ERIC Number: ED369537
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1993
Pages: 185
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Study of Attitudes & Behavior Regarding Children's Education. The Third PTA National Education Survey.
National PTA, Chicago, IL.; Newsweek, Inc., New York, NY.; NuStats, Inc., Austin, TX.
A national study assessed attitudes of minority and nonminority parents and nonparent adults on parent involvement and other educational issues. Telephone interviews with 1,148 adults, including 806 parents with at least one child in kindergarten through grade 12 and 342 adults (called "nonparents") who did not have children in those grades, were conducted in February, 1993. The sample included 562 Whites, 282 Blacks, and 284 Hispanics. The study report addresses the five areas of evaluation of schools, children and schools, parental involvement in children's education, attitudes about educational issues, and demographics. Among the study's many findings are the following: (1) 54% of adults graded public schools highly, with parents grading schools higher than nonparents; (2) parents and nonparents felt that virtually all groups in society have some responsibility for improving schools; (3) 58% of parents felt that their child's school is safe, and 42% that it is somewhat safe or not safe; (4) 89% of the subjects' children were enrolled in public schools, 7% in private schools, and 4% in parochial schools; (5) 63% of parents rated their children's school performance as above average; (6) 70% of parents expected their children to graduate from college, and minority parents' aspirations for their children to complete high school and college were similar to those of white parents; (7) the level of parental involvement with their children's education was quite high, and was the same for fathers and mothers; and (8) virtually no parents felt that teachers should have the primary responsibility for teaching children about values, drug abuse, AIDS, intergroup relations, alcohol abuse, sex, and tobacco abuse. Additional technical details and the questionnaire appear in the Technical Appendix. The bulk of the document is composed of tables presenting the study's findings. (TJQ)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Blacks, Demography, Educational Attitudes, Educational Quality, Educational Responsibility, Elementary School Students, Elementary Secondary Education, Hispanic Americans, National Surveys, Parent Attitudes, Parent Participation, Parent Responsibility, Parents, Public Schools, School Safety, Secondary School Students, Tables (Data), Telephone Surveys, Whites
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National PTA, Chicago, IL.; Newsweek, Inc., New York, NY.; NuStats, Inc., Austin, TX.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A