Necessary, but not sufficient, might be one way to sum up attitudes about standards and testing five years into No Child Left Behind and over a dozen years into the so-called standards movement in American education. Based on results from Public Agenda’s 2006 “Reality Check” opinion surveys, there is strong belief in the intrinsic value of standards and testing and broad support for key elements such as high school exit exams.
But as of now, every group surveyed by Public Agenda – parents, students, teachers, principals and superintendents – considers other educational issues more urgent. Among parents, concern about low academic standards in local schools has dropped over the last decade.
Public Agenda has been monitoring Americans’ views on academic standards, standardized testing, No Child Left Behind and other key elements of the standards movement for more than a decade. Our Reality Check surveys and other research have shown repeatedly that support for raising standards is broad and heart-felt, and based on the 2006 data, that core of support remains intact.
In multiple findings, parents, teachers and students say standards and testing are necessary. Parents and teachers give local districts high marks for pursuing standards-based reform carefully and reasonably.
You can find the rest of the report on Public Agenda’s website.