Purposes of Schooling Questions: Section 1

PURPOSES OF SCHOOLING

POLL RESULTS

Objectives: Relative Rating
Question 1: I am going to read off some of the areas to which the public high schools devote attention in educating students. As I read off these areas, one at a time, would you tell me whether you feel the high schools in your community devote too much attention, not enough attention, or about the right amount of attention to that area.

1. Developing students' moral and ethical character
2. Teaching students how to think
3. Preparing students who do not go to college for a job or career after graduation
4. Preparing students to become informed citizens prepared to vote at 18
5. Preparing students for college 6. Developing students' appreciation of art, music, and other cultural interests
(Asked in: 1981.)
[Code: 504-PurOR-1]

	Year: 1981
	Too Much %	Not Enough %	Right Amount %	Don't Know %
1. Developing students' moral and ethical character	2	62	21	15
2. Teaching students how to think	2	59	25	14
3. Preparing students who do not go to college for a job or career after graduation	2	56	29	13
4. Preparing students to become informed citizens prepared to vote at 18	2	55	28	15
5. Preparing students for college	3	43	39	15
6. Developing students' appreciation of art, music, and other cultural interests	7	37	41	15

Primary Purpose: Academic/Nonacademic
Question 2: In your opinion, which is the primary purpose of the schools -- to teach the basic subjects, such as English, math, and science, or to provide a balanced education in which the basics are only one factor? (Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 484-PurPA-2]

	National Totals
Year	Teach the Basic Subjects %	Provide a Balanced Education %	Don't Know %
2000	29	69	2

Primary Purpose: College/Work/Citizenship
Question 3: In your opinion, which is more important for the schools -- to prepare students for college or work, or to prepare students for effective citizenship? (Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 485-PurPC-3]

	National Totals
Year	Prepare Students for College or Work %	Prepare Students for Effective Citizenship %	Don't Know %
2000	59	34	7

Question 4: a. Some educators, politicians, and philanthropists believe that all high school students should be well-prepared for college and a career. Do you favor or oppose this goal? b. Some educators, politicians, and philanthropists believe that all high school students should be well-prepared for more education beyond high school and a career. Do you favor or oppose this goal? (Asked in: 2010.)
[Code: 903-PurSA-4]

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
2010 a.	84	15	1
2010 b.	91	9	-

Primary Purpose: Goals as Seen by Students
Question 5: What are the overall educational goals of the school you attend? (Asked of high school juniors and seniors.)
(Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 486-PurPG-5]

	National Totals
Year	To Prepare Students for College %	To Prepare Students for Jobs %	To Graduate Students And Get Them Out of School %
1974	43	25	10

Primary Purpose: Specific Programs
Question 6: Which three of these educational programs would you like your local elementary school (grades 1-6) to give more attention to? (Responses in order of rating.)

1. Teaching students the skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic
2. Teaching students how to solve problems and think for themselves
3. Teaching students to respect law and authority
4. Teaching students how to get along with others
5. Teaching students the skills of speaking and listening
6. Teaching students vocational skills
7. Teaching students health and physical education
8. Teaching students about the world of today and yesterday (that is, history, geography, and civics)
9. Teaching students how to compete with others
(Asked in: 1972.)
[Code: 489-PurPW-6]

Question 7: Which three of these educational programs would you like your local junior and senior high school (grades 7-12) to give more attention to? (Responses in order of rating.)

1. Teaching students to respect law and authority
2. Teaching students how to solve problems and think for themselves
3. Teaching students vocational skills
4. Teaching students how to get along with others
5. Teaching students the skills of speaking and listening
6. Teaching students about the world of today and yesterday (that is, history, geography, and civics)
7. Teaching students the skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic
8. Teaching students health and physical education
9. Teaching students how to compete with others
(Asked in: 1972.)
[Code: 487-PurPS-7]

Primary Purpose: Why People Prize Education
Question 8: People have different reasons why they want their children to get an education. What are the chief reasons that come to your mind? (Top five only) (Asked in: 1972, 1986, 1989.)
[Code: 488-PurPW-8]

