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…

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…

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)

Discusses policy implications of the 34th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll. For example, opinion differences by age, race, and home location are so significant that they must be recognized and addressed. (PKP)