Primer: Education Issues - Attitude

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Each year the Gallup Organization reports the results of its national poll on the attitudes of adults toward the public schools. Selected results from recent polls are presented below. This is followed by a discussion of three statewide polls conducted by the Wisconsin Education Association Council and by a brief comment about school bureaucracies. Finally, there is a summary of selected findings from a 1994 survey of more than 9,000 WEAC teacher members.

How Informed is the Public?

As the attitudes and perceptions of the public are considered, the reader should recognize that there are significant misconceptions and misinformation about the public schools. The authors of the 1996 Gallup Poll suggest that many have exploited this lack of knowledge and understanding to further their own agendas. Four examples of public misunderstanding / misinformation follow:

1. Dropout Rates: 64% of adults believe the national high school dropout rate is higher today than it was 25 years ago. In fact, the dropout rate is much lower than in the past, and in Wisconsin is at its lowest level ever.

2. International Comparisons: A majority of Americans (54%) believe that U.S. children do not read as well as students in other developed nations, while 69% feel that they perform lower in mathematics. “In spite of the inconclusive nature of the data and some reports showing that American students do quite well, many Americans are persuaded that American children do less well than their counterparts in other developed nations on tests of achievement in math and reading. Ironically, it is the better educated segments of the population who are the most likely to believe that student achievement in both mathematics and reading is lower in the U. S. than in Great Britain, Germany, and Japan” (Elam, et al, 1996, p. 57).

3. The Number of Special Education Students: The public is uninformed about the percent of public school students who are classified as having special education needs. Only about one-in-four adults comes close to estimating the actual figure of 12% of U. S. students classified as having special needs. (In Wisconsin, the figure is 12.4%).

4. Cost of Educating Special Education Students: The public is seriously uninformed about the additional costs of educating a special education student. “Only 7% are aware that it costs at least 100% more to educate a special education student than it does to educate an average public school student” ((Elam, et. al, 1996, p. 58). As noted elsewhere in this paper (“Meeting the Needs of All Students”) one study estimates that on average it costs 2.3 times as much to educate a special education student as it does a regular education student.

Selected Gallup Poll Results (1995, 1996, and 1997)

Grading the public schools: As has been the case for many years, people rate the school their oldest child attends higher than they rate the neighborhood’s schools or the nation’s schools. This suggests that when individuals have more contact with, and knowledge of, the schools, this usually results in higher levels of confidence.

Not surprisingly, adults without children in the public schools tend to give lower grades. However, compared with 1996, attitudes in 1997 are more positive. Among adults who send their children to private or religious schools in 1997, 24% give the nation’s public schools an “A” or “B” (up from 8% in 1996), 38% percent award a grade of “C,” while 15% say “D” and 6% say “Fail.” The remainder (17%) said they do not know.

Grades Given to the Community’s Non-Public Schools: Sixty-three percent of the nation’s adults awarded a grade of “A” or “B” to their local private or church-related schools. Fourteen percent said “C,” while only 3% said “D” or “F” (1996). Grades awarded to nonpublic schools in the nation as a whole were somewhat lower.

School Vouchers: Slightly more than one-half of Americans (52%) oppose allowing students and parents to choose a private school at public expense (Rose, et. al, 1997). In 1996, 61% opposed this policy.

Obligations of Private Schools Which Accept Public Funds: 78% of adults say that if private schools accept public funds, they should be required to accept students from a wider range of backgrounds and academic ability (Rose, et. al, 1997).

Parental Support for Educators: When asked whose side they would take if their oldest child was misbehaving and being disruptive, public and private school parents answered differently (Rose, et. al, 1997).

Home Schooling: Slightly more than one-third of U.S. adults (36%) believe that the movement toward home schooling is a “good thing.” In contrast, 57% say that it is bad (Rose, et. al, 1997).

School Prayer: 71% of adults favor an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would permit prayers in the public schools. However, when given a choice between a prayer and moment of silence, 70% say they favor silence over a spoken prayer (24%) (Elam, et. al, 1995).

Parental Obligations Regarding Achievement: When asked what would be the lowest grade a child of theirs could bring home on a report card without upsetting or concerning them, parents responded as follows: A (1%), B (21%), C (60%), D (13%), and Fail (3%). Two percent did not know (Rose, et. al, 1997).

Placement of Gifted and Talented Students: 52% of adults favored placement of gifted and talented students into separate classes; 44% favored placement in the same class (Rose, et. al, 1997).

Special Needs students: Only a small minority of adults favor placing students who have learning problems into regular classrooms. Most adults favor separate classes for students with special needs (Elam, et. al, 1995).

Biggest Problems in the Public Schools: Over the past several years, a handful of problems have been cited as the most serious ones facing the nation’s public schools: use of drugs / illegal substances, lack of discipline/control, lack of financial support/ funding/money, and fighting/violence/gangs.

Americans are convinced that the level of student violence is increasing in the public schools. In the 1995 Gallup Poll, 37% of the national sample said that in their local public school violence has “increased a great deal,” while 30% said it “increased some.” Only 6% felt that the level of violence had declined.

