9/14/04 -- The public sees lack of financial support as the most important problem facing schools, wants implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to be less rigid, and does not want tax funds to be used for private school education. These are some of the key findings in a major public opinion survey released Aug. 24.
When asked about the biggest problems the public schools of their community must deal with, 21 percent selected "lack of financial support/funding/money." No other problem received more than 10 percent, according to The 36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
Among the other problems listed in the questionnaire, lack of discipline and overcrowded schools each was cited by 10 percent of respondents. Use of drugs got 7 percent, and "fighting/violence/gangs" got 6 percent.
The public's knowledge about NCLB remains limited. Sixty-eight percent of respondents say they know little or nothing about NCLB, compared to 76 percent last year.
"The public disagrees with the major strategies NCLB uses to determine whether a school is or is not in need of improvement," the report states. "Unless these strategies are modified, there is little reason to change last year's conclusion that greater familiarity with NCLB is unlikely to bring approval."
For example:
• 67 percent say the performance of a school's students on a single test is not sufficient for judging whether the school is in need of improvement;
• 83 percent say testing in English and math will not yield a fair picture of a school;
• 73 percent say it is not possible to judge a student's proficiency in English and math on a single test;
• 81 percent are concerned that basing decisions about schools on students' performance in English and math only will mean less emphasis on art, music, history, and other subjects; and
• 61 percent said special education students should not be required to meet the same standards as all other students in their school.
If a school is found to be in need of improvement, only 16 percent favor permitting students to transfer to a better-performing school. Eighty percent favor keeping students in their current school and making additional efforts to help them.
When asked what they would do if they had a child attending a school identified as in need of improvement, only 16 percent said they would prefer to transfer their child to a school "not in need of improvement," while 80 percent preferred "additional efforts made in the child's present school to help him or her achieve."
In general, poll respondents have mixed opinions on standardized testing. For example, 32 percent think there is too much emphasis on standardized testing, 22 percent think there is not enough, and 40 percent think there is the right amount.
Nearly half, 49 percent, think teachers should be judged on how well their students perform on standardized tests. Forty-seven percent feel that way about principals.
The public overwhelmingly supports the need to close the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students. Eighty-eight percent say this is very important or somewhat important.
While 74 percent believe the achievement gap is "mostly related to factors other than the quality of schooling," 56 percent believe it is the responsibility of schools to close this gap.
While a majority of the public opposes vouchers, support for this approach gained slightly from last year, after years of steady decline. When asked how they feel about "allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public expense," 42 percent said they favor this approach and 54 percent said they oppose it.
Support for vouchers declined from 44 percent in 1997 to 34 percent in 2001, rose to 46 percent in 2002, and declined to 42 percent in 2003.
In response to the poll's key findings, NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant says: "Congress and other policymakers should listen closely to what the people are saying. The public wants more money for public schools, greater flexibility in NCLB, and no vouchers."
Regarding the public's attitudes on NCLB, Bryant says, "The public believes NCLB will help improve schools," but people "want the kind of common-sense flexibility that NSBA and Education Secretary Rod Paige have been discussing."
"The Education Department should listen to the public because without additional policy adjustments, at some point, almost every school in the country will be labeled as 'in need of improvement,'" she adds. "The public could quickly lose confidence in NCLB if obviously high-achieving schools are continually misidentified as failing."