The Public’s Take on Public Schools
By Edward J. McElroy

There's no shortage of opinions about what our schools are doing right – and where they fall short. As a teacher, it can be tempting to close the door to your classroom, focus intently on your students and try your best to ignore the swirl of activity and attitudes in the "outside" world. But, if you teach in a public school, this temptation is not practical or even necessarily desirable. After all, public schools are public institutions -- open to, influenced by and accountable to the public. And you might be surprised by the depth of support for the work you do.

So, what does the public think?
One interesting portal into public opinion comes from the annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. Released each fall, this poll has proven to be an important gauge of where the public stands on timely and important issues affecting public education. The poll results always contain some interesting tidbits and the most recent release is no exception.

As they have consistently, respondents give reasonably high marks to the public schools. The reviews are even better when parents do the rating and still higher when parents assess the schools their children attend. The bottom line: the closer the public is to the public schools, the higher their estimation of them.

Americans view lack of financial support as the major problem facing the public schools, according to the PDK/Gallup poll. No other problem mentioned by respondents even comes close to their concerns about inadequate funding of public education. Recent state and federal budget crises may have added to the sense of urgency about this problem, but lack of financial support for schools has topped respondents' concerns since 2000.

Poll results on NCLB
Another indicator that the public strongly supports our public schools is that the preponderance of respondents believes tax dollars should be used to strengthen and support public schools. The idea of using tax dollars to provide parents a voucher to send their children to a nonpublic school continues to lack majority support.

The poll probed attitudes about some more recent educational developments, as well. The poll reveals that public understanding of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is limited, but the impressions they have formed are in many ways unfavorable. They question the major strategies NCLB uses to determine whether a school is or is not in need of improvement. Respondents' answers to poll questions about NCLB also indicate that they want implementation of the law to be less rigid.

What does all this mean for us?
For one thing, it signals that the public understands and shares the concerns of many educators. It means there's a fertile base of support that can help public educators make the case that, far from having given up on public schools, Americans are committed to this vital institution and want our schools to receive the support they need.

Numerous polls testify to the tremendous trust and admiration the public has for teachers. Talk to your students' parents and grandparents about what's working in your school and what needs to be corrected. Enlist parents, neighbors and community groups in efforts to call attention to changes that could help our schools provide a first-rate education to every child. Remind legislators and policy-makers that the public supports public schools (and that they should, too). And, in this election month, encourage the people you come in contact with to vote for candidates and policies that will make a positive difference in our public schools.

Edward J. McElroy is the President of the American Federation of Teachers.

November/December 2004, Vol.35, No.3