Dive Brief:
- Only 27% of respondents gave Obama's education agenda an A or B letter-grade on the 46th annual PDK-Gallup poll.
- The poll also found that 62% of respondents who are public school parents — and 60% of respondents overall — were opposed to the Common Core State Standards.
- PDK is an international group of educators that has been working with Gallup since the 1960s to create these polls.
Dive Insight:
Given how reputable Gallop and PDK are, it's difficult to sneer at their findings — though we're sure some will. That's just how polarizing the topic of public education is these days. So what else did Gallup and PDK find? 54% of respondents do not believe standardized assessments are beneficial for teachers; a small minority (15%) believes the federal government should be mandating what students learn in schools (re: Common Core), many respondents said they support charter schools (70%), and the biggest problem in public education was deemed lack of financial support.
Still, this is just one poll. Interestingly, an ASCD SmartBrief poll — in which the majority of respondents identified themselves as classroom teachers, principals, and other administrators — reported 80% support for the Common Core State Standards.