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Trend: How Satisfied Are You With the Quality of K-12 Education in the U.S. Today?

Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of education students receive in kindergarten through grade twelve in the U.S. today -- would you say you are completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied?

	Completely satisfied	Some- what satisfied	Some- what dis- satisfied	Completely dis- satisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Aug 11-14	8	37	32	22	1
2010 Aug 5-8	9	34	37	17	2
2009 Aug 6-9	8	37	35	17	3
2008 Aug 7-10	7	37	38	15	3
2007 Aug 13-16	7	39	35	16	3
2006 Aug 7-10	8	37	33	19	3
2005 Aug 8-11	9	37	35	16	3
2004 Aug 9-11	10	43	32	13	2
2003 Aug 4-6	8	40	34	16	2
2002 Aug 5-8	7	40	32	18	3
2001 Aug 16-19	10	38	32	17	3
2000 Aug 24-27	7	29	40	21	3
1999 Aug 24-26	8	39	38	13	2

Thinking about your oldest child in kindergarten through grade twelve, what grade will he or she be entering this fall?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	Kindergarten- Fifth	Sixth- Eighth	Ninth- Twelfth	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Aug 11-14	32	22	44	2
2010 Aug 5-8	34	26	40	*
2009 Aug 6-9	36	22	41	*
2008 Aug 7-10	36	24	39	1
2007 Aug 13-16	29	23	47	1
2006 Aug 7-10	39	21	39	1
2005 Aug 8-11	38	22	40	--
2004 Aug 9-11	38	21	40	1
2003 Aug 4-6	40	18	42	--
2002 Aug 5-8	40	23	36	1
2001 Aug 16-19	38	20	41	1
1999 Aug 24-26	44	25	30	1
* Less than 0.5%

Will your oldest child attend public, private, parochial, or home school this year?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	Public	Private	Parochial	Home school	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Aug 11-14	84	9	2	4	1
2010 Aug 5-8	85	7	5	2	1
2009 Aug 6-9	81	12	3	2	2
2008 Aug 7-10	81	12	5	2	--
2007 Aug 13-16	86	8	3	2	1
2006 Aug 7-10	82	13	3	2	*
2005 Aug 8-11	85	10	3	2	--
2004 Aug 9-11	86	7	4	2	1
2003 Aug 4-6	85	6	5	3	1
2002 Aug 5-8	89	7	2	2	*
2001 Aug 16-19	88	5	5	2	--
2000 Aug 24-27 ^	86	9	4	1	*
1999 Aug 24-26 ^	86	10	4	*	--
* Less than 0.5%
^ WORDING: Will that child attend public, private or parochial school?

How satisfied are you with the quality of education your oldest child is receiving? Would you say you are completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	Completely satisfied	Some- what satisfied	Some- what dis- satisfied	Com- pletely dis- satisfied	Just start- ing school (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Aug 11-14	36	42	12	9	1	*
2010 Aug 5-8	35	45	12	7	2	1
2009 Aug 6-9	39	37	14	7	2	1
2007 Aug 13-16	25	53	13	6	1	2
2006 Aug 7-10	35	42	12	7	3	1
2005 Aug 8-11	33	45	13	7	2	*
2004 Aug 9-11	32	47	15	4	2	*
2003 Aug 4-6	38	39	13	8	2	*
2002 Aug 5-8	29	39	20	7	4	1
2001 Aug 16-19	35	37	14	9	3	2
2000 Aug 24-27	31	47	12	6	4	*
1999 Aug 24-26	37	46	12	2	2	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response
* Less than 0.5%

Still thinking about your oldest child, how big of a problem is each of the following academic issues in your oldest child's school -- a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

*2011 Aug 11-14* *(sorted by "major problem")*	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
Not enough emphasis on math and science	24	19	54	4
Not enough emphasis on reading and writing	22	21	54	3
Not enough emphasis on foreign language instruction	17	29	51	3
Not enough emphasis on physical education	16	20	61	2
Not enough emphasis on arts and music	13	34	51	2

Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little? First, ... Next, [RANDOM ORDER]

