. Which do you think is a better use of our educational dollars, increasing teacher salaries or decreasing class size?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Increasing teacher salaries 23% 21% 25% 27%
Decreasing class size 77 79 75 73
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Increasing teacher salaries 23% 19%
Decreasing class size 77 81
Voting in School Board Elections 25. Many school board elections are held at a time different from other elections. As a result, many people are unable to vote in them. Do you remember for sure whether you voted in the last school board election?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
National White African American Hispanic
Voted 40% 40% 42% 34%
Did not vote 36 36 35 34
Ineligible 4 4 2 9
Don't know, can't remember 21 20 21 23
Public School Employee?
Not Employee Employee
Voted 36% 57%
Did not vote 38 25
Ineligible 4 3
Don't know, can't remember 22 15
Overall Assessment 26. Students are often given the grades A, B, C, D, and Fail to denote de·note tr.v. de·not·ed, de·not·ing, de·notes 1. To mark; indicate: a frown that denoted increasing impatience. 2. 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?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
A 9% 10% 7% 8% 9% 12%
B 34 38 20 32 34 34
C 38 36 48 41 39 37
D 13 13 18 11 13 11
Fail 5 4 7 9 5 7
27. How about the public schools in the nation as a whole? What grade would you give the public schools nationally?
Racial/Ethnic Identity
African Public School Employee?
National White American Hispanic Not Employee Employee
A 3% 1% 7% 8% 2% 5%
B 19 18 20 17 19 16
C 55 56 52 58 55 54
D 20 22 14 14 20 19
Fail 4 3 6 2 4 6
RELATED ARTICLE: Survey Methods This survey, sponsored by Education Next and the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, was conducted by the polling firm Knowledge Networks (KN) between February February: see month. 16 and March 15, 2007. KN maintains a nationally representative panel of adults, obtained via list-assisted random digit dialing Random digit dialing (RDD) is a method for selecting people for involvement in telephone statistical surveys by generating telephone numbers at random. Random digit dialing has the advantage that it includes unlisted numbers that would be missed if the numbers were selected from a sampling techniques, who agree to participate in a limited number of online surveys. Because KN offers members of its panel free Internet access See how to access the Internet. and a WebTV device that connects to a telephone and television, the sample is not limited to current computer owners or users with Internet access. When recruiting for the panel, KN sends out an advance mailing and follows up with at least 15 dial attempts. The panel, then, is updated quarterly. Detailed information about the maintenance of the KN panel, the protocols used to administer surveys, and the comparability of online and telephone surveys is available online (www.knowledgenetworks.com/quality/). The main findings from the Education Next-PEPG survey reported in this essay are based on a nationally representative stratified sample Noun 1. stratified sample - the population is divided into strata and a random sample is taken from each stratum proportional sample, representative sample of 2,000 adults (age 18 years and older). The sample consists of 1,482 non-Hispanic whites, 233 non-Hispanic blacks, and 171 Hispanics. Within the sample, 309 individuals either currently work or previously worked for the public schools, and 1,691 individuals have had no employment in public schools. We over-sampled parents of school-age children, who constitute 811 of the total sample. Because differences in the responses of parents and nonparents are negligible  This article or section is written like a personal reflection or and may require .Please [ improve this article] by rewriting this article or section in an . , we do not present the findings for these two subgroups. We use poststratification population weights to adjust for survey nonresponse as well as for the oversampling Creating a more accurate digital representation of an analog signal. In order to work with real-world signals in the computer, analog signals are sampled some number of times per second (frequency) and converted into digital code. of parents. These weights ensure that the observed demographic See demographics. characteristics of the final sample match the known characteristics of the national adult population. In general, survey responses based on larger numbers of observations are more precise, that is, less prone to sampling variance The discrepancy between what a party to a lawsuit alleges will be proved in pleadings and what the party actually proves at trial. In Zoning law, an official permit to use property in a manner that departs from the way in which other property in the same locality , than those made across groups with fewer numbers of observations. As a consequence, answers attributed to the national population are more precisely estimated than are those attributed to subgroups. With 2,000 respondents, the margin of error for responses given by the full sample in the Education Next-PEPG survey is roughly 2 percentage points. On two items, questions 1 and 18, we conducted experiments to examine the effect of variations in the way questions are posed pose 1 v. posed, pos·ing, pos·es v.intr. 1. To assume or hold a particular position or posture, as in sitting for a portrait. 2. To affect a particular mental attitude. . On question 1, the wording did appear to influence responses, so we present the results of both versions. Answers did not differ materially on question 18, so we report the average results across the two versions of that question. Additionally, to investigate the effects of question ordering, half the sample answered questions 26 and 27 at the beginning of the survey, and half did so at the end. We did not find any evidence of question order effects; hence, we present only the pooled responses in this report. Percentages do not always add precisely to 100 as a result of rounding to the nearest percentage point.
