AP-Stanford Education Survey: Students and Parents to Blame

There are quite a few interesting bits in the newly-released 2010 AP-Stanford University Education Survey [survey report, Adobe PDF] – 42 pages of interesting bits. One of the most noteworthy findings is that most Americans think that parents and students are to blame when students don’t graduate; about 70% said students should be held responsible while 45% pointed a finger at parents.

About 30% blame teachers, unions, college professors, administrators, etc. for poor completion rates.

There are differences based on racial and political factors; 57% of minorities blame parents, while only 40% of whites do. 77% of Republicans fault students “heavily”; 68% of Democrats blame them.

And public trust in colleges remains high. About 3 in 4 rate public, private non- and for-profit schools well. The lowest rating was for-profit trade schools with 57% being rated ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’

Ed is Watching – the sharpest 5 year old in the entire education debate – took a look at some of the data, too. He notes that:

“While 78 percent support making it easier to fire poorly performing teachers, a very respectable 71 percent also support making it easier to fire principals at underperforming schools. Interesting.”

Agreed. There seems to be more support each year for holding everyone involved in public education accountable – students, parents, unions, teachers, principals, professors, college administrators, and even financial aid providers.

I share Ed’s conclusion:

“At this point, I’m not sure what use to make of all the information, except perhaps to start a discussion about the accuracy of the public’s perception, and how it might inform the politics of crafting education reform policy.”

The poll gives us quick, context-free glimpses into the public’s thoughts. It’s not a lot, but it’s got some value. Some are cheering that the public has taken their side; others lament that the public misunderstands quite badly the problems facing education.

Something tells me that both sides will get a bit louder in 2011.

[In case you'd like to see a quick summary of the AP-Stanford survey methodology - how they dialed, what languages the survey was given in, etc. - you can check out a few paragraphs over at The Bellingham Herald.]