Today Phi Delta Kappa released their annual poll on the public’s attitude toward public schools.
As usual, this year’s results champion public schools. In past years, the Friedman Foundation found that the wording of the poll’s questions is biased against private schools. They found that small wording changes in the PDK questions produced significantly different responses.
FYI – Here are some findings from the PDK poll:
The 2002 question found that 69 percent of the public expressed a preference for improvement through reforming the existing system. The number this year is 71 percent. By contrast, just 27 percent of respondents in 2002 preferred seeking an alternative system, and that figure is at 24 percent for 2006.
The percentage favoring vouchers dropped from 38 percent a year ago to 36 percent this year, while opposition grew from 57 percent to 60 percent. Support for vouchers started at 24 percent in 1993, fluctuated up and down for years, and peaked at 46 percent in 2002. It is now at the mid-90s level.
Public approval of charter schools has climbed from 42 percent in 2000 to 53 percent in 2006.
In 1990, 73 percent faulted the effect of societal problems and 16 percent the performance of schools. The corresponding figures this year are 70 percent and 22 percent. When asked in 2002 about the achievement gap, 66 percent attributed it to other factors, and 29 percent to the quality of schooling received. The corresponding figures this year are 77 percent and 19 percent.
