Tuesday, February 1, 2005
AUSTIN – Most Texans give high marks to their local schools and the teachers in those schools, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Texas State Teachers Association.
The random poll of Texas voters, conducted jointly by a leading Republican pollster and a top Democratic pollster in early January, found that 66 percent of all respondents gave schools in their community a grade of A or B. Among public school parents, 77 percent gave their schools an A or B.
Among parents who had children in school, 89 percent rated their school's teachers as excellent or good. That is an increase from a similar poll one year ago.
Public education was identified as the state's top priority by 42 percent of poll respondents. Health care ranked second, at 30 percent, while 13 percent said holding the line on taxes was most important. Also, 72 percent said state funding for education should be increased this year.
The poll of 802 registered voters, taken the week of Jan. 6 to 12, has an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percetage points.
Terrence Stutz
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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/020205dntexschoolpoll.1b33b.html
My observation of poll data on education over the years is that the public generally thinks that schools are in bad shape AT THE VERY SAME TIME that they rate their own schools and teachers as good. So both views apply simultaneously in part reflecting the way that schools have been demonized by the press that often makes blanket statments about schools.
ReplyDeleteAngela