Research Methods

Surveys were conducted May 4–15, 2007, among 1,526 adults nationwide, including
1,000 members of the general public and 626 parents of K-12 students, and among
101 public school administrators and 251 public school teachers. Oversamples were
conducted among 226 California residents (for a total of 470 California residents)
and among 200 adults where the survey was administered in Spanish (100 in
California, 100 nationwide). The Spanish language samples were weighted to their
proper proportions of the population in the main sample. At the 95% confidence
level, the data’s margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points among all adults, and
higher among smaller populations and subgroups.

Six focus groups were conducted in mid-to-late March 2007: two groups in
Indianapolis, IN; two in Fremont, CA; and two in Alexandria, VA. One group each
was conducted among public school administrators and voters who are not parents.
Two groups each were conducted among public school teachers and parents with
children in public school. In addition, seven in-depth interviews were conducted
among leading education experts.
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Summary of Key Points

The public supports NCLB reauthorization, despite limited
knowledge of it. The public is divided over NCLB, but many people simply
are uninformed. Support grows to a majority when NCLB is defined. Majorities
support the underlying principle that federal funding should be tied to
accountability requirements. A majority of adults support reauthorization
with some changes.

Teachers support reauthorization despite misgivings. Public school
teachers and administrators are strongly negative toward NCLB. Nonetheless,
teachers and administrators strongly support NCLB reauthorization with major
changes: “better the devil you know.”

Standards, Accountability and Flexibility: In reauthorization, the
public, teachers, and administrators support high standards of accountability
as well as greater flexibility. They emphasize finding solutions for poorly
performing schools, not just identifying them. They also call for greater
flexibility in assessing English-language learners.
3
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Grading School Quality
4
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Assessing the Nation’s Schools
How well do you think our K-12 schools are working?
Working well/need some changes but basically keep as is
Need major changes/complete overhaul
53% 52%
50%
56%
53%
52%
58%
58%
51%
50%
51% 50%
48%
45%
45%
45%
45%
48%
45%
45%
42%
41% 41%
47%
Working well/
some changes
69% teachers
72% administrators
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
2001 2004 2005 2006 2007
General Public
K-12 Parents
5
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Q.5b
Grades for the Nation’s Schools
Remain at ‘C’
Spring 2007
The Public’s Report Card
The Nation’s Schools
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - General Public - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2007
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
4%
5%
3%
2%
2%
2%
2%
A
23%
26%
23%
20%
29%
14%
18%
B
44%
44%
46%
47%
47%
50%
51%
C
16%
15%
15%
15%
13%
21%
16%
D
5%
5%
4%
4%
2%
4%
3%
F
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.0
2.2
1.9
2.0
GPA
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Q.10
Grades for the Nation’s Schools
Remain at ‘C’
Spring 2007
Education Stakeholders’ Report Card
The Nation’s Schools
- - - - - - - K-12 Parents - - - - - 2007 2006 2005 2004 2001
A
4%
5%
4%
2%
8%
B 25% 26% 27% 20% 35%
C 43% 45% 46% 48% 33%
D 16% 14% 12% 14% 13%
F
4%
4%
2%
3%
4%
GPA 2.1
2.1
2.2
2.0
2.3
Public
school Public school
teachers administrators
7
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2007
4%
33%
41%
10%
1%
2.3
2007
1%
41%
42%
4%
0%
2.4
Q.10
Grades for One’s Own School:
Better – But Still Not Great
Spring 2007
Public School Stakeholders’ Report Card
My Children’s School/My School(s)
A
B
C
D
F
GPA
Public
school
parents
Public
school
teachers
Public school
administrators
26%
41%
21%
8%
3%
2.8
27%
52%
17%
2%
1%
3.0
32%
57%
8%
1%
0%
3.2
8
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Q.6, 8, 9
Public School Problems and
Their Solutions
One or two biggest reasons for public schools' problems
One or two best changes to solve public schools' problems
General Public
Lack of/need more
parental involvement
Lack of/need more
classroom discipline
Lack of funding/
increase funding
Large class sizes/
reduce class sizes
Low standards & expectations for
students/raise standards & expectations
Unmotivated teachers/
incentives to motivate teachers
Too few/need more
qualified teachers
Lack of/need more challenging/
interesting schoolwork
Lack of consistent measures of student
learning/increase testing
39%
27%
26%
23%
18%
13%
13%
21%
12%
13%
12%
10%
9%
20%
8%
13%
8%
2%
9
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Q.11a,b
No Child Left Behind