Year: 1972
	%
1. To get better jobs	44
2. To get along better with people at all levels of society	43
3. To make more money -- achieve financial success	38
4. To attain self-satisfaction	21
5. To stimulate their minds	15

Year: 1986
	%
1. Job opportunities/better job	34
2. Preparation for life/better life	23
3. Financial security/economic stability	9
4. More knowledge	10
5. To get a better paying job	8

Year: 1989
	%
1. Job opportunities/better job	33
2. Preparation for life/better life	25
3. Financial security/economic stability	15
4. More knowledge	9
5. To get a better paying job	8

Qualities Most Important in Development of a Child: Most Important Quality
Question 9: Of course all of the qualities listed on this card are important in the overall development of a child. But which one do you regard as the most important?

1. Learning to think for oneself
2. Ability to get along with others
3. Willingness to accept responsibility
4. High moral standards
5. Eagerness to learn
6. Desire to excel
(Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 492-PurQa-9]

	National Totals
Year	Learning to Think for Oneself %	Ability to Get Along With Others %	Willingness to Accept Responsibility %	High Moral Standards %	Eagerness to Learn %	Desire to Excel %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1976	26	23	21	13	11	4	2

Qualities Most Important in Development of a Child: Most Neglected by Schools
Question 10: And which one do you think is most neglected by schools? (Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 491-PurQb-10]

	National Totals
Year	High Moral Standards %	Willingness to Accept Responsibility %	Learning to Think for Oneself %	Ability to Get Along with Others %	Eagerness to Learn %	Desire to Excel %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1976	32	30	14	8	5	4	7

Qualities Most Important in Development of a Child: Most Neglected by Parents
Question 11: Which one do you think is most neglected by parents today?
(Asked in: 1976.)
[Code: 493-PurQc-11]

	National Totals
Year	High Moral Standards %	Learning to Think for Oneself %	Eagerness to Learn %	Willingness to Accept Responsibility %	Desire to Excel %	Ability to Get Along With Others %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1976	26	15	13	12	9	8	17

Scope of School Responsibilities: Environmental Education
Question 12: In your opinion, is it the responsibility of the public schools to teach all students about protecting the environment? (Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 494-PurSE-12]

	National Totals
Year	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
2000	75	23	2

Scope of School Responsibilities: Extracurricular Activities
Question 13: Do you consider extracurricular activities as important as the academic subjects, or do you consider them as only a supplement to the academic subjects? (Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 495-PurSE-13]

	National Totals
Year	As Important as Academic Subjects %	As Supplements to Academic Subjects %	Don't Know %
2000	42	56	2

Scope of School Responsibilities: Job Training for Out-of-School, Out-of-Work Students
Question 14: It has been suggested that the public schools be given the responsibility to set up special job training programs for young people, age 15 to 18, who are out of work and out of school. Would you favor or oppose such a plan? (Asked in: 1975.)
[Code: 496-PurSJ-14]

	National Totals
Year	Favor Giving Schools This Responsibility %	Oppose %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1975	86	11	3

Scope of School Responsibilities: Rating Schools' Success
Question 15: Now, as I read off each of these purposes, would you indicate how effective you think the local public schools have been in achieving this purpose? To do this, please select a number between one and 10, with 10 meaning highly effective and one meaning not at all effective.

To prepare people to become responsible citizens
To help people become economically self-sufficient
To ensure a basic level of quality among schools
To promote cultural unity among all Americans
To improve social conditions for people
To enhance people's happiness and enrich their lives
To dispel inequities in education among certain schools and certain groups
(Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 497-PurSR-15]

Year: 2000
Purpose	Rank
To prepare people to become responsible citizens	2-4
To help people become economically self-sufficient	1
To ensure a basic level of quality among schools	2-4
To promote cultural unity among all Americans	2-4
To improve social conditions for people	5-6
To enhance people's happiness and enrich their lives	5-6
To dispel inequities in education among certain schools and certain groups	7