However, when people are closer to the schools in question, and have more contact with them, they are less likely to believe that violence is a serious problem. For example, only 15% of parents felt that violence has increased a great deal in the school attended by their oldest child.

Support for Zero Tolerance Policies: 93% of adults favor a zero tolerance weapons policy, which means that any student found carrying a weapon of any kind automatically should be suspended (Rose, et. al, 1997).

Level of School Violence: Americans believe that violence in the public schools is increasing. However, the public judges the school of their oldest child as being far safer than the nation’s schools or the local public schools in general (Elam, et. al, 1995).

Causes of School Violence: Lack of parental control and the breakdown in family life are seen as the major reasons for the increase in school violence (Elam, et. al, 1995).

Compulsory Attendance Laws: Thirty percent of adults favor the elimination of compulsory attendance laws in the public schools in their community (Elam, et. al, 1996).

The 1994, 1995, and 1996 Wisconsin Polls

In January, 1994, in March, 1995, and in July, 1996, representative statewide samples of Wisconsin adults were surveyed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Selected findings follow.

Too Many Mandates: A majority of Wisconsin’s adults (58%) feel that schools are required to follow too many rules and regulations, often referred to as mandates (1994). However, when asked specifically about four of the state’s Twenty Educational Standards (listed below), forty-nine percent of adults feel they should be maintained, while 44% feel they should be strengthened. Only 5% feel they should be eliminated.

The following standards were asked about

• providing emergency nursing services
• providing library media services
• providing instruction in mathematics, language, science, social studies, health, physical education, and music
• offering guidance and counseling services

Unions and “Bad” Teachers: Two-thirds of adults believe that teachers’ unions protect bad teachers. Although the public has this perception of unions, this does not mean that the public is opposed to “just cause” or “due process” for teachers (1994).

Job Security: Forty-one percent of adults in Wisconsin believe that public school teachers have “too much job security.” Forty percent do not believe this is true, while 19% say they “don’t know” (1996).

Teacher Pay: Few adults in Wisconsin feel that teachers are overpaid; 12% say teachers are paid too much, while 37% say they are underpaid. Of the rest, 34% say teachers are paid “about right,” while 16% said they do not know (1996).

Image of Teachers: Wisconsin’s citizens have a very favorable opinion of public school teachers. When asked to rank sixteen occupations as to their “contributions to society,” teachers ranked second only to medical doctors. The occupations and their ranks are listed below (1994).

Causes of School Problems: When asked to identify who is mostly responsible for the problems in our public schools, most “blamed” the parents of students or the “society at large” (1994).

Groups Judged as “Mostly Responsible” for the Problems in Wisconsin’s Public Schools

Public Schools and Residential Preference: 82% said that the quality of the public schools is “very” or “somewhat” important in their decision about where to live (1994).

Communications with the Community: 43% of adults feel there is not enough communication between the school and community about student programs and services. This compares with 31% who feel communication is adequate and 24% who are uncertain (1996).

Handling Discipline Problems: Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin’s citizens believe that the public schools are doing a poorer job of dealing with discipline today than in the past (1996).

Importance of the Basics: 46% of adults feel that there is not enough emphasis on the basics; 25% are uncertain, while 27% are satisfied. However, only 13% of Wisconsin’s citizens say that schools should eliminate extra-curricular activities such as sports, music, art, and some electives and concentrate only on basic education (1996).

Wisconsin’s Schools Compared With Other States: Wisconsin’s citizens feel their system of public education is much better than in other states: 52% say it is “better,” compared with 5% who say it is “worse.” A large percent, 30%, say it is “about the same.” The remainder indicated they had no opinion (1994).

Equity in Funding: The vast majority of adults (78%) feel that the amount of money spent to educate students in Wisconsin should be the same for all students, regardless of where they live (1994).

Public and Private Schools Compared: Respondents were asked to compare public and private (religious) schools in terms of how good a job each does in selected areas. The percent who said “excellent” or “good” for public and private/religious schools is shown below (1996).

Percent of Wisconsin’s Adults Who Indicate that the Schools are Doing an “Excellent” or “Good” Job, Public and Private/Religious Schools Compared

Private Schools, Public Funds, and Accountability: 88% of adults feel that if private schools were to accept public dollars, they should have to meet educational standards established by the State of Wisconsin (1994).

Importance of Public Schools: Ninety-eight percent of Wisconsin’s citizens feel that it is important for the well-being of our state that we have strong and successful public schools (1996).

