Teachers and Teaching - Top School Problems

The charted data — top problems facing schools according to teachers — were originally taken from the Schools and Staffing Survey administered by the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey polled 68,000 teachers (56,736 public and 11,548 private). A higher percentage of teachers in public schools perceived serious problems than those in private schools, but, essentially, the problems were the same in both types of schools. Four out of the six problems listed have to do with student attitudes and behaviors.

Teachers saw lack of parental involvement as a serious problem. According to the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE), when a parent becomes involved, the child does better in school and in life. Low-income and minority students benefit most. Even in poverty-stricken homes, parental involvement in a child's school experience can help to eliminate problems. Parental involvement can reduce apathy, student unpreparedness, drinking problems — and increase respect for teachers.²¹

Ordinary people cite other major problems in public schools. The next table lists the top five issues facing public schools — as the public sees it²². The public only lists two problems relating to behavior: fighting/violence/gangs and use of drugs. Students' attitudes towards school and schoolwork are not singled out. Lack of financial support and standards/quality of education also rank high on the list. These two problems have been in the forefront since A Nation At Risk²³ was published. Congress also addressed both issues in the revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), now called the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Large schools and overcrowding ranked 5th among the problems in public schools named by the general public in 1994. A Department of Education study, The Condition of America's Schools: 1999 concluded that 22% of U.S. schools (more than 17,000) are overcrowded. A year after this study, the general public ranked this problem third.

Problems Facing Public Schools According to the General Public, with Rankings, 1994

	Ranking among general public	Ranking among public school teachers
Lack of discipline & fighting/violence/gangs	1	11
Lack of financial support	2	NA24
Use of drugs	3	16
Standards/quality of education	4	14
Large schools/overcrowding	5	NA

The next series of panels will focus on what should be taught. We begin with the language vs. phonics debate.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2001 and An Overview of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), July 1996. National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. "The Benefits of Family-School Partnerships." Online. Available: http://www.ncpie.org/AboutNCPIE/AboutPartnerships.html. June 6, 2002. Neighborhood Capital Budget Group. "Overcrowding: A National Problem/A National Solution." Online. Available: http://www.ncbg.org/documents/nationalcrowding.html. June 6, 2002.