PDK polls consistently show that parents give their children's schools high marks but are dissatisfied with the performance of public schools nationally. This paradox may be explained by the persistent narrative of failing public schools that has dominated media coverage in the past 50 years. Authors Mark Hlavacik and Jack Schneider tracked the…

Negative public perception of schools nationally impacts the teaching profession in direct and indirect ways. This perception has depressed the number of students in teacher preparation programs at universities. Indirectly, public perception affects teacher working conditions, compensation, and morale. Education advocates and researchers talk…

Preparing students to enter the workforce and attracting and retaining good teachers are Americans' top educational priorities for the next administration in Washington, regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election, the 2024 PDK Poll finds. While eight in 10 or more Americans pick those two items as priorities, other policy priorities…

As the Every Student Succeeds Act is returning authority over teacher evaluation policies back to the states, policy makers at the state level have the opportunity to revise their policies. But who will they listen to when it comes to potential reforms? The author surveyed education policy makers to determine to what degree teachers, education…

Being an expert involves explaining how things are supposed to work, and, perhaps more important, why things might not work as supposed. In this study, researchers surveyed scholars with expertise in value-added models (VAMs) to solicit their opinions about the uses and potential of VAMs for teacher-level accountability purposes (for example, in…

Formal mentoring is the cornerstone of most teacher induction programs, but teachers receive support from informal mentors as well. The authors report on findings from a study of 57 first-year mathematics teachers in 11 school districts to describe who teachers' formal and informal mentors are, how teachers work with them, and how the functions of…

An initial look at work being done in a reform project sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation finds that evaluations of teacher performance aren't as unpopular with teachers who have experienced the new system as some would have us believe. Leaders acknowledge that the new approach to teacher evaluation takes more time than…

This is the latest in a series of polls sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International with the Gallup organization. Some important findings of this year's poll include: About half of us believe teacher unions are hurting public education, but we're more likely to support teacher union leaders than governors in disputes over teacher collective…

Describes Courses by Newspaper, developed by University Extension, University of California, San Diego. Courses are offered through newspapers across the country. Credit for the first course offered was given by 188 colleges and universities. (JF)

Educators and students speculate on education during the next thirty years. (LR)

Summarizes a survey of editors of 138 refereed education journals and 38 nonrefereed journals. Compares procedures and criteria for selecting manuscripts and addresses the advantages and disadvantages of using referees. (MJL)

a discussion and listing of the 18 goals of education endorsed by Phi Delta Kappans. PDK ranks reading, writing, speaking, and listening as number one and the proper management of money, property, and resources as 14th in importance. (Author)

Describes the 1984 school/community survey developed and used by the Foundations in Educational Administration at the University of Texas. The use of survey methods helps future administrators become aware of the importance of public opinion in school improvement programs. (MD)

Presents the results of polling in 1985 concerning the public's attitudes toward the nation's public schools, toward local schools, and toward school personnel, teacher salaries, merit pay, teacher competency, the curriculum, extracurricular activities, homework, student rights, student discipline, school finance, alternatives to public education,…

Reveals strong teacher dissatisfaction with the 45-15 plan adopted in Pasco County, Florida, public schools and suggests increased teacher involvement in planning processes. (DW)