Operation of Schools Questions: Section 1

OPERATION OF SCHOOLS
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Section 1: Operation of Schools

Class Size: Impact on Achievement
Question 1: In some school districts, the typical class has as many as 35 students; in other districts, only 20. With regard to the achievement or progress of students, do you think small classes make a great deal of difference, or no difference at all? (Asked in: 1973, 1988, 1989.)
[Code: 334-OpeCI-1]

Class Size: Small Classes
Question 2: A few states have started programs in the early grades to reduce class size to as few as 15 pupils. Would you favor or oppose such programs in the public schools in this community? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 333-OpeCS-2]

Class Size: Willingness to Support
Question 3: Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to fund such programs or not? (Asked as a follow-up to the question concerning smaller class size.) (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 337-OpeCW-3]

Community Relations: Effectiveness of Communication
Question 4: Here are some ways in which public schools try to open lines of communication with citizens. In your opinion, how effective do you think each of the following would be? Would you say very effective, somewhat effective, not very effective, or not at all effective? (Asked in: 1998.)
[Code: 338-OpeCE-4]

Control of Schools : Alternative Schools
Question 5: For students who are not interested in, or are bored with, the usual kind of education, it has been proposed that new kinds of local schools be established. They usually place more responsibility upon the student for what he learns and how he learns it. Some use the community as their laboratory and do not use the usual kind of classrooms. Do you think this is a good idea or a poor idea? (Asked in: 1973.)
[Code: 339-OpeCA-5]

Control of Schools : Citizen Advisory Committees
Question 6: Some school boards have appointed citizen advisory committees to deal with a number of school problems such as discipline, the curriculum, textbook selection, teacher evaluation, the athletic program, and the like. The committees report their findings to the school board for possible action. If such a plan were adopted here (or exists here), which of these problems would you most like to deal with on a citizen advisory committee? (Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 342-OpeCC-6]

Question 7: Many school systems have committees made up of citizens who serve in an advisory capacity. Do you think these advisory groups should have the final decision-making authority over the curriculum, or should the final authority remain with the school board? (Asked in: 1977.)
[Code: 343-OpeCC-7]

Question 8: And decisions about the budget -- should the final authority be given to these citizen committees or should the final authority remain with the school board? (Asked as a follow-up to the question concerning citizen committees.) (Asked in: 1977.)
[Code: 340-OpeCC-8]

Question 9: How about decisions regarding staff selection -- should the final authority be given to these citizen committees or should the final authority remain with the school board? (Asked as a follow-up to the question concerning citizen committees.) (Asked in: 1977.)
[Code: 341-OpeCC-9]

Control of Schools : Local Control
Question 10: Local schools policies are set, not only by the local school board, but also by the state government. In the years ahead, would you like to see the local school board have greater responsibility in running the schools, or less, than they do today? (Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 347-OpeCL-10]

Question 11: In your opinion, is there any group of people in this community that has more influence than it should have in the way schools are run? (If yes) Who is that? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 346-OpeCL-11]

Question 12: In most school districts the school superintendent and school board have more to say about how the local public schools are run than the principals and teachers. Would you favor or oppose giving the principals and teachers more say about how the public schools in this community are run? (Asked in: 1991.)
[Code: 344-OpeCL-12]

Question 13: In most school districts, policy decisions and changes are made by the school board and its administrative staff. In a few districts, however, some of these decisions are made by councils composed of local public school teachers, principals, and parents. Which way would you prefer to have policy decisions made in the schools in this community - by the school board and its administrative staff or by a council of teachers, principals, and parents? (Asked in: 1991.)
[Code: 345-OpeCL-13]

Control of Schools : Management Experts
Question 14: Would you favor or oppose the idea of having your school board hire management experts to look into the costs of local schools to see if the educational goals could be achieved at less cost? (Asked in: 1971.)
[Code: 348-OpeCM-14]

Control of Schools : Parental Influence
Question 15: Do you feel that parents of public school students should have more say, less say, or do they have about the right amount of say regarding the following areas in public schools? Allocation of school funds? Curriculum (i.e., the courses offered)? Selection and hiring of administrators? Books and instructional materials? Selection and hiring of teachers? Teacher and administrator salaries? Books placed in the school libraries? (Asked in: 1989, 1990.)
[Code: 349-OpeCP-15]

Question 16: In your opinion, how much say do the parents of public school students have about the following areas in the public schools in this community -- a great deal, a fair amount, very little, or almost none? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 349a-OpeCP-16]

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POLL RESULTS

	National Totals
Year	Great Deal Of Difference %	Little Difference %	No Difference %	Don't Know %
1989	79	13	6	2
1988	71	21	6	2
1973	79	11	6	4

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Already Have Such a Program %	Don't Know %
1989	75	18	1	6

