Just Released: 2009 PDK/Gallup Poll
Today my September issue of the Phi Delta Kappan arrived in the mail, and it included results of the 2009 PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Given the reference I made to the poll the other day, I thought this excerpt from the Kappan’s interview with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (page 29) was worth posting:
DUNCAN: Here’s another Gallup result that I think is fascinating. This is the most remarkable finding. Everyone thinks their own school is good and that everybody else’s school is bad. That’s a constant theme. (See Tables 2, 3, and 4 on Page 11.)
KAPPAN: Why do you think that exists?
DUNCAN: Too many people don’t understand how bad their own schools are. They always think it’s somebody else’s kid who’s not being educated. They don’t understand that it’s their own kid who’s being short-changed. That’s part of our challenge. How do you awaken the public to believe that your own kid isn’t getting what they need and you don’t know it. If they would wake up, they could be part of the change. We need to wake them up.
I happen to agree with Secretary Duncan’s sentiments, and I applaud him for being so straightforward. I’m curious to hear what others think, especially those who have children in public schools.
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I have kids in elementary and middle school, jr. high; I think it is like everything else in this country these days it’s 50/50. We all know of great public schools and poor ones in the same area. Everyone can be partially correct, their kids may be in a good school and yet they know of other schools close by that are not as good. People tend to buy homes in the good school districts or move to good school districts if they need too for their kids education. The problem is state run education with no national standards. The kids whose parents cannot move to better schools are left behind to suffer in poorer school districts without the funding to improve.
I certainly agree with your point about national standards. Read my response to Afi Scruggs’ comment for a more thorough explanation.
In response to another comment. See in context »In my day job as an teaching artist (using music to help teach academic content, and vice versa) I’m in and out of schools all day.
I don’t think all public schools are bad. I do think, however, that schools in cities with declining revenues and tax bases are suffering. I see lots of causes: poor facilities, poor resources; poor teachers; poor parenting. There is no one cause of poor education.
And, the causes are societal. Simply privatizing schools won’t solve the problems that stem from poor parenting or high student absenteeism, for example.
One think I don’t agree with are national standards. This is one area where I think the federal government would do more harm than good.
I agree with your point, “There is no one cause of poor education.” Myriad issues both inside and outside of our schools play a role in helping/hindering students, and we can’t simply blame schools.
However, I disagree with your point about national standards, in large part because states take the easy way out when it comes to setting their own standards. Take a look at page 8 of this 2007 report, for example (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2007482.pdf). You’ll see that according to state standards, in 2005 Mississippi was tied with Tennessee for the highest proportion of 4th graders proficient in reading. But when Mississippi 4th graders took the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), their scores were last among all the states. Many states are patting themselves on the back when in fact students simply are meeting low standards, while students in other states appear to be falling short because their state has high standards. I think Arne Duncan said it best: NCLB got it backward. Instead of letting states be creative with standards but mandating how schools should meet them, the federal government should mandate one set of standards and let states, districts, and schools meet them however they see fit. This would allow a true comparison of how students from around the country are doing, and would ensure that teachers don’t feel limited in terms of what they teach and how and when they teach it. I believe this approach would allow us to get back to what most people want: local control of schools.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] this month our Michael Salmonowicz took note of a curious tendency in public attitudes about education: parents think that there is a [...]
[...] in their too. And advanced maths. All of them), and I know I’m not alone. Does the citizenry even understand the problem: [ARNE] DUNCAN: Here’s another Gallup result that I think is fascinating. This is the most [...]