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Digest of Education Statistics
1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 22.Items most frequently cited by the general public as a major problem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 1995

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                                  |                                                        Percent
             Problems             |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  |1970 |1975 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995
----------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
                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 |  23 |  27 |  25 |  27 |  25 |  24 |  22 |  19 |  19 |  19 |  20 |  17 |  15 |  18 |  15
Lack of financial support ........|  17 |  14 |  10 |  12 |  22 |  13 |  14 |   9 |  11 |  14 |  12 |  13 |  13 |  18 |  22 |  21 |  13 |  11
Fighting/violence/gangs ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   9 |  13 |  18 |   9
Use of drugs .....................|  11 |   9 |  14 |  15 |  20 |  18 |  18 |  18 |  28 |  30 |  32 |  34 |  38 |  22 |  22 |  16 |  11 |   7
Standards/quality of education ...| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   8 |   4
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Large schools/overcrowding .......| --- |  10 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   8 |   6 |   8 |   7 |   9 |   9 |   8 |   7 |   3
Lack of respect ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   3 |   3
Lack of family structure/         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  problems of home life ..........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   5 |   3
Crime/vandalism ..................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   4 |   2
Getting good teachers ............|  12 |  11 |   6 |  11 |  10 |   8 |  14 |  10 |   6 |   9 |  11 |   7 |   7 |  11 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   2
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Parents' lack of interest ........|   3 |   2 |   6 |   5 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   6 |   7 |   6 |   4 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   2
Poor curriculum/standards ........|   6 |   5 |  11 |  14 |  11 |  14 |  15 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  10 |   9 |   9 |   3 |   2
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy .| --- |   3 |   5 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   2
Integration/segregation/          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  racial discrimination...........|  17 |  15 |  10 |  11 |   6 |   5 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   3 |   2
Management of funds/programs......| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |(\1\)|   2
                                  |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Moral standards ..................| --- | --- | --- |   1 |   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 |   4 |   7 |   8 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | ---
Drinking/alcoholism ..............| --- | --- |   2 |   2 |   3 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | ---
Lack of proper facilities ........|  11 |   3 |   2 |   2 |   2 |   1 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
----------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----

---Data not available.

\1\ Less than .05 percent.

SOURCE: "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, various years. (This table was prepared April 1996.)


1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest