Secondary citizens - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Leadership, Nov, 2000

Nearly half of all parents of secondary students feel left out of things going on at their child's school, and 39 percent of students feel that what they think doesn't count very much at school, according to the results of a survey released by MetLife.

These findings highlight the difficult transition between primary school -- where only 19 percent of parents report feeling alienated -- and secondary school.

Three in 10 teachers said they feel left out of things going on around them at school, according to the Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher 2000, which focused this year on the secondary level.

When asked who is most responsible for a student's getting a good education -- parents, the student or the teacher -- parents (66 percent) and teens (57 percent) said they were most responsible, while 31 percent of teachers said they were most responsible.

Secondary school parents and teachers were most likely to say that improving the quality of education is the most important issue facing America, while students said that having people get along with each other is most important.

Four in 10 students said they trust their teachers only a little or not a all. Minority students were more likely than white students to report this low level of trust (47 percent vs. 37 percent).