Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) released its annual survey that found that more Americans today like their kids’ public schools than at any time in the past 36 years. Although many Americans have soured on America’s schools, nearly eight in 10 give high marks to the school their oldest child attends. Although many Americans have soured on schools in general, nearly eight in 10 give high marks to the school their oldest child attends, according to a new survey.
Nearly eight in 10 Americans “” 79% “” give an “A or B” grade to the school their oldest child attends. That’s up from 68% in 2001, and the highest percentage of favorable ratings since PDK began asking the question in 1985. That year, 71% of parents gave their kids’ school top grades.
But since 2001, Americans have soured on schools in general: When 1,002 adults were asked June 4-13 to give a letter grade to “public schools in the nation as a whole,” only 17% gave them an A or B, down from 23% in 2001, and 27% in 1985.
This is not unusual data. In the past, Americans indicated that they liked what their child’s school was doing. This contradiction may indicate that Americans are noticing that the quality of schools is slipping compared to those of other nations.