The 50th Annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

Abstract

The 2018 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools finds that Americans trust and support teachers, but they draw the line at wanting their own children to join a profession they see as undervalued and low-paid. An overwhelming 78% of public school parents say they would support teachers in their community if they went on strike for more pay. The 2018 poll also revealed that Americans lack strong confidence that schools can protect their children against a school shooting, but they favor arming police, expanding mental health screenings, and using metal detectors at school entrances over arming teachers. The poll also asked Americans about reforming the existing school system, spending to provide extra support to students with greater needs, comparing education today to education during earlier years, evaluating opportunities and expectations for various groups of children, affording college, valuing a college degree, changing school hours, and grading the schools. The lack of funding was identified as the biggest problem facing the local schools, the 19th consecutive year for such a result. The 2018 poll is PDK’s 50th annual survey. Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., produced this year’s poll using a random, representative, national sample of 1,042 adults with an oversample to 515 parents of school-age children. Sampling and data collection were provided by GfK Custom Research via its nationally representative, probability-based online KnowledgePanel®, in which participants are randomly recruited via address-based sampling to participate in survey research projects by responding to questionnaires online. Households without internet connections are provided with a web-enabled device and free internet service.