10
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Public and Parents Are Divided
on No Child Left Behind
Attitudes toward No Child Left Behind
Very favorable
Very unfavorable
45%
38%
43% 41%
Somewhat favorable
Somewhat unfavorable
41% 43%
67%
48%
40%
24%
37%
19%
2005
21%
16%
23%
16%
24%
2007
2006
General public
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20%
21%
K-12
parents
14%
Adults who
took survey
in Spanish
Q.13
Public and Parents Are Divided
on No Child Left Behind
Attitudes toward No Child Left Behind
Very favorable
Very unfavorable
Somewhat favorable
Somewhat unfavorable
General public, by party ID
51%
35%
48%
52%
35%
31%
17%
34%
28%
17%
13%
13%
Q.13
Democrats
Independents
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Republicans
Teachers and Administrators Are
Firmly Opposed to NCLB
Attitudes toward No Child Left Behind
77%
Very favorable
Very unfavorable
Somewhat favorable
Somewhat unfavorable
63%
33%
20%
49%
38%
Public school
teachers
Public school
administrators
13
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Q.13
Public Lacks Knowledge of
No Child Left Behind
Know a great deal about NCLB
Know nothing at all about NCLB
Know a fair amount about NCLB
Know just some about NCLB
54%
47%
45%
16%
52%
13%
Q.14a
General public
K-12 parents
14
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Many Unaware of National Education
Reform Efforts
Where do things stand today in terms of education reform at the
national level in Washington, D.C.?
General public
Not sure
13%
There has been a lot of talk, but
so far there has been no action.
28%
President/Congress each have
put together proposals, but no
agreement has been reached and
no legislation has been passed.
13%
Education reform bill has been
passed by Congress/signed into
law by President Bush, but so far
reforms have not led to any
changes in the schools.
32%
Reforms are leading to changes
in the schools.
14%
15
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Just 46% of
adults (49%
of K-12
parents)
know NCLB
reform is law.
Q.12
Only Half Can Pick NCLB
Out of a Lineup
What does “No Child Left Behind” really mean to you?
General public
Setting standards for student
learning, and testing students
to ensure those standards are
being achieved
Making sure that students keep
progressing on to the next
grade level until they reach
graduation
26%
Requiring all students to pass a
national test in twelfth grade in
order to graduate from high
school and go on to college
Giving parents vouchers so that
their child can attend the school
of their choice
47%
Right answer
12%
46% of adults
(44% of K-12
parents) get it
wrong.
Q.14b
8%
16
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Support for NCLB Increases
When Law Is Defined
Attitudes toward No Child Left Behind
Very favorable
Very unfavorable
Uninformed
48%
41% 43%
24%
16%
General public
40%
20%
21%
K-12 parents
Somewhat favorable
Somewhat unfavorable
“The No Child Left Behind Act
provides federal funds for school
districts with poor children in order
to close achievement gaps. It also
requires states to set standards for
education and to test students
each year to determine whether
the standards are being met by all
students. In addition, No Child
Left Behind provides funding to
help teachers become highly
qualified. It also provides additional funding and prescribes consequences to schools that fail to
achieve academic targets set by
their state.”
Informed
39%
22%
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21%
General public
Q.13,15
17
59%
56%
36%
27%
19%
K-12 parents
Support for Basic NCLB Provisions
of Accountability and Funding
General public
Federal government should be
involved in both funding and
standards for accountability.
45%
Federal government should
continue to provide funds to
school districts with children from
low-income families to help close
gaps in student learning.
25%
Federal government should
continue to make sure that high
standards are set in order to
ensure that school districts are
being held accountable for
student learning.
19%
Federal government should not
be involved in either funding or
standards for accountability.
9%
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Q.14b
NCLB Values: Federal Funding Should Be
Tied to Accountability Standards
Public Rejects NCLB Opt-Out
58%
57%
Should standards and testing
described by NCLB be required of
all states that want federal money
for education, or should states be
able to opt out of the standards
and testing and still get federal
education money?
49%
43%
37%
34%
States should NOT be
allowed to opt out.
States should be
allowed to opt out.
General
public
Public school
teachers
Q.17a
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Public school
administrators
Public, Administrators and Teachers Want
Reauthorization
NCLB should be reauthorized with minor changes.
NCLB should be reauthorized with major changes.
NCLB should not be reauthorized.