First Things First: What Americans Expect from the Public Schools

During the summer of 1994, Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and education organization, surveyed the American public on a variety of educational issues. The study, called First Things First, had ten key findings:

1. The majority of Americans do not feel the public schools are providing a safe and orderly environment, along with effective teaching of the basics.
2. Most Americans support higher standards in the public schools. For example, 88% favor not allowing students to graduate from high school until they demonstrate they can write and speak English well.
3. The majority of Americans are suspicious of and/or uncomfortable with many of the changes in education which have occurred in recent years. Most Americans want to see today’s students learning some of the same things using the same ways they were taught.
4. Most Americans favor more traditional teaching methods; however, they do not feel that schools should be domains of boredom or fear. People believe that learning can be fun and interesting, and they feel that teachers and schools should find ways to help students enjoy learning and become more confident and self-assured.
5. Most Americans are not preoccupied with concerns over sex education or multiculturalism. Only a small minority of Americans (about 15%) say that they have been upset by the material in one of their children’s textbooks or lessons.
6. Americans want schools to teach values, especially those values that allow people in a diverse society to live together peacefully. The top priorities include honesty; telling the truth; solving problems without violence; having respect for others regardless of racial or ethnic background; and equality, fairness, and getting along.
7. There is strong support for the public schools having a central role in sex education. However, on questions of premarital sex and homosexuality, there are sharp divisions within the public over how graphic and morally judgmental sex education should be.
8. Traditional Christian parents share most of the same concerns about the public schools--and support most of the same solutions--as other Americans. However, they are more likely to have concerns about issues related to sex and religion, and also are more likely to want the inclusion of Christian religious materials in the public schools.
9. African-American parents have the same concerns about the schools. However, their concerns tend to be magnified. For example, when asked about 13 problems which might be present in the local schools, African-American parents were more dissatisfied than white parents in every category.
10. Americans still trust teachers, principals, and school boards to make decisions about how to manage the schools, but the public’s trust is wavering.

In a subsequent report entitled Assignment Incomplete (1995), Public Agenda arrived at several additional conclusions, including the following:

• “American support for public education is fragile and porous. Although many people voice initial approval of their own public schools, this support disintegrates at the slightest probing. . . however, most Americans are not ready to dismantle the public system--at least not yet” (p. 11).
• “. . . educators and reformers should stop challenging the public’s obsession with basic skills and make the achievement of those skills an urgent reform goal--perhaps the first 'higher' standard” (p. 35).
• “ . . . the public is outraged that kids are not being held accountable to rigorous standards--that, for example, many high school graduates can’t even make change--and believes it is the educators themselves who are responsible. Interestingly, it is the public’s concern for basics which fuels the support for standards. Leaders should capitalize on this support, and not challenge it” (p. 35).

The Public Schools as Bureaucracies

One of the most common criticisms of public schools is that they are too bureaucratic. This bureaucracy often is defined as intransigent, inaccessible, and excessive. It is difficult to evaluate the extent to which a school’s bureaucracy is inaccessible or intransigent, for this would appear to be a characteristic which is unique to individual schools and school districts.

However, research does not indicate that schools employ too many administrators and central office staff. Nor is there evidence to show that school administrators are consuming an ever-increasing proportion of the school’s resources.

Data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that central-office administrators, who typically are labeled as the “bureaucracy,” represent about 1.6% of the education work force nationally (Houston, 1996). Another 2.9% of administrators work at the building level.

At the present time, education has approximately one manager for every 14.5 employees. In contrast, ratios in business range from a figure of 9.3:1 in the transportation industry to 4.7:1 in communications. The education ratios also do not take into account the fact that school managers are responsible for meeting the needs of hundreds of students and their parents.

International comparisons, however, provide a slightly different perspective. A 1996 study by the 29 member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that the United States spends a smaller proportion of its elementary and secondary education money on teacher pay than do 22 other nations (Education at a Glance, 1996). The United States devotes 56.2% of its education dollars to teacher pay.

Among the countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States is the only one in which teachers are outnumbered by nonteaching staff (a 3:4 ratio compared to an average 5:2 ratio for the other countries).

In regard to cost, about 4.3% of district budgets go to administration, which is nearly the same percent as it was in 1960.

Teacher Needs and Proposed Changes

In 1994, 9,309 WEAC teacher members completed a survey which identified needs and proposed changes in several areas. These included relationships and communication, resources and equipment, parents and parent involvement, public support and perceptions, students and student problems, and teaching load and conditions (Allen and Leverich, 1994). Selected findings follow:

• 51% of teachers say that many parents have expectations for their children which are too low.
• 94% of teachers say that people expect educators to solve all of society’s problems.
• 75% of teachers say that there are too many “experts” telling teachers how to do their jobs.
• 68% of teachers say that many children are not interested, responsive, or highly motivated.
• 13% of teachers say that policy decisions in their school district are based on carefully conducted research.
• 82% of teachers would like greater access for students and teachers to computers and related technology.
• 73% of teachers would like more telephones so that teachers can make private calls to parents.
• 88% of teachers would like their district to create programs to encourage parents to become more involved in the education of their children.
• 77% of teachers would like the authority to remove permanently disruptive students from their classrooms.
• 95% of teachers would like kindergarten through 3rd grade classes to have no more than 20 students.
• 62% of teachers would like each teacher to have a ten-minute break each morning and afternoon.

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