More specifically:
* Public schools fall to the bottom of the list when it comes to the quality of education they provide. Just over one in six U.S. adults (17%) say public schools for grades K-6 provide excellent or very good education while 15% say the same about public schools for grades 7-12. This is up slightly from last year when 15% said public schools grades K-6 provided excellent or very good education and 13% said the same about public school for grades 7-12;
* When it comes to local public schools, those do a little better as one in five U.S. adults say both grades K-6 and 7-12 are providing an excellent or very good quality of education (21% and 20% respectively). This is almost unchanged from last year; and,
* Private, church related schools are considered the best, whether it is in the U.S. as a whole (36% saying excellent/very good for both grades K-6 and grades 7-12) or their local schools (32% saying excellent/very good for both K-6 and 7-12).
Money and education
While majorities of Americans say teachers get paid too little and too little money is spent on public schools, these numbers have declined from last year.
* In 2008, three in five U.S. adults (59%) believed that teachers are paid too little while one-quarter (24%) said they are paid about the right amount and 6% said teachers are paid too much. One year and an economic recession later, 53% say teachers are paid too little, three in ten (29%) say they are paid about the right amount and 8% say they are paid too much;
* In looking at public schools in their communities, there is also a slight change. Last year almost three in five (57%) said too little money is being spent on public schools in their community while one in five (20%) said it’s about the right amount and 13 percent said too much. This year, half (51%) of Americans say there is too little money being spent in their community while one-quarter (26%) say it is the right amount and 14% say it is too much; and
* Regionally, there are large differences in attitudes towards teachers’ pay and school funding. Those in the East are more likely to think teachers are paid too much (17%) or about the right amount (39%) and too much money is being spent on public schools in their community (22%). Those in the South, however, are more likely to think teachers are paid too little (68%) and there is too little money being spent on public schools in their community (60%).
So What?
The debate over funding for education has changed dramatically in the past four decades. In 1965 when these questions were first asked over half of Americans thought public school teachers were paid the right amount (56%) and public schools had the right amount of funding (56%). Things have changed over time and now, the consensus is that teachers are paid too little and public schools are not receiving enough money. Over the past year, there have been some changes in how people feel about this. Some of this is definitely due to the recession and people being more and more concerned about where limited resources are going. There could also be a positive light to this as more districts have also increased their spending on teachers and schools. Maybe people are actually recognizing and acknowledging this increase.
