STANDARDS
Section 1
Do Standards Help or Hurt Quality?
Question 1: Some school districts have been told that they must require high academic achievement of their students. Do you think this requirement would help or hurt the quality of the public schools in this community? (Asked in: 1987.)
[Code: 650-StaHX-1]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Help Quality % |
Hurt Quality % |
Don't Know % |
| 1987 | 76 |
11 |
13 |
Higher Standards for Schools
Question 2: Would you favor or oppose requiring the students in the public schools in your community to meet higher standards than are now required in math, English, history, and science in order to graduate from high school? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 651-StaHX-2]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
| 1995 | 84 |
13 |
3 |
Higher Standards for Students
Question 3: Would you favor or oppose setting higher standards than are now required about what students should know and be able to do in the basic subjects -- that is math, history, English, and science -- for promotion from grade to grade? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 652-StaHX-3]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
| 1995 | 87 |
10 |
3 |
Possible Effects of Higher Standards
Question 4: Some people say that raising achievement standards will encourage students from low-income backgrounds to do better in school. Others say that raising standards will put these students at such a disadvantage that they will become discouraged about school or will even drop out. Do you think that raising achievement standards will encourage students from poor backgrounds to do better in school, or will it cause them to become discouraged or to drop out? (Asked in: 1987, 1995.)
[Code: 653-StaPX-4]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Yes, Encourage % |
No, Discourage % |
Don't Know % |
| 1995 | 60 |
29 |
11 |
| 1987 | 52 |
30 |
18 |
Question 5: Thinking about kindergarten through grade 3, would you favor or oppose setting standards for what students in these grades should know and be able to do in various subjects? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 654-StaPX-5]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
| 1995 | 78 |
20 |
2 |
Possible Effects of Higher Standards: Raising Standards
Question 6: Do you favor or oppose requiring students in the public schools in this community to pass standardized, national examinations for promotion from grade to grade? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 656-StaPR-6]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Favor % |
Oppose |
Don't Know % |
| 1995 | 65 |
32 |
3 |
Public Expectations
Question 7: Just your best guess, what percentage of students in a public school in your community would you expect to pass an English and math test, assuming it was based on high standards? (Asked in: 2003.)
[Code: 658-StaPX-7]
National Totals |
||||||
| Year | Above 80% % |
Above 70% % |
Above 60% % |
Above 50% % |
Below 50% % |
Don't Know % |
| 2003 | 20 |
26 |
21 |
17 |
15 |
1 |
Question 8: Forgetting the NCLB requirements for a moment, in your opinion, what percentage of the students in your state would you say are not performing at an acceptable level? (Asked in: 2003.)
[Code: 657-StaPX-8]
National Totals |
||||||
| Year | 50% to 60% % |
40% to 50% % |
30% to 40% |
20% to 30% % |
Below 20% % |
Don't Know % |
| 2003 | 31 |
19 |
21 |
12 |
10 |
7 |
Reasons for Student Problems
Question 9: I am going to read a list of reasons that have been suggested as to why students fail to learn. As I read each reason, would you tell me how much you think it contributes to learning failures in the public schools in your community -- a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or not at all? (Asked in: 2003.)
[Code: 659-StaRX-9]
Year: 2003 |
||||||
Great Deal Plus Fair Amount % |
Great Deal |
Fair Amount % |
Not Very Much % |
Not at All % |
Don't Know % |
|
| Lack of home or parental support | 93 |
74 |
19 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
| Lack of interest by the students themselves | 90 |
60 |
30 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
| Lack of discipline in the schools | 84 |
60 |
24 |
10 |
5 |
1 |
| Lack of good teaching | 81 |
47 |
34 |
13 |
6 |
* |
| Lack of funding | 78 |
45 |
33 |
14 |
7 |
1 |
| Lack of community emphasis on education | 78 |
43 |
35 |
15 |
6 |
1 |
| *Less than one-half of 1%. | ||||||
Schools That Don't Make Progress
Question 10: If a public school in your community does not show progress toward meeting state-approved standards for student learning, would you favor or oppose each of the following measures? (Asked in: 2001, 2002.)
[Code: 660-StaSX-10]
2002 Totals |
|||
Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
|
| Offering after-school tutoring by state-approved private providers | 90 |
9 |
1 |
| Offering students the opportunity to transfer to another school in the district | 86 |
14 |
-- |
| Obtaining additional money from the local district to address the school's problems | 77 |
22 |
1 |
| Not renewing the contract of the principal | 56 |
40 |
4 |
| Not renewing the contracts of teachers | 56 |
40 |
4 |
| Closing the school | 21 |
77 |
2 |
*46% of 18- to 29-year-olds would fire the principal; 56% of those 50 and older. |
|||
2001 Totals |
|||
Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
|
| Withhold state or federal education funds from the school | 32 |
66 |
2 |
| Awarding more state and federal education funds to the school | 65 |
31 |
4 |
| Not renewing the contract of the principal | 54 |
41 |
5 |
| Not renewing the contracts of the teachers | 49 |
46 |
5 |
| Providing vouchers for parents to use at a public, private, or church-related school of their choice | 51 |
47 |
2 |
Social Promotion
Question 11: Social promotion means moving children from grade to grade in order to keep them with others in their own age group. Would you favor stricter standards for social promotion in school even if it meant that significantly more students would be held back? (Asked in: 1999.)
