Finding 1: Support for academic standards at consensus levels
Finding 2: Support for standards is broad-based
Finding 3: Support for standards Is firm
Finding 4: Standards will help children from all backgrounds
Finding 5: Higher standards respond to deep-seated anxieties
Finding 6: Teachers support standards as well, but . . .
Finding 7: Raising standards presents opportunities but also pitfalls
This is an analysis of Americans' attitudes about raising and enforcing
higher academic standards in
public schools. It is based on an extensive review of public opinion studies
conducted over the last
six years by Public Agenda, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization,
and by other respected
opinion analysts including the Gallup Organization and Louis Harris &
Associates.
Based on this review, it is clear that support for academic standards is
. . .
. . . . at consensus level among the general public.
There is nearly universal support for the idea that public schools do not
currently demand enough
from students. Americans believe schools should set clear academic standards
that significantly
raise expectations of students from elementary through high school.
. . . . shared by all groups in the population.
Support for academic standards is high among all demographic and ideological
groups. Support is
shared by parents and non-parents -- including African-American, white,
and traditional Christian
parents -- by community leaders, and among all age groups in all parts of
the country.
. . . . not easily shaken.
In many instances, public support for a given proposal evaporates when people
think about the
risks and trade-offs it may involve. But support for academic standards
seems to be virtually
"unbudgeable." People support raising standards even when it is
clearly pointed out to them that
some youngsters will be denied diplomas or kept back in school.
. . . . based on a conviction that standards will help all students learn.
Americans believe that raising academic expectations will help children
learn more and become
better prepared for adult life. People think that higher and clearer academic
standards are every bit as
important for inner-city children as for children from more affluent neighborhoods.
. . . corresponds with deep-seated public concerns and values
Three trends shape much of American thinking today: widespread economic
anxiety, fears of
pervasive moral decay, and a perception that many leaders are out of touch
with the values and
thinking of most Americans. Some of the public's chief complaints about
the schools -- youngsters
graduating without minimal basic skills, truants sporting diplomas alongside
youngsters who
worked hard, jargon-laden announcements of yet another educational "fad"
-- reflect these very
themes.
Raising standards, however, addresses these concerns, rather than inflaming
them. From the
public's point of view, raising standards guarantees that students will
learn at least some of what
they need to know to get jobs. It insures that students will learn the value
of working hard and the
penalties of "goofing off." And unlike some other proposed educational
reforms, raising standards
appeals directly to people's common sense.
. . . . shared by teachers, but with qualifications.
Teachers broadly support a variety of proposals to raise and enforce academic
standards, but their
endorsement is less vigorous than that of the public or community leaders.
Even though large
majorities of teachers back higher standards, they do not generally consider
low standards -- or
youngsters finishing school without basics -- to be widespread or urgent
problems. They are
generally satisfied with public schools' performance in teaching academic
skills.
Since the public and community leaders are significantly less pleased, their
dissatisfaction gives their support for higher standards an urgency and
an edge. Although teachers' support is genuine, it is less intense and less
dominant in their thinking. Classroom teachers are receptive to higher standards,
but it is questionable whether they will be the driving force behind them.
Also
see this related report at the Public Agenda website