The public schools

	Great deal	Quite a lot	Some	Very little	None (vol.)	No opin- ion	Great deal/ Quite a lot
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Jun 9-12	14	20	38	25	2	1	34
2010 Jul 8-11	15	23	39	20	2	1	38
2009 Jun 14-17	16	17	42	22	1	2	33
2008 Jun 9-12	14	19	41	25	1	1	33
2007 Jun 11-14	15	22	36	23	2	2	37
2006 Jun 1-4	16	21	39	22	1	1	37
2005 May 23-26	16	25	39	18	1	1	41
2004 May 21-23	15	25	40	18	1	1	40
2003 Jun 9-10	12	26	41	18	2	1	38
2002 Jun 21-23	16	22	37	22	2	1	38
2001 Jun 8-10	13	24	41	19	2	1	37
2000 Jun 22-25	14	22	37	24	2	1	36
1999 Jun 25-27	16	21	40	20	2	1	37
1998 Jun 5-7	18	22	39	19	1	1	40
1997 Jul 25-27	16	22	38	21	1	2	38
1996 May 28-29	18	22	36	20	2	2	40
1995 Apr 21-24	14	20	40	23	2	1	34
1994 Mar 25-29	14	25	37	21	2	1	39
1993 Mar 22-24	14	21	38	22	2	3	35
1991 Oct 10-13	20	24	36	17	2	1	44
1991 Feb 28-Mar 3	21	24	34	18	1	2	45
1990 Aug 16-19	19	24	36	18	1	2	43
1989 Sep 7-10	18	31	35	14	1	1	49
1988 Sep 23-26	17	33	34	14	1	1	50
1987 Jul 10-13	17	32	33	16	1	1	49
1986 Jul 11-14	15	33	32	16	1	3	48
1985 May 17-20	20	28	32	19	--	2	48
1984 Oct 6-10	14	25	37	21	1	2	39
1983 Aug 5-8	16	26	32	20	5	1	42
1981 Nov 20-23	23	30	30	14	1	2	53
1979 Apr 6-9	22	31	26	15	1	5	53
1977 Jan 7-10	29	33	22	13	1	3	62
1975 May 30-Jun 2	30	28	27	9	2	4	58
1973 May 4-7	15	23	39	20	2	1	38
(vol.) = Volunteered response

What action would you like to see Congress take on the No Child Left Behind education law -- [ROTATED: eliminate the No Child Left Behind law, keep the law but with major revisions, keep the No Child Left Behind law basically as it is], or don't you know enough to say?

	Eliminate law	Keep, with major revisions	Keep basically as is	Don't know enough to say	No answer
	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Jan 14-16	16	41	21	21	1

Would you say that public education today in grades K through 12 is better, about the same, or worse than when you were a student?

	Better	About the same	Worse	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
National adults
2010 Aug 5-8	21	21	54	3
2000 Apr 7-9	28	15	54	3

K-12 parents
2010 Aug 5-8	27	22	48	4
2000 Apr 7-9	33	12	52	3

In terms of public education in this country, do you think the federal government [ROTATED: should be more involved in education than it currently is, should keep its involvement about the same, (or) should be less involved in education than it currently is]?

	More involved	Keep the same	Less involved	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
National adults
2010 Aug 5-8	43	20	35	1
2000 Apr 7-9	46	22	29	3

K-12 parents
2010 Aug 5-8	56	16	27	1
2000 Apr 7-9	50	22	26	2

(Asked of parents with children in grades kindergarten through 12) Turning back to your oldest child's school, based on what you know or have read, is your oldest child's school is -- [ROTATED: doing all right financially and able to avoid making major spending cuts, (or is it) having financial difficulties and having to make major spending cuts]?

(Asked of parents whose child's school is making major spending cuts) Do you think this will or will not hurt the quality of your child's education?

COMBINED RESPONSES: BASED ON K-12 PARENTS

	2010 Aug 5-8
	%
School able to avoid major spending cuts	59

School having to make major spending cuts	32
(Will hurt quality of child's education)	(28)
(Will not hurt quality of child's education)	(4)

No opinion	9

Just your opinion, what would be the best way to improve kindergarten through 12^th grade education in the U.S. today? [OPEN-ENDED]

	2009 Aug 6-9	2004 Aug 9-11
	%	%
Quality teachers/better educated/more involvement/caring	17	15
Back to the basic curriculum (reading, writing, arithmetic)	10	10
Improve school funding	6	7
Reduce number of children in classroom	6	11
Better pay for the teachers	6	6
Teach more about real life/how to survive	5	2
More parental involvement	5	6
Improve standards for testing	4	2
Better discipline in schools	4	5
Hire more teachers	4	5
Get rid of/Abolish teachers' unions or the NEA	3	1
Stop the government from running schools/ Get rid of No Child Left Behind	3	2
School vouchers	2	2
More resources in the schools for teaching	2	1
Spend more time/hours in school	2	1
Put God back in school	1	1
More schools/Improved schools	1	2
Year-round schooling	1	1
Better security/Safer schools	*	1

Other	2	7
None	4	2
No opinion	11	10

Next, how familiar are you with the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal education law passed in 2002 -- very familiar, somewhat familiar, not too familiar, or not familiar at all?

