Skip Navigation

Search
Digest of Education Statistics
  • 1997 Tables and Figures
  • All Years of Tables and Figures
  • Most Recent Issue of the Digest

  • Table 23.Items most frequently cited by the general public as a majorproblem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 1996

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    
                                      |                                                  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.)


  • 1997 Tables and Figures
  • All Years of Tables and Figures
  • Most Recent Issue of the Digest