The 1996 Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll found that people oppose using tax money to support nonpublic schools and reject privatization of schools' basic instructional functions. People generally rate their local schools highly, believe educational improvement is more important than deficit reduction, and believe the Democratic Party is more…

Denis Doyle's proposal in the same "Kappan" issue is part of the recent campaign to persuade the public to privatize public education. Although some view private schools as beacons of transformation, the former are considerably less creative and diverse than public schools. Private companies will do no better than (underfunded) public agencies at…