Results from the 40th Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK)/Gallup Poll of the “Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools are in and here are a few of the interesting and even heartening findings:
Federal Funding
Americans support an increased use of federal funds to maintain local public schools.
No Child Left Behind
Fewer than 2 of 10 Americans believe the No Child Left Behind legislation should be continued without significant change.
Biggest Problems
Lack of funding for schools tops the list of “biggest problems facing schools” for the sixth year in a row.
Assessment
In a change from nine years ago, Americans believe written observations by teachers, as opposed to scores on standardized tests, are a superior way to document student academic progress.
Teacher Pay
Almost three of four Americans believe teachers should be paid higher salaries as an incentive to teach in schools identified as ‘in need of improvement.’
Follow the link above for the whole study “downloadable” in PDF.
Learning is messy