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Digest of Education Statistics
2004 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 24. Public opinion on selected education topics: Selected years, 1997 to 2004

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |                                  Percent distribution
                                  |__________________________________________________________________________
Question                          |       National totals  |    No children in schoo|   Public school parents
                                  |________________________|___________________ ____|________________________
                                  |1997|2000|2001|2002|2004|1997|2000|2001|2002|2004|1997|2000|2001|2002|2004
__________________________________|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
1                                 |   2|   3|   4|   5|   6|   7|   8|   9|  10|  11|  12|  13|  14|  15|  16
__________________________________|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
                                  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
In your opinion, is there too     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   much emphasis on achievement   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   testing in the public schools  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   in this community, not enough  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   emphasis on testing, or about  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   the right amount?              |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
  Percent responding .............| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100
  Too much emphasis ..............|  20|  30|  31|  31|  32|  20|  28|  29|  30|  30|  19|  34|  36|  32|  36
  Not enough emphasis ............|  28|  23|  22|  19|  22|  28|  26|  22|  20|  23|  26|  19|  20|  14|  20
  Just the right amount of        |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
     emphasis ....................|  48|  43|  44|  47|  40|  46|  41|  45|  46|  46|  54|  46|  43|  54|  43
  Don't know .....................|   4|   4|   3|   3|   6|   6|   5|   4|   4|   4|   1|   1|   1|  # |   1
                                  |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
A proposal has been made that     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   would allow parents to send    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   their school-age children to   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   any public, private, or church-|    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   related school they choose.    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   For those parents choosing non-|    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   public schools, the government |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   would pay all or part of the   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   tuition.  Would you favor or   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   oppose this proposal in your   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   state?                         |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
  Percent responding .............| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100|--- |--- |--- | 100|--- | 100| 100| 100| 100|---
  Favor ..........................|  49|  45|  44|  46|  42|--- |--- |--- |  51|--- |  55|  47|  52|  51|---
  Oppose .........................|  48|  52|  54|  52|  54|--- |--- |--- |  47|--- |  43|  51|  47|  46|---
  Don't know .....................|   3|   3|   2|   2|   4|--- |--- |--- |   2|--- |   2|   2|   1|   3|---
__________________________________|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____

---Not available.
#Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappan, "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," 2004. (This table was prepared March 2005.)