	National Totals
Year	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
1989	68	25	7

Year: 1998
	Very and Somewhat Effective %	Very Effective %	Somewhat Effective %	Not Very Effective %	Not At All Effective %	Don't Know %
Public school open houses	89	54	35	6	3	2
Public school newsletters	87	47	40	9	3	1
Open hearings	85	48	37	8	4	3
Neighborhood discussion groups	81	43	38	12	5	2
Public school news hotlines	77	35	42	13	4	6
Televised school board meetings	74	39	35	15	9	2
Internet "chat rooms" set up by your local school	63	25	38	19	9	9

Control of Schools: Alternative Schools
Question 5: For students who are not interested in, or are bored with, the usual kind of education, it has been proposed that new kinds of local schools be established. They usually place more responsibility upon the student for what he learns and how he learns it. Some use the community as their laboratory and do not use the usual kind of classrooms. Do you think this is a good idea or a poor idea? (Asked in: 1973.)
[Code: 339-OpeCA-5]

	National Totals
Year	Good Idea %	Poor Idea %	No Opinion %
1973	62	26	12

Control of Schools: Citizen Advisory Committees
Question 6: Some school boards have appointed citizen advisory committees to deal with a number of school problems such as discipline, the curriculum, textbook selection, teacher evaluation, the athletic program, and the like. The committees report their findings to the school board for possible action. If such a plan were adopted here (or exists here), which of these problems would you most like to deal with on a citizen advisory committee? (Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 342-OpeCC-6]

Year: 1976
Advisory Committees	Percent Who Would Like To Serve on Such a Committee
1. Discipline and related problems	47
2. Student/teacher relations	31
3. Career education	29
4. Student dropouts	29
5. Teacher evaluation	28
6. The handicapped student	26
7. Educational costs/finances	22
8. The curriculum	21
9. Education for citizenship	19
10. Work-study programs	19
11. Home study and work habits	19
12. Community use of school buildings	16
13. Pupil assessment and test results	15
14. School facilities	14
15. Public relations of schools	13
16. School transportation	12
17. The athletic program	12
18. Educational innovations	12
19. Extracurricular activities	11
20. Progress of recent graduates	9
None	4
Don't know/no answer	6
*Totals more than 100% because of multiple answers.

	National Totals
Year	Authority with Citizenry Groups %	Authority with School Board %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1977	17	71	12

	National Totals
Year	Authority with Citizenry Groups %	Authority with School Board %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1977	19	70	11

	National Totals
Year	Authority with Citizenry Groups %	Authority with School Board %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1977	15	75	10

Control of Schools: Local Control
Question 10: Local school policies are set, not only by the local school board, but also by the state government. In the years ahead, would you like to see the local school board have greater responsibility in running the schools, or less, than they do today? (Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 347-OpeCL-10]

	National Totals
Year	Greater Responsibility %	Less Responsibility %	About the Same %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1976	67	10	15	8

	National Totals
Year	Yes, Too Much Influence %	No %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1978	20	46	34

Year: 1991
	%
Favor more say for principals and teachers	76
Oppose more say for principals and teachers	14
No opinion	10

Year: 1991
	%
Decisions by council of teachers, etc.	79
Decisions by school board, etc.	11
No opinion	10

Control of Schools: Management Experts
Question 14: Would you favor or oppose the idea of having your school board hire management experts to look into the costs of local schools to see if the educational goals could be achieved at less cost? (Asked in: 1971.)
[Code: 348-OpeCM-14]

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
1971	54	31	15

Control of Schools: Parental Influence
Question 15: Do you feel that parents of public school students should have more say, less say, or do they have about the right amount of say regarding the following areas in public schools? Allocation of school funds? Curriculum (i.e., the courses offered)? Selection and hiring of administrators? Books and instructional materials? Selection and hiring of teachers? Teacher and administrator salaries? Books placed in the school libraries? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 349-OpeCP-15]

Year: 1989
	More Say %	Less Say %	Right Amount %	Don't Know %
Allocation of school funds	59	10	27	4
Curriculum (i.e., the courses offered)	53	9	36	2
Selection and hiring of administrators	46	14	37	3
Books and instructional materials	43	13	41	3
Selection and hiring of teachers	41	17	38	4
Teacher and administrator salaries	39	17	39	5
Books placed in the school libraries	38	15	44	3

Year: 1990
	A Great Deal %	A Fair Amount %	Very Little %	Almost None %	Don't Know %
Books placed in the school libraries	5	17	29	37	12
Curriculum (i.e., the courses offered)	4	21	37	28	10
Books and instructional materials	3	14	31	41	11
Teacher and administrator salaries	3	12	25	50	10
Selection and hiring of administrators	3	11	26	50	10
Selection and hiring of teachers	2	8	29	52	9

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Last modified August 6, 2012
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