Scope of School Responsibilities: Specific Goals
Question 16: I am going to read a list of possible goals of education. I would like you to rate the importance of each goal on a scale of zero to 10. A zero means a goal is not at all important and should not be part of the public school program. A 10 means a goal is the most important goal -- before all others. A rating between zero and 10 means you consider the goal to be somewhere in between in importance.
(Asked in: 1984.)
[Code: 498-PurSS-16]

Year: 1984
Based on the Number of Respondents Who Gave a "10"	National Totals
	%
To develop the ability to speak and write correctly	68
To develop standards of what is "right" and "wrong"	64
To develop an understanding about different kinds of jobs and careers, including their requirements and rewards	56
To develop skills needed to get jobs for those not planning to go to college	54
To develop the ability to use mathematics for everyday problems	54
To encourage respect for law and order, for obeying the rules of society	52
To help students make realistic plans for what they will do after high school graduation	52
To develop the ability to live in a complex and changing world	51
To develop the desire to excel	51
To develop the ability to think -- creatively, objectively, analytically	51
To help develop good work habits, the ability to organize one's thoughts, the ability to concentrate	48
To prepare for college those who plan to attend college	46
To develop the ability to deal with adult responsibilities and problems, i.e., sex, marriage, parenting, personal finances, alcohol and drug abuse	46
To gain an understanding of science and technology	45
To help students get good/high-paying jobs	45
To help students overcome personal problems	45
To develop the ability to understand and use computers	43
To develop the ability to get along with different kinds of people	42
To gain knowledge about the world of today and yesterday (history, geography, civics)	42
To encourage the desire to continue learning throughout one's life	41
To develop respect for and understanding of other races, religions, nations, and cultures	39
To develop an appreciation for and participation in the arts, music, literature, theater, etc.	35
To develop an understanding of democracy and to promote participation in the political process	33
To develop an appreciation of the "good" things in life	32
To promote physical development through sports programs	20

Scope of School Responsibilities: Specific Goals
Question 17: I am going to read you a list of purposes that have been offered to explain why America needs a system of public schools. As I read each purpose, please indicate how important you think it is by selecting a number between one and 10 -- with 10 meaning of the highest importance and one meaning not at all important.
(Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 499-PurSS-17]

Year: 2000
Importance of Purpose
To prepare people to become responsible citizens	1
To help people become economically self-sufficient	2
To ensure a basic level of quality among schools	3
To promote cultural unity among all Americans	4
To improve social conditions for people	5
To enhance people's happiness and enrich their lives	6-7
To dispel inequities in education among certain schools and certain groups	6-7

Scope of School Responsibilities: Specific Nonacademic Areas
Question 18: In addition to regular academic courses, high schools offer instruction in other areas. As I read off these other areas, one at a time, would you tell me whether you think this area should receive more emphasis or less emphasis in the public schools?
(Asked in: 2000.)
[Code: 500-PurSS-18]

Year: 2000
	More Emphasis %	Less Emphasis %	Same Emphasis %	Don't Know %
Drug and alcohol abuse	85	8	6	1
Racial and ethnic understanding and tolerance	76	15	8	1
Environmental issues, such as global warming, habitat destruction, etc.	65	25	8	2

Scope of School Responsibilities: Specific Purposes
Question 19: Here are some possible purposes of the nation's public schools. Apart from providing a basic education, would you tell me how important you consider each is as a purpose of the nation's schools -- very important, quite important, not too important, or not at all important?
(Asked in: 1996.)
[Code: 501-PurSS-19]

Year: 1996
Purposes of Public Schools
	Very Important %	Quite Important %	Not Too Important %	Not at All Important %	Don't Know %
To prepare students to be responsible citizens	86	12	1	1	*
To help people become economically self-sufficient	78	18	2	1	1
To promote cultural unity among all Americans	63	23	10	3	1
To improve social conditions	58	28	10	3	1
To increase people's happiness and enrich their lives culturally and intellectually	55	29	12	3	1
To minimize current inequities in education for certain minority groups	44	32	14	5	5
*Less than one-half of 1%.