58%
52%
45%
41%
36%
35%
26%
25%
17%
16%
General
public
22%
13%
K-12
parents
Public school
teachers
Public school
administrators
Q.16
20
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Public Supports National Standards
Teachers/Administrators Disagree
59%
56%
Currently, NCLB allows each state to
develop its own standards and tests
and use its own criteria to evaluate the
test results:
49%
43%
41%
35%
Should make NCLB more uniform by
replacing 50 sets of standards and
tests with one set of national standards
and tests, so eighth-grade math is the
same in Florida and Alaska
Should keep system as is, because it
gives federal government school
accountability but lets states define
academic goals in their state
General
public
Public
school
teachers
Q.17b
21
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Public school
administrators
Concern That States Might Set Low Standards
Teachers/Admin Trust State Leaders
57%
Concerned that if federal
government doesn't set
standards for student learning,
then some states will set low
standards to ensure their
schools succeed.
52%
48%
38%
51%
39%
37%
32%
We can expect the governors
and state legislatures of all
states to set high standards for
student achievement.
General
public
K-12
parents
Public
Public school
school administrators
teachers
Q.18b
22
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Concern About the Federal
Government Role in Education
Which concerns you more?
72%
63%
Federal government will get
too involved in education and
interfere with issues better
left to states and local
communities
45%
40%
43%
45%
23%
Federal government will not
be involved enough in doing
what is necessary to improve
our schools
19%
General
public
K-12
parents
23
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Q.18a
Public
Public school
school administrators
teachers
Reasons Against Reauthorization
Very convincing
Teachers pressured to teach to test,
neglect broad knowledge of subject
General public
Emphasis on NCLB test scores/
replace individualized assessments
Testing new English speakers doesn’t
measure learning, penalizes schools
with lots of these students
53%
37%
Testing emphasis distorts priorities,
teachers focus on students in trouble,
neglect others
Burdens state to identify poor schools,
but no solutions/funding
Fairly convincing
52%
35%
46%
29%
45%
26%
39%
23%
Education has always been state/
local responsibility; in some cases
NCLB overruled state reforms
19%
NCLB tests may label schools as
failing and their students as low
achievers, harming self worth
20%
37%
33%
Q.21b
24
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Public
school
teachers
Public
school
admin
80%
56%
78%
61%
74%
71%
66%
57%
74%
61%
52%
52%
58%
43%
Reasons for Reauthorization
Very convincing
NCLB testing identifies schools that
need help with groups of students
Fairly convincing
General public
36%
62%
State standards are important step
toward education excellence to
compete in global economy
37%
61%
NCLB tests useful to ensure students
gets basics for promotion
36%
NCLB tests help public/leaders identify
schools that need improving
33%
In reauthorization, NCLB could be
improved with more assessments
32%
Give NCLB more time to see if it
works, don’t reform every few years
34%
If not reauthorized, major setback for
national education reform
NCLB is rare case of Democrats and
Republicans working together
56%
56%
55%
52%
46%
27%
39%
22%
Q.21a
25
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53% among
administrators
Only reason
a majority of
teachers &
admin find
convincing
After the Arguments, Public Still
Wants NCLB Reauthorized
Teacher Opposition Grows But Remains Minority
NCLB should be reauthorized with minor changes.
NCLB should be reauthorized with major changes.
NCLB should not be reauthorized
47%
46%
43%
36%
36%
17%
General public
56%
33%
22%
19%
22%
14%
K-12 parents
Public school
teachers
Public school
administrators
Q.22
26
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What to Do About
Poorly Performing Schools
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Views on Dealing With Poorly
Performing Schools
General public who say each should happen in all/most cases
when school performs poorly on NCLB tests for several years
Public
school
teachers
Public
school
admin
63%
77%
71%
61%
37%
24%
21%
29%
16%
12%
26%
14%
1%
25%
9%
4%
20%
14%
4%
5%
Administrators required to develop
real change of plan
More funding to hire teachers,
lower class size, improve school
Children able to get free tutoring
from state-approved provider
64%
57%
50%
School day or year lengthened
Children can transfer to another
public school/free transportation
Vouchers given for tuition at any
public or private school
School taken over/restructured
with new administrators
Do nothing: scores may reflect
area’s economic/other factors
Many teachers lose jobs/be
replaced by other teachers
30%
28%
18%
12%
Q.23
28
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Public’s Views on Dealing With Poorly
Performing Schools
General public who say each should happen in all/most cases
when school performs poorly on NCLB tests for several years
General public who say each should happen in only some cases
General public who say each should not happen in any cases
86%
72%
25%
40%
12%
24%
Many teachers lose
jobs/be replaced by other
teachers
School taken over/
restructured with new
administrators
29
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Q.23
Public’s Views on Dealing With Poorly
Performing Schools
General public who say each should happen in all/most cases
when school performs poorly on NCLB tests for several years
General public who say each should happen in only some cases
General public who say each should not happen in any cases
57%
41%
32%
In all
cases
12%
More funding to hire
teachers, lower class size,
improve school
30
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Q.23
English-Language Learners
31
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Most Want Flexibility for
English-Language Learners
77%
We should be flexible when it comes to English
language learners. By allowing these students
sufficient time to become capable in English, we
are helping build their confidence and giving
them an essential skill needed to be competitive
going forward, even if it means that these
students may fall behind their peers somewhat
in other skills such as math and science.