	Very familiar	Somewhat familiar	Not too familiar	Not at all familiar	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Aug 6-9	14	46	25	14	--

(Asked of those very, somewhat or not too familiar with No Child Left Behind) From what you have may have heard or read, do you think the No Child Left Behind Act has generally made the education received by public school students in the United States -- [ROTATED: better, has it not made much difference, (or has it made it) worse]?

*2009 Aug 6-9*	Made better	Not made much difference	Made worse	Not familiar with	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
National adults	18	39	25	14	5
Familiar with NCLB Act	21	45	29	--	5

Thinking about your oldest child, when he or she is at school, do you fear for his or her physical safety?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	Yes, fear	No, do not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Mar 27-29	26	74	*
2008 Aug 7-10	15	85	--
2007 Aug 13-16	24	76	*
2006 Oct 6-8	35	65	--
2006 Aug 7-10	25	75	*
2005 Aug 8-11	21	79	*
2004 Aug 9-11	28	71	1
2003 Aug 4-6	24	76	*
2002 Aug 5-8	31	68	1
2001 Aug 16-19	32	68	0
2001 Mar 9-11	45	54	1
2000 Aug 24-27	26	74	0
2000 Apr 7-9	43	57	0
1999 Aug 24-26	47	53	*
1999 May 21-23	52	47	1
1999 Apr 26-27	49	51	*
1999 Apr 21	55	45	0
1998 Jun 5-7	37	62	1
1977 ^	24	70	6

* Less than 0.5%
^ Gallup for Kettering Foundation

Have any of your school-aged children expressed any worry or concern about feeling unsafe at their school when they go back to school this fall?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2009 Mar 27-29 ^	10	90	--
2008 Aug 7-10	8	91	1
2007 Aug 13-16	12	87	1
2006 Oct 6-8	12	88	--
2006 Aug 7-10	11	87	2
2004 Aug 9-11	10	89	1
2003 Aug 4-6	8	91	1
2001 Mar 9-11 †	22	77	1
2000 Aug 24-27	8	92	*
1999 Aug 24-26	18	82	*

* Less than 0.5%
^ WORDING: Have any of your school-aged children expressed any worry or concern about feeling unsafe at their school?
† WORDING: Have any of your school-aged children expressed any worry or concern about feeling unsafe at their school when they go to school?

Just your opinion, what would be the best way to improve the education your oldest child receives at his or her school? [OPEN-ENDED]

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

	2007 Aug 13-16
	%
Reduce number of children per classroom	13
Quality teachers/better educated/more involved/caring	11
More teacher involvement/caring	9
Back to the basic curriculum/three R's	7
Improve school funding	6
Better pay for teachers	5
More parental involvement	5
More resources in the schools for teaching	4
Improve standards for testing	3
Hire more teachers	3
Teach more about real life/how to survive	2
Better discipline in schools	2
Better security/safer schools	2
Stop the government from running the schools/Get rid of "No Child Left Behind"	1
Spend more time/hours in school	1
Year-round schooling	1
School vouchers	1
Get rid of teachers' unions/Abolish the NEA	1

Other	8
Nothing	7
No opinion	8

(Asked of those who are parents of children in grades K-12) Generally speaking, would you describe the lunches served in the school that your oldest child attends as -- very nutritious, somewhat nutritious, not that nutritious, or not nutritious at all?

	Very nutritious	Somewhat nutritious	Not that nutritious	Not nutritious at all	No opinion
2007 Aug 3-5	21%	42	17	10	11

(Asked of those who are parents of children in grades K-12) Thinking about the amount of foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads offered in your child's school, do you think the school is offering enough of these kinds of food, or should it offer more?

	Offering enough	Should offer more	No opinion
2007 Aug 3-5	27%	66	8

(Asked of those who are parents of children in grades K-12) Do you think your child's school is offering too many foods that should not be served to children, or not?

	Yes, too many	No, not	No opinion
2007 Aug 3-5	43%	48	8

(Asked of those who are parents of children in grades K-12) How much do you think school lunches are to blame for the problem of childhood obesity -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?

	Great deal	Moderate amount	Not much	Not at all	No opinion
2007 Aug 3-5	9%	22	37	30	2

Now thinking about the school your oldest child attends, do you think there is too much emphasis, the right amount, or too little emphasis on [RANDOM ORDER]?

[ASKED OF K-12 PARENTS]

2005 Aug 8-11 (sorted by "too much")	Too much emphasis	Right amount	Too little emphasis	Not applicable (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
Sports	18	57	20	4	1
Preparing for standardized tests	18	52	24	3	3
Reading and English	5	66	28	*	1
Art and music	5	61	32	1	1
Sciences	5	60	31	2	2
Physical education	4	58	35	1	2
Foreign languages	4	42	46	6	2
Health	3	60	33	2	2
Composition or writing	3	60	35	*	2
Math	2	65	31	1	1
History	2	60	34	2	2
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Please tell me whether you favor or oppose a constitutional amendment to allow voluntary prayer in public schools.

