Americans want higher professional requirements for teachers and believe teacher pay is too low, but they don't like tenure, according to the newest PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes To­ward the Public Schools. Public school parents trust and have confidence in the nation's teachers, and they said communicating with their child's teacher…

Compares the variation in average annual K-12 public school teacher salaries between states that are "collective bargaining intensive" and those that are "bargaining unintensive." Concludes that bargaining has not had a positive effect on teacher salaries during the past two decades. (Author/WD)

Highlights several findings of the 35th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll the have strong policy implications for the public schools. Categories include grading the public schools, No Child Left Behind Act, teachers and teacher salaries, the achievement gap, and school choice. (PKP)

A 1979 study of 200 randomly chosen teachers in grades K-12 in southeastern Michigan revealed that the teachers are less satisfied with the quality of their worklives, more fearful of losing their jobs, and more likely to experience problems with their jobs than are U.S. workers nationwide. (Author/WD)

A Hudson Institute study claims school administration is top-heavy. Actually, U.S. teachers constitute 78% of the instructional staff, which includes principals, assistant principals, librarians, and counselors. A 1998 OECD report shows that some nations have surpassed the U.S. graduation rate. The U.S. spends the most on higher education. (MLH)

Reports results from the 1984 survey, which found Americans respond more favorably to public schools than at any time in the past decade. Survey results show that they also feel education contributes more to national strength than industrial or military power. (MD)

The twenty-second annual Gallup Poll surveyed parents and community members concerning national educational goals, school choice, parental control of public schools, examinations for promotion, grade retention and dropout rates, access to personal information about students, equal educational opportunity, desirability of teaching as a career,…

Results of the authors' survey of Oklahoma Education Association members indicate that moonlighting is a common practice among teachers. Whether through additional work within or outside the school system, many teachers feel the need to supplement their salaries. The continuing need for moonlighting threatens teaching's professional status. (JBM)

Provides compilation and discussion of the results of the 13th annual Gallup survey of public attitudes toward the public schools. (WD)

Data indicate that teaching attracts and retains a disproportionately high percentage of those with low measured academic ability and fails to attract and retain those with high ability. If policy makers wish to change this situation, they must be prepared to pay the price. (Author)

Reviews public responses to 18 questions about significant school issues, such as (1) the most important problems facing schools today, (2) support for antidrug measures in local schools, (3) rating the schools on success characteristics, (4) the goals of education, and (5) attitudes about AIDS. (IW)