Strongly agree
67%
58%
36%
Somewhat agree
We should be firm when it comes to Englishlanguage learners. By allowing these students to
take their time when learning English, we are
leaving them at risk of being left permanently
behind in other skills such as math and science
with no clear way of getting them caught up to
their peers, even if it means that these students
may at times be uncomfortable because they
cannot fully express themselves in English.
Strongly agree
77%
26%
20%
40%
34%
51%
53%
22%
22%
17%
8%
General
public
Somewhat agree
Hispanics
Q.24
32
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Public
school
teachers
13%
Public
school
admin
But Public Is Divided Over
Their Test Scores
Should English-language learners’ NCLB test scores
be included in their school’s overall NCLB score?
85%
77%
Should be included
55%
48%
46%
43%
Should be excluded for
one to two years
Should be excluded for
three/more years
18%
18%
50%
14%
48%
15%
General
public
Hispanics
33
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Public
school
teachers
Q.25
Public school
admin
Conclusions:
 Public Support for NCLB Reauthorization
Must Be Earned.
♦ The public has lost focus.
♦ The words have become a slogan.
♦ But reintroduction and explanation will
yield strong support.
♦ It’s viewed as a needed reform that reflects
the public’s values.
34
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Conclusions:
 Help for Struggling Schools
♦ The public, teachers and administrators
want changes.
♦ Flexibility
♦ Solutions for poorly performing schools
♦ Give struggling schools the money they need.
35
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Conclusions:
 NCLB Is Not an End But a Means.
♦ A building block to collect data needed
for continued improvement.
♦ Focus on the challenges ahead.
♦ We must expect more of students,
parents and schools.
♦ Our continued success in the face of
global competition depends on it.
36
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Looking Beyond the
Current Reauthorization Debate:
Policymakers’ Views
37
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Policymakers Speak:
NCLB — The Challenges and
Changes Ahead
“Version 3.0, which is down the road, will be where you start to
see the big shift, whether it’s things like national standards or really
new forward-looking ways to doing accountability.… Version 3.0,
which is not the one we’re ready for yet, I think the big shift will be
the one after this where we may be in a position to really go in a
new direction.”
38
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Policymakers Speak:
NCLB — The Challenges and
Changes Ahead
“The real challenge for us in the next ten years is to see how we can
really help schools respond to the challenges that some of these
reforms bring.… Support for schools to respond to those reforms, to
respond to the demands that testing brings, to respond to the demands
of teaching to one standard … to respond to the demands of closing
the achievement gap and of what schools do once they find that
pocket of students who are underperforming in their schools. That’s
the real challenge.”
39
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Policymakers Speak:
NCLB — The Challenges and
Changes Ahead
“I don’t think NCLB is going to solve it because NCLB is a national
framework, but ultimately, you’ve got to take this issue state by state.
Go to the leaders of the states, the business leaders, the education
leaders and the political leaders in the state and say that we’ve got to
look at what really are the rigors of the courses, how well are our
students doing, and what’s the achievement level of our students that
are measured by a national test.”
40
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Many Believe Status Quo Will Have a
Negative Impact on America Soon
If changes are not made to our education system, will it
have a negative impact on America’s global competitiveness and
strength of our economy? If so, how soon?
59%
General public
5 to 10
years
23%
3 to 5
years
19%
20%
15%
Within
a year
17%
Won’t have
negative
impact
Negative, but
more than
10 years out
Negative
impact within
10 years
41
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Q.26