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NPR/KAISER/KENNEDY SCHOOL
EDUCATION SURVEY

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  • Question 1 was an open-ended question not related to education. There was no Question 2. Questions 3-6 collected demographic information. The first question for you is No. 7.

    C. RATINGS OF SCHOOLS

    7. Students are often given the grades A, B, C, D, or FAIL to denote the quality of their work. Suppose the public schools themselves, in your community, were graded in the same way. What grade would you give your community’s public schools —A, B, C, D, or FAIL?

    8. How about the public schools in the nation as a whole? What grade would you give the public schools nationally—A, B, C, D, or FAIL?

    9. Is the grade you give to the public schools in the nation as a whole based mainly on your own experience, on what you've learned from friends and family, or on what you've seen and heard on television or radio, in newspapers, or other things you have read?

    10. (Answer only if you have school-age children) Using the A, B, C, D, or FAIL scale again, what grade would you give the school your oldest child attends?

    If you do not have school-age children, skip to Question 13.

    12. (Answer only if you have school-age children) What grade would you give your oldest child's teachers—A, B, C, D, or FAIL?

    13. Do you think most well-to-do people in your community send their children to public schools, or not?

    If you do not have school-age children, skip to Question 19.

    D. PARTICIPATION

    14. (Answer only if you have school-age children) How often do you help your children do homework assignments — nearly every day, once or twice a week, or less often than that?

    15. (Answer only if you have school-age children) How often do you meet with your children's teachers — once a month, a few times a year, or only rarely?

    16. (Answer only if you have school-age children) Do you feel your oldest child's teachers have a good understanding of your child's academic abilities and weaknesses, or not?

    17. (Answer only if you have school-age children) How about your child's overall development and happiness? Do you feel your oldest child's teachers have a good understanding, or not?

    18A. (Answer only if you have school-age children) How much influence do you think you have over your children's education – a great deal, quite a lot, some, or not much at all?

    18B. (Answer only if you have school-age children) When you participated in school events, did you feel teachers and school officials encouraged you to do so, or not?

    E. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

    19A. Here are some problems schools might face. For each one, please tell me how big a problem you think it is — a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem for the public schools in your community. How about… ?

    (a) Students who are undisciplined and disruptive
    (b) Lack of adequate academic standards
    (c) Overcrowded classrooms
    (d) Discrimination against children because of race or gender
    (e) Public school facilities that are unsafe or unhealthy
    (f) Lack of computers and technology
    (g) Violence and lack of school safety
    (h) Lack of parental involvement
    (i) Poor quality teachers
    (j) Student use of alcohol or illegal drugs
    (k) Poor school administration
    (l) Inequality in funding among school districts

    21A. Which is a more important role for schools — to give students academic skills and other knowledge to prepare them for a job, a career, or college OR to develop students' character so they can make responsible decisions as adults in society about such things as drugs, sex, family, and money?

    21B. Which of the following two statements comes closer to your view: Schools need to return to their main function of giving knowledge to students OR Schools need to focus on teaching children how to think critically rather than worrying about how much detailed knowledge they have?

    21C. Which of the following two statements comes closer to your view: Schools have gotten too far away from the basics, like reading, writing, and math, OR schools need to teach about a broader range of subjects than they used to, because the world is more complex today?

    21D. As you look back on your elementary and high school education, is it your impression that children today get a better or worse education than you did?

    F. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE SCHOOLS

    22A. In your opinion, how much does the amount of money spent on a public school student's education affect the quality of his or her education—a great deal, quite a lot, not too much, or not at all?

    22B. How do you feel about the placement of students with learning problems in the local public schools? In your opinion, should students with learning problems be placed in the same classes as other students, or should they be placed in separate classes?

    23. Here is a short list of changes some people have suggested might improve the public schools. Please tell me whether you favor or oppose making each of the following changes in your community to improve your public schools.

    (a) Requiring schools to teach values/morality
    (b) Making students meet adequate academic standards to be promoted
    (c) Holding parents accountable when their children are disruptive
    (d) Requiring teachers to pass standardized competency test

    24. Here is a short list of possible changes that could cost more money and require additional tax dollars. Please tell me if you would favor or oppose making each of the following changes in your community to improve your public schools. Do you (favor/oppose) strongly or not strongly?

