Americans Give Public Schools a C- Grade. What Does this Mean?

August 19, 1:26 PMEducation Headlines ExaminerAndrea Hermitt

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According to the Hoover Institution’s 2008 Education Next-PEPG Survey of Public Opinion, Americans are less than excited about the state of public schools.  In fact, many more Americans gave public schools a failing grade than an A or B.  The overall grade assigned to our nation’s public schools is in the low C range.  This is down considerably from last year. 

What does this mean?  What does it mean if your child consistently brings home mediocre grades?  It means that we expected a whole lot more from the educational system than we received.  It means that even the top performing students are only getting a mediocre education and that the students who get mediocre grades are not getting much of an education at all.  

If you look at the particulars of the study on education, you will find that teachers graded the schools higher than the general public.  I guess it would be difficult to admit you have little to no faith in your own industry.  You will also find that blacks and Hispanics more disproportionally award low grades.  This is a direct result of the fact that they feel mistreated and underserved in schools. 

This survey reached beyond the state of the nation’s public schools and questioned respondents about the state of other local services such as the police force and the post office.  When the public’s opinion of schools were compared to the public’s opinion of the police force and the post office, schools still came in at the bottom with the post office winning the race.  

Fortunately, more and more families are taking the education of their children into their own hands.  Homeschooling is growing at an alarming rate with the number of homeschooled children estimated at more than two million, which is more than double the number of homeschooled students in 1999.  Many families are moving from the classroom and into online education where students learn over the internet.  The idea of charter schools and school vouchers is becoming increasingly popular.  Public schools have no choice but to improve to compete with the power of parental choice.  

There is a modicum of good news in the results of this survey.  “Americans’ views of the nation’s education system appear to be considerably more optimistic than their views about the affairs of the nation more generally”.  I guess you have to take what you can get.