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Digest of Education Statistics
2002 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 24. Public opinion on selected education topics: 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2002

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |                       Percent distribution
                                  |_____________________________________________________________________
             Question             |    National totals   |No children in school  |Public school parents
                                  |______________________|_______________________|______________________
                                  |1997 |2000|2001 |2002 | 1997 |2000|2001 |2002 |1997 |2000|2001 |2002
__________________________________|_____|____|_____|_____|______|____|_____|_____|_____|____|_____|_____
                1                 | 2   | 3  | 4   | 5   |  6   | 7  |  8  |  9  | 10  |11  | 12  | 13
__________________________________|_____|____|_____|_____|______|____|_____|_____|_____|____|_____|_____
                                  |     |    |     |     |      |    |     |     |     |    |     |
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
  Too much emphasis...............|   20|  30|   31|   31|    20|  28|   29|   30|   19|  34|   36|   32
  Not enough emphasis.............|   28|  23|   22|   19|    28|  26|   22|   20|   26|  19|   20|   14
  Just the right amount of        |     |    |     |     |      |    |     |     |     |    |     |
      emphasis ...................|   48|  43|   44|   47|    46|  41|   45|   46|   54|  46|   43|   54
  Don't know......................|    4|   4|    3|    3|     6|   5|    4|    4|    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|  100|  100
  Favor...........................|   49|  45|   44|   52|  --- |--- | --- |   51|   55|  47|   52|   51
  Oppose..........................|   48|  52|   54|   46|  --- |--- | --- |   47|   43|  51|   47|   46
  Don't know......................|    3|   3|    2|    2|  --- |--- | --- |    2|    2|   2|    1|    3
__________________________________|_____|____|_____|_____|______|____|_____|_____|_____|____|_____|_____

---Not available.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.

SOURCE: Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappan, "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," 2002. (This table was prepared August 2002.)


2002 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest