public opinion and public education: communicating for advocacy presented to the utah school boards...
TRANSCRIPT
Public Opinion and Public Education: Communicating for
Advocacy
Presented to the Utah School Boards Association ConventionJanuary 13, 2007
Terri Duggan SchwartzbeckAmerican Association of School Administrators
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About AASA
• Professional organization for 13,000 school system leaders and superintendents– Also professors of educational administration and
aspiring school system leaders
• Mission: to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children
• Stand Up for Public Education™ initiative to support public education as the heart of our democracy
About the Stand Up for Public Education™ Campaign
• Launched in 2003 in response to NCLB and continued challenges for public education
• Three emphases:– Giving school leaders the tools
to Stand Up for Public Education– Responding to misinformation
about public education– Reshaping the dialogue about
public education around how to have schools that are effective for each child
• Polling, toolkits, web page, merchandise, and newsletters
Polling Findings – and our Agenda
• Political context• Where does the public get information
about public education? Who do they believe?
• How the public feels about accountability in an NCLB world
• How the public feels about current high school reform efforts
• Vision and values in public education
Political Context
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Right Direction/Wrong Track
• Most Americans continue to feel that the country is off on the wrong track.
46
3743
3540
44 43 4035 32 33 30 28
5057
51
6056
52 52 5559
65 64 67 66
J un-03
Sep-03
Dec-03
Mar-04
J un-04
Sep-04
Dec-04
Mar-05
J un-05
Sep-05
Dec-05
Mar-06
J un-06
Right Direction Wrong Track
Q. Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track? AP/Ipsos Poll
Presidential Approval
• The President’s job approval rating has declined steadily over the last year with many polling organizations reporting all-time lows.
48 48 4843
39 4237 36
49 50 5055
59 57 60 63
51525355
58
4746444339
J un-03
Sep-03
Dec-03
Mar-04
J un-04
Sep-04
Dec-04
Mar-05
J un-05
Sep-05
Dec-05
Mar-06
J un-06
Approve Disapprove
Q. Overall, do you approve, disapprove, or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as President? AP/Ipsos Poll
National Issue Agenda• Education rates very low when people are asked to name the
most important problem facing the US today.• This speaks to the need to address education at the local level.
4719
1378
298
66
211
6
146
44
Foreign affairs (NET)War
ImmigrationTerrorism
Other foreign affairs
Domestic I ssues (NET)Political leaders
Energy crisisMorality
Crime/ DrugsEducation
EnvironmentOther domestic issues
Economy (NET)Economy (unspecified)
UnemploymentOther economy issues
Q. In your opinion, what is the most important problem facing the US today? AP/Ipsos Poll
Education in the U.S. – Right Direction or Wrong Direction?
353738
4143404243
61
515553
48535351
7/ 06 9/ 05 7/ 05 1/ 05 8/ 04 3/ 04 2/ 04 10/ 03
Right Direction Wrong Direction
Are public schools in THE U.S. headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? (Ipsos July 2006)
Where does the public (and parents) get their information
about public schools?
Who do they believe?
Whose voice?
Newspapers and Television Are The Predominant Passive Sources of Information About Public
Schools
Was the Source of the MOST RECENT item about public schools you saw, read, or heard…
6%3%
49%
35%
7%5%
1%
46%
7%
38%
Print Television Radio Internet Other
August '03
October '03
Ipsos/AASA Poll
Credibility as a News Source on Public Schools Starts In The Classroom And Ends
In Washington
59%
61%
67%
72%
80%
86%
69%
74%
79%
84%
88%
89%
School administrators
School leaders
Principals
Your child´s principal*
Teachers
Your child´s teacher(s)*
October '03 August '03
On a scale from 0 to 10, please tell me how credible you think that source is when it comes to news about public school education. Note: Chart shows total %
credible (6-10) Ipsos/AASA poll
Credibility of Public School Education
News Sources continued
39%
48%
40%
49%
56%
55%
56%
58%
44%
50%
57%
63%
66%
Federal officials
National Media **
State officials
AASA
NEA
Superintendents
School Board Members **
Local Media **
October '03 August '03
On a scale from 0 to 10, please tell me how credible you think that source is when it comes to news about public school education. Note: Chart shows total %
credible (6-10)
Ipsos/AASA poll
The Trust Index
55
59
62
71
43
43
43
44
44
44
46
15
25
26
29
36
Think tank leaders
National TV news
US Dept of Educ Officials
National newspapers
School board members
Local school system leaders
Local TV news
Local newspapers
Students
School district website
Gates Foundation
Radio
Principals
Other parents
Parents
Teachers
High Trust Medium Trust Low Trust
5. Now I would like to read you some possible sources of information about your local public high schools. For each one I read, please tell me if you
completely trust, somewhat trust, trust only a little, or do not at all trust the source of information about
local high schools.
Ipsos/AASA poll July 2006
When a high level official from the U.S. Department of Education says there is sufficient funding to meet new federal standards for student achievement and a local school leader says the federal initiatives are under-funded, who is more believable?
Local school leader 80%
High-level government
official 14%
Neither 4%
Not sure 2%
Ipsos/AASA Poll February 2004
Local School Leaders are Believable on Funding Issues
Suppose you read or heard a news report in which a high-level official from the U.S. Department of Education says that students are not making sufficient progress because teachers and administrators are not trying hard enough. Is that something you would definitely believe, probably believe, definitely not believe or probably not believe?
Not sure
Believe
Not believe
Probably Definitely Other
37%
24%
26% 11%
2%
Total believe 37%
Total not believe 61%
Ispos/AASA poll February 2004
Public Doesn’t Believe That Schools “Aren’t Trying Hard
Enough”
Senior researcher froma think tank
7%
College orUniversityProfessor
8%
Local schoolleader
24%
Local Teacher
53%
Who do you think would have the best ideas about how to improve schools?
Other 8%
Included in “Other”
Political Candidate 3%Federal Official 2%
None of the above 2%Not Sure 1%
Ipsos/AASA poll March 2004
Teachers and Leaders Have the Best Ideas on How to Improve Schools
Effective Advocacy:Reaching Your Audience
• Work hard to develop a good trust relationship with local media, especially local newspapers and the local television news stations your community watches
• Most (about 70 – 75%) of the public reads, sees or hears news about public schools
• The main passive sources of education information are– Local newspapers– Local television news
Effective Advocacy:Choosing the Right
Messenger• Superintendents are a credible source of
information about schools• Teachers and principals are even more credible• Federal officials are the least credible source of
information about education• Think tanks are less credible than teachers or
school system leaders in – judging how effective schools are– Determining how to improve schools
• When you disagree with “officials” from Washington, the public believes you
The Public and Accountability in the
NCLB World
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6%
3%
21%
63%
5%
2%
20%
68%
Neither
Both equally
Federal labels
State labels
All Parents
2. As you may know, schools around the country are rated in two ways – a state accountability system required under state law and a federal accountability system required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Is your opinion about the quality of schools in your community influenced more by state labels or federal labels?
People Are Influenced More By State Labels
Ipsos/AASA poll August 2004
Impressions of School Quality Would Decline Somewhat for Schools in the
Penalty Phase
24%
42%
31%
26%
45%
27%
Decline significantly Decline somewhat Not much effect
All Parents
If you heard that a school in your community received a passing mark under the state accountability system, but has failed to make adequate progress and is in the penalty phase under the federal requirements, would your impression of that school’s quality decline significantly, decline somewhat, or would it not have much of an effect at all?
N=1,000
Ipsos/AASA August 2004 poll
A Majority Disagree with “One Size Fits All” Penalties
for Schools
8%11%
25%
53%
10%
15%
23%
51%
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
All Parents
Under the federal No Child Left Behind accountability system, there are at least 36 achievement targets that each school must meet. Currently, a school that misses 1 or 2 of its targets receives the same penalty as a school that misses nearly all of its targets. Do agree or disagree with this way of penalizing schools?
N=1,000
Ipsos/AASA poll August 2004
79%
20%
1%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
A system that measures the progress
of each individual child
A system that measures the progress
of all children
Not sure
Measuring Student Progress Should Focus On EACH Child
There is a lot of discussion about the best way to measure student progress in our public schools. Which of the following ways of measuring student progress comes closest to your own opinion?
Ispos/AASA poll July 2005
40%
16%
13%
10%
6%
15%
Following the progress of each student
from year to year on state tests
Making adequately yearly progress as
defined under the federal No Child Left
Comparing average state scores for the
school as a whole from year to year
Student grades
Average state test scores for each school
as a whole
Not sure
Following Students Year to Year Is Best Measure Of Teaching
Effectiveness8. Thinking about the impact of teaching, which of the following do you think is the best way to accurately measure the job that teachers are doing in educating children…
Individuals who feel U.S. public schools are headed in the right direction are more likely to report AYP as an accurate measure of teaching effectiveness (23% vs. 12% among those who feel schools are headed in the wrong direction).
Ipsos/AASA poll July 2005
Impact of Standardized Testing
• Both parents and teachers are more likely to say that increased emphasis on standardized testing has taken individual attention away from students.
Q. Which comes closest to your view about testing at (your child’s school/your school)?
AP/AOL Poll – January 2006
64
33
77
22
Increased emphasis
on standardized
testing has reduced
the ability of
teachers to provide
individual attention
to students
Increased emphasis
on standardized
testing has
improved the
overall quality of
education in the
school
Parents Teachers
Meeting NCLB Requirements
• Teachers are much less confident than parents that their schools will meet state standards by the 2013-2014 school year.
37
41
16
5
Very confident Somewhat confident
Not too confident Not at all confident
Parents Teachers
Q. The No Child Left Behind law says that ALL students must meet their state’s standards in reading and math by 2013-2014. How confident are you that (your child’s school/your school) will meet those standards by the deadline?
AP/AOL Poll – January 2006
20
3128
21
Very confident Somewhat confident
Not too confident Not at all confident
very
somewhat
Not too
very
somewhatNot too
Not at all
20
33
43
Students Teachers Parents
The Achievement Gap• A strong majority of Americans believe that the achievement gap between
white students and Hispanic and black students is the result of “other factors.”
• Parents, teachers, and students all play a role in determining success.
Q. In your opinion, is the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students mostly related to the quality of schooling received or mostly related to other factors?
Q. In your opinion, who is most important in determining how well or how poorly students perform in school . . .?
PDK/Gallup – June 2005
17
75
Quality of schooling Other factors
The Public and Current High School Reform
EffortsA Mixed Bag
15% 17%
50%57%
16% 20%
8%10%
All All Public SchoolParents
Public SchoolParents
Need a complete overhaul
Need major changes
Need minor changes
Are doing well and don't need many changes
Do you think the public high schools in your community…
Few Want Major Overhaul of High Schools,
But Few Are Completely Satisfied
65%74%
24%30%
Ipsos/AASA January 2005 poll
The public wants “improvement” – not overhaul
49
19
18
9
5
I mprovement
Major Reform
CompleteOverhaul
No changesneeded
Not sure
4. Now I would like to read you some words to describe possible changes in your local high schools. Please tell me which one you think best describes the changes that you personally feel need to be made to your local high schools. Do you think your local high schools need… (Ipsos July 2006)
The Public Is Divided On Priorities For High Schools
42%
51%
2%
6%
Should focus on preparing students for college
Should focus on providing students with basic skills
Neither
Not sure/ refused
Some people say that high schools should put a higher priority on preparing students for college, while others would say that high schools should put a higher priority on providing students with basic skills, regardless of whether students continue to college or not. Which of these positions comes closest to your own opinion?
Priority – Preparing for college:•Non-white (58%)•Age 18-34 (55%)•Parents (50%)•Urban (49%)•Men (47%)•Schools headed in right direction (47%)
Priority – Basic Skills:•Women (57%)•Age 65+ (63%)•Rural (60%)•HS education or less (57%)•Non-parents (55%)
Ipsos/AASA January 2005 poll
Basic skills
Prepare for
college
But…Most Agree That High Schools Have A Responsibility to Prepare Students for
College
13%
19%
29%
38%
Strongly disagreeSomewhat disagreeSomewhat agreeStrongly agree
Now please tell me whether you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement – High schools have a responsibility to prepare every child for college.
Ipsos/AASA January 2005 poll
53%
46%
58%
74%
27%
34%
27%
20%
Requiring exit examinations that studentsmust pass before they are allowed to graduate
Annual standardized testing to measurestudent performance
Required subject area standards, such asrequiring students to take four years of
mathematics
Expanded job training for students who doNOT go to college
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
Some people are advocating reforming high schools. For each item I read, please tell me whether you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with each possible type of high school reform. How much do you agree or disagree with…
Job Training is the Most Supported Reform, But Strong Majorities Support Standards, Testing,
Exit Exams
Ipsos/AASA January 2005 poll
Career and Technical Skills Retain Favor
1
2
4
11
12
16
17
37
Not sure
None of these (VOL)
All of these (VOL)
Making schools more rigorous
Making high school less anonymous
Getting more kids to graduate
Preparing all students for college
Providing career and technical skills
6. If you could make one change to your local high schools, would it be…? (Ipsos July 2006)
Most Popular School Board Policy Issues
32
39
41
50
57
59
63
Covering costs of AP or IB exams and collegeprep classes for low-income students
College-readiness assessments
Work readiness assessments
Accountability by setting benchmarks andintervening in low-performing schools
Teacher/administrator incentives
Higher-level knowledge for college prep
Design recovery programs for low-performingstudents (math/literacy)
7. Now, suppose that you were voting in a local school board election where changes in the local high schools were an important issue. Which of the following candidates would be most likely to support? Would you be most likely to support a candidate who proposed…or….?
