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Digest of Education Statistics
1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 23. -  Items most frequently cited by the general public as a major problem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 1998
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |                                      Percent
             Problems             |___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |1970 |1975 |1980 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 |1997 |1998
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
                1                 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  |  18 |  19
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
Lack of discipline ...............|  18 |  23 |  26 |  27 |  25 |  24 |  22 |  19 |  19 |  19 |  20 |  17 |  15 |  18 |  15 |  15 |  15 |  14
Lack of financial support ........|  17 |  14 |  10 |  14 |   9 |  11 |  14 |  12 |  13 |  13 |  18 |  22 |  21 |  13 |  11 |  13 |  15 |  12
Fighting/violence/gangs ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   9 |  13 |  18 |   9 |  14 |  12 |  15
Use of drugs .....................|  11 |   9 |  14 |  18 |  18 |  28 |  30 |  32 |  34 |  38 |  22 |  22 |  16 |  11 |   7 |  16 |  14 |  10
Standards/quality of education ...| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   8 |   4 | --- |   8 |   6
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Large schools/overcrowding .......| --- |  10 |   7 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   8 |   6 |   8 |   7 |   9 |   9 |   8 |   7 |   3 |   8 |   8 |   8
Lack of respect ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   3 |   3 |   2 | --- | ---
Lack of family structure/         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  problems of home life ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   5 |   3 |   4 | --- | ---
Crime/vandalism ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   4 |   2 |   3 | --- | ---
Getting good teachers ............|  12 |  11 |   6 |  14 |  10 |   6 |   9 |  11 |   7 |   7 |  11 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   2 |   3 |   3 |   5
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Parents' lack of interest ........|   3 |   2 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   6 |   7 |   6 |   4 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   2 | --- | --- | ---
Poor curriculum/standards ........|   6 |   5 |  11 |  15 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  10 |   9 |   9 |   3 |   2 |   3 | --- | ---
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy .| --- |   3 |   5 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   5 |   6 |   5
Integration/segregation/          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  racial discrimination...........|  17 |  15 |  10 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   2 | --- | ---
Management of funds/programs......| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |(\1\)|   2 | --- | --- | ---
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Moral standards ..................| --- | --- | --- |   1 |   2 |   5 |   7 |   6 |   3 |   3 |   3 |   4 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Low teacher pay ..................| --- | --- | --- |   4 |   2 |   3 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Teachers' lack of interest .......| --- | --- |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Drinking/alcoholism ..............| --- | --- |   2 |   4 |   3 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Lack of proper facilities ........|  11 |   3 |   2 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____

\1\ Less than .05 percent.
---Data not available.

SOURCE: "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, various years. (This table was prepared September 1998.)


1998 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest