| Citation: | Public Education Network & Education Week. (2001). Action for all: The publicÕs responsibility for public education. Washington, DC: Public Education Network & Education Week. http://www.publiceducation.org/pubs/ |
Annotation:
This paper reports the results of a nationwide public opinion survey. The survey was designed to explore the publicÕs commitment to public schools and the avenues for greater public responsibility for quality education. Results indicated that there has been a recent shift to a much broader public investment in schools. In the past, improving education was considered primarily an issue for parents, who were most concerned about their childÕs own school. The majority of those surveyed indicated it is important to them to have good public schools, and they see it to be the highest public priority. Paying taxes and making sure oneÕs own child succeeds in schools were reported as the most important individual responsibility. Half of the respondents said they would like to be more involved in education issues, yet most said they have limited time to be involved. They prefer quick and easy actions as methods of involvement, and tend to be more prompt in taking action during a crisis. Respondents thought that improving teacher quality is the most effective solution to improving public schools. They also reported that they need better information from trustworthy sources about how to make schools better. The sources they trust most are teachers, parents, and parent-teacher organizations. Data were gathered from national focus groups and telephone surveys of over 800 registered voters. Random, representative sampling was used for the telephone surveys. The authors concluded that voters believe education is a priority and a community responsibility, but are not necessarily willing to take a large role in reform efforts.
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