Education,  Polling

Poll Watch: American Public Schools Have Near Record-Low Confidence



According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Americans continue to express near record-low confidence in U.S. public schools — holding in the range seen throughout the past few years of tumult for the U.S. economy and state budgets. The 34% who say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in public schools is unchanged from last year and statistically similar to what Gallup has found since 2005.

The findings are from Gallup’s annual update on confidence in institutions, conducted June 9-12. Nearly all institutions — including public schools — have seen historically low confidence in recent years. This year brought little improvement beyond a slight uptick in confidence in newspapers and television news. Public schools currently rank in the middle of the pack of institutions tested — 8th out of 16 — in the general range of the presidency, U.S. Supreme Court, and medical system. The current rating is down significantly when compared with confidence levels seen throughout the 1970s and at points in the late 1980s, when about half or more Americans expressed confidence in U.S. public schools.

Not really a surprise.

My children were educated primarily in private and religious schools throughout their pre-college days. California public schools, which were excellent when I was a student in the 50’s and 60’s gradually succumbed to the political correctness of the day and their quality of instruction eroded.

The future continues to be in private education as Americans flee the watered-down and politically left driven education in the public schools.