Skip Navigation
small header image
Digest of Education Statistics
1999 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 major problem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 1999

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |                                      Percent
             Problems             |___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |1970 |1975 |1980 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 |1997 |1998 |1999
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
                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 |  25 |  24 |  22 |  19 |  19 |  19 |  20 |  17 |  15 |  18 |  15 |  15 |  15 |  14 |  18
Lack of financial support ........|  17 |  14 |  10 |   9 |  11 |  14 |  12 |  13 |  13 |  18 |  22 |  21 |  13 |  11 |  13 |  15 |  12 |   9
Fighting/violence/gangs ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   9 |  13 |  18 |   9 |  14 |  12 |  15 |  11
Use of drugs .....................|  11 |   9 |  14 |  18 |  28 |  30 |  32 |  34 |  38 |  22 |  22 |  16 |  11 |   7 |  16 |  14 |  10 |   8
Standards/quality of education ...| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   8 |   4 | --- |   8 |   6 |   2
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
Large schools/overcrowding .......| --- |  10 |   7 |   5 |   5 |   8 |   6 |   8 |   7 |   9 |   9 |   8 |   7 |   3 |   8 |   8 |   8 |   8
Lack of respect ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   3 |   3 |   2 | --- |   2 |   2
Lack of family structure/         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  problems of home life ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   5 |   3 |   4 | --- | --- | --- 
Crime/vandalism ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   4 |   2 |   3 | --- |   2 |   5
Getting good teachers ............|  12 |  11 |   6 |  10 |   6 |   9 |  11 |   7 |   7 |  11 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   2 |   3 |   3 |   5 |   4
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
Parents' lack of interest ........|   3 |   2 |   6 |   3 |   4 |   6 |   7 |   6 |   4 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   2 | --- | --- |   2 |   4
Poor curriculum/standards ........|   6 |   5 |  11 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  10 |   9 |   9 |   3 |   2 |   3 | --- |   1 |   2
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy .| --- |   3 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   2
Integration/segregation/          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
  racial discrimination...........|  17 |  15 |  10 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | ---
Management of funds/programs......| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |(\1\)|   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- 
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     
Moral standards ..................| --- | --- | --- |   2 |   5 |   7 |   6 |   3 |   3 |   3 |   4 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- |   2 |   2
Low teacher pay ..................| --- | --- | --- |   2 |   3 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- |   2 |   2
Teachers' lack of interest .......| --- | --- |   6 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Drinking/alcoholism ..............| --- | --- |   2 |   3 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Lack of proper facilities ........|  11 |   3 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____

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

SOURCE: Phi Delta Kappa, "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," various years. (This table was prepared September 1999.)


1999 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Issue of the Digest
1990 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006, USA
Phone: (202) 502-7300 (map)