In this article, the authors report the results of the 39th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools. This year's report examined the public's assessment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its principal strategy, standardized testing. The authors include a summary of key findings and tables showing…

Rose and Gallup report on the results of the 38th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitude Toward the Public Schools. This year's survey examined No Child Left Behind and the public's perception of the law, the appropriate role of standardized testing, the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students, the…

The U.S. Supreme Court is applying a new legal standard in court actions involving students' constitutional rights. Instead of basing decisions on the "substantial interference" argument, the Court is giving school officials broad latitude to structure an environment in which students can both learn and develop "socially appropriate…

Despite unfavorable publicity concerning public education's performance, 42 percent of Gallup Poll respondents give the schools in their community an A or B, and 33 percent assign them a C. Only 5 percent feel that schools are failing. Parents of public school students rate the schools even higher. Half of those surveyed would pay higher taxes to…

Those commenting on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act find themselves at an interesting juncture. Debates over projected outcomes of the law have now begun to give way to certainty. An August 2002 piece the author edited and distributed to school administrators in Indiana, titled "The Grim Reaper," pointed out that, as it was being…

The September report on the 36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools did not go into the finer demographic distinctions that most polls explore. In this article, the author takes a closer look at the data to analyze how various subgroups of the population view the parties' and candidates' stances…

The signing of the No Child Left Behind Act on January 8, 2002, moved the federal effort to influence K-12 schooling to a new and higher level--more aggressive, focused, and directive. The act requires that school districts and schools demonstrate adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward a particular goal: universal student achievement of standards…

"Phi Delta Kappan" conducted 28 public forums exploring participants' views about public schools' purposes, effectiveness, and needed changes. Once engaged, community members were enthusiastic about discussing public schools' future, indicated they left the forums better informed, and found the three-question format productive. Planners…

A process is presented which uses two activities to obtain individual and group reaction to 20 recommendations selected from the recent studies of schooling. The recommendations cover a wide range of suggestions for improving the quality of education. In the first activity, participants assign a value on a five-point scale to each recommendation.…

Reports results of the 35th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools, focusing this year on the No Child Left Behind Act. (PKP)

Highlights several findings of the 35th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll the have strong policy implications for the public schools. Categories include grading the public schools, No Child Left Behind Act, teachers and teacher salaries, the achievement gap, and school choice. (PKP)

Discusses age differences in public attitudes toward public schools from recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll. For example, the biggest problem facing schools identified by those 50 and older is discipline, whereas those between 18 and 29 identified finance. Both age groups strongly support public schools. (PKP)

Compares urban dwellers' opinions about urban public schools with all demographic groups. Finds little difference between the two groups. (PKP)

Results of the 34th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools. Reports, for example, that school-age parents continue to regard local schools favorably, 71 percent of whom give the school attended by their oldest child a grade of A or B. (PKP)