Scope of School Responsibilities: Academic/Nonacademic
Question 20: Over the years, public schools have taken on additional responsibilities in both academic and nonacademic areas. In your opinion, have the public schools today taken on too many responsibilities beyond their original role or not? (Asked in: 2002.)
[Code: 502-PurSA-20]

	National Totals
Year	Yes, Have %	No, Have Not %	Don't Know %
2002	54	41	5

Scope of School Responsibilities: Academic/Nonacademic (asked of those saying "too many")
Question 21: Which one of the following do you think would be the best solution to this problem?
(Asked of those responding "too many" to the previous question.)
(Asked in: 2002.)
[Code: 503-PurSA-21]

Year: 2002
Asked of Those Responding "Too Many" to the Previous Question	National Totals
	%
Reduce the school's responsibilities in the academic area	3
Reduce the school's responsibilities in nonacademic areas	69
Reduce the school's responsibilities in both areas	25
Don't know	3

Scope of School Responsibilities: Nonacademic
Question 22: In addition to being responsible for students’ education, do you think the local public schools should be responsible, or not, for dealing with the behavioral, social, and emotional needs of their students? (Asked in: 2007.)
[Code: 847-PurSX-22]

	National Totals
Year	Should Be Responsible %	Should Not Be Responsible %	Don't Know %
2007	67	31	2

Question 23:What do you think should be the main goal of a public school education: to prepare students academically, to prepare them for work, or to prepare them to be good citizens? (Asked in: 2016.) [Code: 1007-Pur1PC-23] Phone poll

	National Totals
Year	Prepare students academically %	Prepare students for work %	Prepare students to be good citizens %	Don't Know %
2016	45	25	26	4

Question 24:How important do you think it is for schools to: A. Prepare students to think critically across subject areas? B. Provide students with factual information in each subject area? C. Prepare students to be good citizens? D. Prepare students to work successfully in groups? E. Help students develop good work habits? (Asked in: 2016.)
[Code: 1008-Pur1SS-24] Phone poll

A. Prepare students to think critically
	National totals
Year	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not too important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
2016	42	40	13	2	1	2

B. Provide students with factual information in each subject area
	National totals
Year	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not too important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
2016	48	37	11	1	1	1

C. Prepare students to be good citizens
	National totals
Year	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not too important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
2016	45	37	15	2	1	-

D. Prepare students to work successfully in groups
	National totals
Year	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not too important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
2016	35	41	21	2	1	-

E. Help students develop good work habits
	National totals
Year	Extremely important %	Very important %	Somewhat important %	Not too important %	Not at all important %	Don't Know %
2016	52	38	9	1	-	-

Question 25:How well do you think the public schools in your community do each of those things: Prepare students to think critically across subject areas? Provide students with factual information in each subject area? Prepare students to be good citizens? Prepare students to work successfully in groups? Help students develop good work habits? (Asked in: 2016.)
[Code: 1009-Pur1SS-25] Phone poll

A. Prepare students to think critically
	National totals
Year	Extremely well %	Very well %	Somewhat well %	Not too well %	Not at all well %	Don't Know %
2016	8	21	41	15	8	7

B. Provide students with factual information in each subject area
	National totals
Year	Extremely well %	Very well %	Somewhat well %	Not too well %	Not at all well %	Don't Know %
2016	11	28	38	10	7	7

C. Prepare students to be good citizens
	National totals
Year	Extremely well %	Very well %	Somewhat well %	Not too well %	Not at all well %	Don't Know %
2016	9	24	37	16	9	6

D. Prepare students to work successfully in groups
	National totals
Year	Extremely well %	Very well %	Somewhat well %	Not too well %	Not at all well %	Don't Know %
2016	9	26	41	11	6	7

E. Help students develop good work habits
	National totals
Year	Extremely well %	Very well %	Somewhat well %	Not too well %	Not at all well %	Don't Know %
2016	9	22	38	16	9	6

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