[Code: 663-StaSX-11]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Favor % |
Oppose % |
Don't Know % |
| 1999 | 72 |
26 |
2 |
Question 12: Some students are not able to keep up with their classmates and therefore fail their work. Which of these two ways of dealing with this problem do you prefer? (Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 664-StaSX-12]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Automatic Promotion % |
Repeat Failed Courses % |
No Opinion % |
| 1974 | 7 |
90 |
3 |
Question 13: In your opinion, should children be promoted from grade to grade only if they can pass examinations? (Asked in: 1978, 1983, 1990.)
[Code: 661-StaSX-13]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Yes % |
No % |
Don't Know % |
| 1990 | 67 |
29 |
4 |
| 1983 | 75 |
20 |
5 |
| 1978 | 68 |
27 |
5 |
Question 14: Should students who fail be required to take special remedial classes in the subjects they fail or should they be required to repeat the whole year's work? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 662-StaSX-14]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Yes, Special Remedial Classes % |
No, Repeat Whole Year's Work % |
Don't Know/No Answer % |
| 1978 | 81 |
14 |
5 |
Are Standards Too High or Too Low?
Question 15: In your opinion, are student achievement standards in the public schools in your community too high, about right, or too low? (Asked in: 1999, 2015, 2016.)
[Code: 665-StaTX-15]
National Totals |
||||
| Year | Too High % |
About Right % |
Too Low % |
Don't Know % |
| 2016 | 7 |
46 |
43 |
5 |
| 2015 | 6 |
37 |
39 |
18 |
| 1999 | 6 |
57 |
33 |
4 |
National or Local standards?
Question 16: To measure student achievement, each state establishes its own standards and then tests students to see if these standards are met. Some people prefer national standards that would be used in every state. Which would you prefer in the local public schools -- standards established by your own state or national standards? (Asked in: 2007, 2008.)
[Code: 848-StaNX-16]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | Standards Established by State % |
National Standards % |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 46 |
50 |
4 |
| 2007 | 48 |
51 |
1 |
Common Expectations
Question 17: To measure student achievement, each state establishes its own common expectations and then tests students to see if these expectations are met. Some people prefer that common expectations be established that would be used in every state. Which would you prefer in the local public schools, expectations established by your own state or one set of expectations for all states? (Asked in: 2008.)
[Code: 862-StaNX-17]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | State Common Expectations % |
One Set of Expectations for All % |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 36 |
62 |
2 |
Question 18: Let's assume that if national public school education standards are created, in your opinion, should these standards be created by the U.S. Department of Education, a federally appointed panel, or by state-level leaders working together? (Asked in: 2008.)
[Code: 863-StaNX-19]
National Totals |
||||
| Year | U.S. Dept. of Education % |
Federally Appointed Panel % |
State-Level Leaders Working Together |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 22 |
10 |
62 |
6 |
Public School Parents |
||||
| Year | U.S. Dept. of Education % |
Federally Appointed Panel % |
State-Level Leaders Working Together |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 28 |
10 |
55 |
7 |
Question 19: Again let's assume that national public school education standards are created. In your opinion, should every state be required to comply with these standards, or should the states be allowed to comply with them on a voluntary basis? (Asked in: 2008.)
[Code: 864-StaNX-19]
National Totals |
|||
| Year | All States Comply % |
State Compliance Voluntary % |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 59 |
35 |
6 |
Public School Parents |
|||
| Year | All States Comply % |
State Compliance Voluntary % |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 63 |
33 |
4 |
Question 20: In general, how satisfied are you with your own state's public school education standards, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied? (Asked in: 2008.)
[Code: 865-StaNX-21]
National Totals |
|||||
| Year | Very Satisfied % |
Somewhat Satisfied % |
Not Very Satisfied % |
Not At All Satisfied % |
Don't Know % |
| 2008 | 14 |
49 |
23 |
10 |
4 |
Question 21: How well do you think these educational standards address the things students need to succeed in their adult lives? (Asked in: 2016.)
[Code: 1010-Sta1TX-21] Phone poll
National totals |
||||||
Year |
Extremely well % |
Very well % |
Somewhat well % |
Not too well % |
Not at all well % |
Don't Know % |
| 2016 | 9 |
18 |
40 |
19 |
11 |
3 |
Question 22: Specifically, do you think these new standards have increased, decreased, or had no effect on: A. How much your oldest/this child is learning in school? B. The amount of time your oldest/this child spends taking standardized tests? C. The amount of homework your oldest/this child has? D. How much your oldest/this child is challenged academically? (Asked of public school parents who responded yes to the question "In recent years, many states have adopted a new set of educational standards for what students should learn. As far as you're aware, has the use of these new standards changed what's being taught in your oldest child's school or not?") (Asked in: 2016.)
[Code: 1022-Sta1X-22] Phone poll
| A. How much your oldest/this child is learning in school | ||||||
National totals |
||||||
Year |
Increased % |
Decreased % |
Made no change % |
Don't Know % | ||
| 2016 | 43 |
31 |
25 |
1 | ||
| B. The amount of time your oldest/this child spends taking standardized tests | ||||||
National totals |
||||||
Year |
Increased % |
Decreased % |
Made no change % |
Don't Know % | ||
| 2016 | 50 |
8 |
36 |
6 | ||
| C. The amount of homework your oldest/this child has | ||||||
National totals |
||||||
Year |
Increased % |
Decreased % |
Made no change % |
Don't Know % | ||
| 2016 | 44 |
15 |
37 |
4 | ||
| D. How much your oldest/this child is challenged academically | ||||||
National totals |
||||||
Year |
Increased % |
Decreased % |
Made no change % |
Don't Know % | ||
| 2016 | 51 |
21 |
27 |
2 | ||
Last modified
June 14, 2017
k_q_standards_1.htm