Items most frequently cited by the general public as a majorproblem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 1996

Table 23.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    
                                  |                                                  Percent
             Problems             |___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |1970 |1975 |1980 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
                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 |  27 |  25 |  24 |  22 |  19 |  19 |  19 |  20 |  17 |  15 |  18 |  15 |  15
Lack of financial support ........|  17 |  14 |  10 |  22 |  13 |  14 |   9 |  11 |  14 |  12 |  13 |  13 |  18 |  22 |  21 |  13 |  11 |  13
Fighting/violence/gangs ..........|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|   9 |  13 |  18 |   9 |  14
Use of drugs .....................|  11 |   9 |  14 |  20 |  18 |  18 |  18 |  28 |  30 |  32 |  34 |  38 |  22 |  22 |  16 |  11 |   7 |  16
Standards/quality of education ...|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|   8 |   4 |  ---
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Large schools/overcrowding .......|  ---|  10 |   7 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   8 |   6 |   8 |   7 |   9 |   9 |   8 |   7 |   3 |   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 |  10 |   8 |  14 |  10 |   6 |   9 |  11 |   7 |   7 |  11 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   2 |   3
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Parents' lack of interest ........|   3 |   2 |   6 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   6 |   7 |   6 |   4 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   2 |  ---
Poor curriculum/standards ........|   6 |   5 |  11 |  11 |  14 |  15 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  10 |   9 |   9 |   3 |   2 |   3
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy .|  ---|   3 |   5 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   5
Integration/segregation/          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  racial discrimination...........|  17 |  15 |  10 |   6 |   5 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   2
Management of funds/programs......|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---|(\1\)|   2 |  ---
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Moral standards ..................|  ---|  ---|  ---|   2 |   4 |   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 |   7 |   8 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 |  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---
Drinking/alcoholism ..............|  ---|  ---|   2 |   3 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 |  ---|  ---|  ---|  ---
Lack of proper facilities ........|  11 |   3 |   2 |   2 |   1 |   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 March 1997.)

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