    (a) Paying teachers more
    (b) Placing more computers in classroom
    (c) Reducing class sizes
    (d) Fixing run-down schools
    (e) Adding more security at schools

    25. (Answer only if you favor one or more items in Question 24) To pay for this/these change(s), would you be willing to raise your taxes by... ?

    G. SCHOOL FUNDING

    27A. Do you think elementary school students of different ability levels should be grouped together in the same classes, or separated into different classes based on their ability?

    27B. Do you think high school students of different ability levels should be grouped together in the same classes, or separated into different classes based on their ability?

    28A. Do you think that the amount of money that goes to education in your state should or should not be the same for all students, even if it means taking funding from some wealthy school districts and giving it to poor districts?

    28B. Should wealthy school districts be allowed to spend as much as they want on their schools, or should their spending be capped so that poor districts are not left behind?

    H. TESTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

    29. All schools give their students standardized tests from time to time. Do you think standardized tests should or should not be used for the following purposes?

    (a) To determine level of funding each local school receives
    (b) To identify areas in which teachers need improvement
    (c) To identify areas where students need help
    (d) To determine whether students are promoted/graduate
    (e) To rate/ rank schools
    (f) Used by employers when student graduates/applies for a job
    (g) To ensure students meet adequate national academic standards

    30. Who do you think should be primarily responsible for developing these standardized tests?

    31. How confident are you that the test scores on standardized tests are an accurate indicator of a student's progress and abilities?

    32. In general, do you think standardized tests are biased against minority students, or not?

    I. ISSUES OF CONTROVERSY

    33A. What effect do you think class size has on students’ achievement? For elementary school students, do you think small classes make a great deal of difference, little difference, or no difference at all?

    33B. For high school students, do you think small classes make a great deal of difference, little difference, or no difference at all?

    34A. Do you favor or oppose the government offering parents money or "vouchers" to send their children to private or religious schools, or public schools outside their district?

    35. (Answer only if you favor vouchers) Would you still favor this if it meant there would be less money for public schools in your area?

    36. (Answer only if you oppose vouchers) Would you still oppose this if it meant that children from less well-off families might not be able to attend better schools?

    37. (Answer only if you have children in public school) Suppose the government would pay all of the tuition for you to send your oldest child to a public school in another district, a religious or parochial school, or a private school. Would you send your oldest child to the school he or she now attends or to a different school?

    38. (Answer only if you have children in public school and answered "different school" to Question 37) Which kind of school — a public school in another district, a religious or parochial school, or a non-religious private school?

    39A. The charter school program exempts some public schools from certain state regulations and permits them to function independently from the local school district as long as they meet state standards for student achievement. Do you favor or oppose such a program?

    40A. Do you think children who are schooled at home rather than at a school get a better, worse, or about the same quality of education as other children?

    40B. Do you think children who are schooled at home rather than at a school develop as well as other children, or not as well?

    41. In general, do you think African-American, Latino, and other minority children get as good an education as white children in your community, or not?

    42. Do you think African-American, Latino, and other minority children get a better education in a racially integrated school, is it worse, or does it make little difference?

    43. As you may know, the government requires schools to spend extra money to educate children with physical and learning disabilities. Who do you think should be primarily responsible for paying the additional costs for these children with disabilities?

    43A. Do you favor or oppose cutting programs for children with physical and learning disabilities so more money could be spent on the majority of students without special needs?

    44A. Which of the following two statements comes closer to your own view: Whether or not young people are sexually active, schools should give them information about birth control and safer sex, OR schools should not give young people information about birth control and safer sex?

    44B. Do you think high school nurses or health clinics should provide young people with condoms and other forms of birth control if students ask for them, or not?

    45A. Which student is more likely to succeed — the student from a stable and supportive family who goes to a poor school, OR the student from a troubled family who goes to a good school?

    45B. Which student is more likely to succeed — the student from a family where people read a lot but who goes to a poor school, OR the student from a family where people are not reading so much but who goes to a good school?

    46. Regardless of how you usually vote, which party do you think is doing a better job improving public schools — the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, both about the same, or neither?

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