* % of times each option picked
Ipsos July 2006
Do parents think students are prepared to succeed?
yes, 69%
yes, 61% no 12%
no 7%
not sure, n/ a 27%
not sure, n/ a 24%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
…in college
…in the workworld
Public Agenda Reality Check 2006
And most think their child gets enough math and science now
Things are fine
as is
More math and science
Less math & science
2%
Don’t know 9%
57%32%
Public Agenda Reality Check 2006
But they agree with international competitiveness proposals
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Updating high school classes to better match skills employers want – 71%
Greatly increasing the number and quality of math and science courses students take in high schools – 67%
Making sure that our high schools expect as much from students as high schools in Europe and Asia – 56%
Public Agenda Reality Check 2006
Percent of parents who say the following will improve high school education in the United States:
Values and Vision in Public Education
Most Important Goal: Providing Children with Tools to Succeed
8%
1%
1%
3%
4%
5%
8%
16%
20%
34%
Something else
Meeting state targets
Minimum competency
Meeting state standards
Basics as a foundation for critical thinking
Meeting high expectations
Critical thinking
Creating well-rounded children
Mastery of the basics
Providing children with the tools they need to succeed in life
And from the list of goals I just read, if you had to pick just ONE goal as the most important goal, what do you think the most important goal for a school in your community should be?
Ipsos/AASA August 2004 poll
Developing Better Citizens Is Seen As a More Critical Goal For Schools
57%
36%
6%
58%
38%
4%
Developing better citizens Improving achievement Both equally
All Parents
There are two important tasks in public schools today – developing better citizens and improving achievement. If you had to prioritize, which would you say is more critical to the future of the country – developing better citizens or improving achievement?
N=1,000
Ipsos/AASA August 2004 poll
The Vision Thing
• The public has a vision of quality public education:– The American dream– A school where students are happy and eager to learn– Dedicated and trained teachers – Strong parent involvement– Good discipline– Available information about student achievement– Reasonable class sizes
• Educators share these goals…yet…61 percent of the public thinks schools are going in the
wrong direction!
Learning First Alliance
We have a great group of young people in school today: Less crime
Serious violent crime offending rate by youth ages 12 to 17, 1980-2000 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Supplementary Homicide Reports.
Less smokingPercentage of students who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the previous 30 days by school grade (1980-2003)
SOURCE: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Monitoring the Future Survey.
Less teen pregnancy
Pregnancy Rate per 1,000 women aged 15-19
116.9 115.3 111 108 104.6 99.6 95.6 91.4 88.7 85.7 83.6
223.8 222.3 216.6 209.9198.7
181.4 175.1 168.1 162 156.1 153.3
0
50
100
150
200
250
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
All women Black women
Source: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2004.
But perception is disconnected from reality
Please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statements.
60%
24%
1%
9%5%
1%
StronglyAgree
SomewhatAgree
NeitherAgree norDisagree
SomewhatDisagree
StronglyDisagree
Not Sure
11%
16%
1%
25%
46%
1%
StronglyAgree
SomewhatAgree
NeitherAgree norDisagree
SomewhatDisagree
StronglyDisagree
Not Sure
I have more concern that teens today will engage in aggressive behavior than my parents did when I was a teenager
Today’s young people commit fewer crimes and are less likely to use drugs and alcohol than previous generations
27%
71%
84%
14%
Ipsos/AASA February 2004 poll
But, there is hope
58%54%
40% 43%
Children Today Work Harder in School –They Take More Classes and Harder Classes
– Than Previous Generations
Children Today are More Likely to be GoodCitizens
Total Agree Total Disagree
Please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statements:
Ipsos/AASA March 2004 poll
Wrap Up/Take-Away
• School leaders have credibility• Public does not lend the federal
government much credibility • Use your voice to put out positive
messages and communicate your vision and values– Citizens– Each child– Tools to succeed in life
Questions?
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