The American public school system has often been a target of criticism. A few examples: In a May 23, 2000, PBS Frontline interview, then-Gov. George W. Bush said, "People turn a blind eye to the fact that schools are not teaching children." Camille Paglia, cultural critic and professor of humanities, said in a Salon.com article, "The public schools have been turned into experimental laboratories for utopian social engineering." In an article he wrote for Townhall.com, talk show host Bill O'Reilly said, "The hard truth is that the public school system in the United States is failing the children that need it the most."
Gallup data show that the majority of American parents of school-aged children send their children to public schools and also tend to rate their local schools positively. But the criticism may help explain why Americans give significantly lower ratings to kindergarten through 12th grade education in this country. One primary finding of the just-released 2003 Phi Delta Kappa survey on public schools (to be discussed in forthcoming Tuesday Briefing articles), as well as historical Gallup Polls, show the public is generally quite supportive of measures designed to improve the system of public education in the United States.
Sacred, Secular, or Stay at Home?
Gallup's annual poll on education* asks parents of school-aged children what type of school their child will attend. The majority says their children will attend public school (85%). About 1 in 10 will attend a private (6%) or a parochial (5%) school, and 3% will be home-schooled.
These results have been generally stable since the question was first asked in 1999, although the data suggest an increasing number of home-schooled children.
As many parents can attest, the decision about what type of school to send their children to can be a difficult one. John and Tracy Krikorkian of Sonoma, Calif., started their oldest daughter, Ella, at a well-respected parochial school. But when school starts this year, Ella and her 5-year-old sister Sonia will be attending a local public school.
"This public school is an art magnet school, so they offer something parochial school can't," Tracy said. "[The parochial school] doesn't have the funding."
Not only did the Krikorkians pay tuition for Ella's parochial school, they volunteered a great deal of time and spent a great deal of money, as well. "Parents are what make a private school good. The very expensive ones do it all for you, but the less expensive ones don't. Parents have to put in a lot of time and effort -- and of course, some parents wind up carrying the school. If I put the same amount of effort into the public school, we could make it better than the private school was," Tracy said.
Bottom Line
Whether out of choice or because of financial constraints, the majority of parents entrust their children's education to public schools. The Krikorkian's experience shows -- as some education experts advocate -- that parental involvement can play an important part in a child's education, and also make a positive difference in the school. "All public schools' problems can be fixed by caring parents," Tracy said. "I found that out in Ella's private school."
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 284 parents with children in grades K-12, conducted Aug. 4-6, 2003. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±6 percentage points.