A Vote of Confidence

NEA Today, Nov 2004

Despite a constant barrage of attacks that claim American schools are failing, most parents aren't buying it.

AND THOSE WHO KNOW schools the best, like them the most.

That's the conclusion from the latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, which annually asks people to grade America's schools. Among all Americans polled, 26 percent gave the nation's schools an A or a B. But when it comes to schools in their own communities, 47 percent gave their schools a top mark. Among parents of public school children, 61 percent handed out an A or B for their community's schools, while 70 percent gave their own child's school a stellar grade.

At the same time, the public disagrees with the strategies in the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law for judging schools. For example, 67 percent said performance on a single test is not enough to determine whether a school needs improvement. And if a school does need improvement, 80 percent would keep students there and work on fixing the school; only 16 percent favor letting students transfer.