NCLB (Figure 1)
Fifty-seven percent of American adults support the renewal of No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) with only minor changes, but only 42 percent of
current or former public school employees do. Support for
reauthorization is markedly higher when the law is described as federal
legislation.
Support for Reauthorizing Support for Reauthorizing
"No Child Left Behind" "Federal Legislation"
National 57 71
Not Employee 59 73
Employee 42 59
Percentage supporting reauthorization with no more than minor changes
Note: Table made from bar graph.
High-Stakes Testing (Figure 2)
Both the public at large and public school employees support student
accountability measures ending social promotion and establishing high
school graduation exams.
National Employee
Promotion exams 81 79
High school exit exams 85 79
Percentage supporting policy
Note: Table made from bar graph.
School Vouchers (Figure 3)
Support for school vouchers is strongest among African Americans and
Hispanics. Yet only a little more than one-third of all Americans oppose
one of the most controversial reform proposals.
Neither Favor
Favor Vouchers nor Oppose Oppose Vouchers
National 45% 20% 34%
White 38% 22% 40%
African American 68% 17% 15%
Hispanic 61% 17% 23%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Charter Schools (Figure 4)
Few Americans have strong opinions about charter schools. Only a small
minority of Americans oppose them, but nearly half take no stance at
all.
Favor Charter Neither Favor
Schools nor Oppose Oppose Charter Schools
National 44% 42% 14%
White 42% 44% 14%
African American 47% 41% 12%
Hispanic 48% 35% 17%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Home Schooling (Figure 5)
Giving home schoolers access to selected public-school courses is
opposed by only a small minority of those surveyed. Most current and
former public school employees also tend to support the idea.
Favor Access for
home schoolers Oppose access for
to public school Neither Favor home schoolers to
courses nor Oppose public school courses
National 55% 28% 17%
Not Employee 56% 29% 15%
Employee 53% 22% 25%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Merit Pay (Figure 6)
Americans are more likely to favor than oppose merit pay for teachers
whose students are making academic progress. However, current or former
school employees are more likely to oppose than to support the idea.
Neither
Favor Merit Pay Favor nor Oppose Oppose Merit Pay
National 45% 24% 31%
Not Employee 46% 25% 29%
Employee 36% 19% 45%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
School Spending (Figure 7)
A bare majority of Americans--but nearly two-thirds of those who work
(or once worked) for the schools--believe spending on public education
should increase.
National 51
Not Employee 50
Employee 63
Percentage in favor of increasing public school spending
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Who Votes? (Figure 8)
Fully 57 percent of current and former public school employees claim to
have voted in the last school board elections, compared to just 36
percent of the general public.
National 40
Not Employee 36
Employee 57
Percentage that reported voting in the most recent school board election
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Grading American Schools (Figure 9)
Only 22 percent of those surveyed gave American schools an A or a B, but
43 percent gave one of those grades to the schools in their own
community.
Grade for Nation's Grade for Local
Public Schools Public Schools
A 3% 9%
B 19% 34%
C 55% 38%
D 20% 13%
F 4% 5%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
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