	Favor	Oppose	No opinion
	%	%	%
2005 Aug 8-11	76	23	1
2001 Aug 16-19	78	20	2
2000 Sep 11-13 ^	74	23	3
1994 Nov 28-29 †	73	25	2
1983 Jul 22-25 ‡	81	14	5

^ Based on half sample
† Wording: "Here are some other proposals the Republicans in Congress have made. For each one, please tell me whether you favor or oppose it. How about … a Constitutional amendment to allow voluntary school prayer in public schools."
‡ Based on 1,285 national adults who have heard or read about the proposal for a Constitutional amendment to allow voluntary school prayer in public schools.

If you had a choice, which would you prefer in the local public schools -- [ROTATED: spoken prayer, (or) a moment of silence for contemplation or silent prayer]?

	Spoken prayer	Moment of silence/ silent prayer	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)	No opinion
2005 Aug 8-11	23%	69	5	3	*
1995 May 1-30 ^	24%	70	3	2	1

^ Gallup/PDK survey
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

On a different subject, do you think each of the following explanations about the origin and development of life on earth should or should not be taught in public school science classes, or are you unsure? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

2005 Aug 8-11 (sorted by "yes, should")	Yes, should	No, should not	Unsure	No answer
Evolution	61%	20	19	*
Creationism	54%	22	23	1
Intelligent design	43%	21	35	1
* Less than 0.5%

How familiar are you the practice of granting tenure to public school teachers -- very familiar, somewhat familiar, not too familiar, or not familiar at all?

	Very familiar	Some- what familiar	Not too familiar	Not familiar at all	No opinion
2005 Aug 8-11	18%	32	19	30	1

Based on what you have heard or read, do you favor or oppose tenure laws for public school teachers?

	Favor	Oppose	Unsure	No opinion
2005 Aug 8-11	19%	22	58	1

Thinking about the presence that religion currently has in public schools in this country, do you think religion has -- [ROTATED: too much of a presence in public schools, about the right amount, (or) too little of a presence in public schools]?

	Too much of a presence	About the right amount	Too little of a presence	No opinion
2005 Aug 8-11	11%	27	60	2
2001 Feb 9-11 ^	7%	28	63	2

^ Asked of a half sample

Now thinking specifically about the school that your youngest school-aged child will attend, which of the following applies -- it has a fully licensed nurse on site, it has a nurse's aide or other health care professional with more limited medical training on site, it has neither, or are you unsure?

BASED ON PARENTS OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

	Fully licensed nurse	Nurse's aide or other professional	Neither	Unsure	No opinion
2005 Jul 22-24	36%	28	13	21	2

How important is it to you, personally, that this school has a fully licensed nurse on site -- extremely important, very important, somewhat important, or not important?

BASED ON PARENTS OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN

	Extremely important	Very important	Some- what important	Not important	No opinion
2005 Jul 22-24	35%	30	22	13	*
* Less than 0.5%

In all, how many children do you have that will be attending kindergarten through grade 12 this year?

[BASED ON 291 K-12 PARENTS]

	2004 Aug 9-11	2001 Aug 16-19
	%	%
1	46	44
2	33	38
3	13	10
4	3	5
5 or more	4	3

No opinion	1	*

Mean	1.9	1.9
Median	2	2

Thinking now more broadly about all your school aged children, do you have any children who will be attending -- [RANDOM ORDER] this year? How about -- [INSERT NEXT ITEM]?

[BASED ON 291 K-12 PARENTS]

A. A public school

	Yes	No	No opinion
2004 Aug 9-11	87%	13	--
2001 Aug 16-19	93%	7	--

B. A parochial, or church-related school

	Yes	No	No opinion
2004 Aug 9-11	8%	92	--
2001 Aug 16-19	9%	91	--

C. An independent private school

	Yes	No	No opinion
2004 Aug 9-11	11%	89	--
2001 Aug 16-19	7%	93	--

D. Home school, meaning not enrolled in a formal school, but taught at home

	Yes	No	No opinion
2004 Aug 9-11	3%	97	--
2001 Aug 16-19	2%	98	--

How closely have you followed the news about school vouchers -- very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?

	Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Not at all	No opinion
2004 Aug 9-11	12	32	29	26	1
2002 Aug 5-8	14%	35	26	24	1

From what you know or have heard, do you favor or oppose school vouchers, or do you not know enough to say?

	Favor	Oppose	Unsure	No answer
2004 Aug 9-11	22%	16	62	*
2002 Aug 5-8 ^	29%	15	56	*

* Less than 0.5%
^ Asked of a half sample

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