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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 23. Items most frequently cited by the general public as a major problem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 2002

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
             Problems             |                                                Percent
                                  |_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                  |1970 |1975 |1980 |1985 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 |1997 |1998 |1999 |2000 |2001 |2002
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
                1                 | 2   | 3   | 4   | 5   | 6   | 7   | 8   | 9   | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | 19  | 20
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
Lack of discipline ...............| 18  | 23  | 26  | 25  | 19  | 19  | 19  | 20  | 17  | 15  | 18  | 15  | 15  | 15  | 14  | 18  | 15  | 15  | 17
Lack of financial support ........| 17  | 14  | 10  | 9   | 12  | 13  | 13  | 18  | 22  | 21  | 13  | 11  | 13  | 15  | 12  | 9   | 18  | 15  | 23
Fighting/violence/gangs ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 9   | 13  | 18  | 9   | 14  | 12  | 15  | 11  | 11  | 10  |  9
Use of drugs .....................| 11  | 9   | 14  | 18  | 32  | 34  | 38  | 22  | 22  | 16  | 11  | 7   | 16  | 14  | 10  | 8   |  9  |  9  | 13
Standards/quality of education ...| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8   | 4   | --- | 8   | 6   | 2   |  5  | --- | ---
                                  |     | --- |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Large schools/overcrowding .......| --- | 10  | 7   | 5   | 6   | 8   | 7   | 9   | 9   | 8   | 7   | 3   | 8   | 8   | 8   | 8   | 12  | 10  | 17
Lack of respect ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 3   | 3   | 2   | --- | 2   | 2   |  2  | --- | ---
Lack of family structure/         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  problems of home life ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 5   | 3   | 4   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Crime/vandalism ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 4   | 2   | 3   | --- | 2   | 5   |  5  | --- | ---
Getting good teachers ............| 12  | 11  | 6   | 10  | 11  | 7   | 7   | 11  | 5   | 5   | 3   | 2   | 3   | 3   | 5   | 4   |  4  |  6  |  8
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Parents' lack of interest ........| 3   | 2   | 6   | 3   | 7   | 6   | 4   | 7   | 5   | 4   | 3   | 2   | --- | --- | 2   | 4   |  4  | --- | ---
Poor curriculum/standards ........| 6   | 5   | 11  | 11  | 11  | 8   | 8   | 10  | 9   | 9   | 3   | 2   | 3   | --- | 1   | 2   |  2  | --- | ---
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy .| --- | 3   | 5   | 5   | 5   | 3   | 6   | 5   | 3   | 4   | 3   | 2   | 5   | 6   | 5   | 2   | --- | --- | ---
Integration/segregation/          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  racial discrimination...........| 17  | 15  | 10  | 4   | 4   | 4   | 5   | 5   | 4   | 4   | 3   | 2   | 2   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Management of funds/programs......| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Moral standards ..................| --- | --- | --- | 2   | 6   | 3   | 3   | 3   | 4   | 3   | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2   | 2   | --- | --- | ---
Low teacher pay ..................| --- | --- | --- | 2   | 4   | 4   | 6   | 4   | 3   | 3   | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2   | 2   |  4  | --- | ---
Teachers' lack of interest .......| --- | --- | 6   | 4   | 3   | 4   | 4   | 2   | 2   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Drinking/alcoholism ..............| --- | --- | 2   | 3   | 5   | 4   | 4   | 2   | 2   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Lack of proper facilities ........| 11  | 3   | 2   | 1   | 1   | 1   | 2   | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
__________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____

---Not available.

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


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