Attitudes About Quality

Parents, teachers and students agree that California’s schools are fairly safe. But parents and students give the schools mixed grades for quality. Teachers are more positive. Californians say they would pay higher taxes to support schools, but are not sure it is necessary.

How would you rate the overall quality of education at your local public schools (students asked to rate education “you have received”)?

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Parents Excellent/Good Fair/Poor Don’t Know White 51% 47 2 Black 29% 70 1 Latino 48% 50 2 Asian 57% 38 5 All 49% 48 3 Teachers 80% 19 1 Students 76% 24 -- All adults 43% 51 6

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Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to increase school funding?

Parents

Willing: 62%

Unwilling: 33%

Don’t know: 5%

*

All Adults

Willing: 60%

Unwilling: 35%

Don’t know: 5%

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Do you believe we can improve the quality of California’s public school system by:

Using the money we spend now more wisely?

Teachers: 46%

Parents: 57%

All adults: 58%

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Are we going to have to spend more money?

Teachers: 48%

Parents: 38%

All adults: 35%

*

Don’t know

Teachers: 6%

Parents: 5%

All adults: 7%

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What is the most important problem facing your local public schools today? (Accepted two replies; top six responses shown)

Crime/Gangs/Violence/Drugs

Students: 32%

Teachers: 3%

Parents: 19%

All adults: 19%

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Budget cuts

Students: 4%

Teachers: 23%

Parents: 18%

All adults: 19%

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Large class size

Students: 6%

Teachers: 16%

Parents: 22%

All adults: 17%

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Teacher performance/training

Students: 10%

Teachers: 9%

Parents: 18%

All adults: 17%

*

Students unprepared/undisciplined

Students: 18%

Teachers: 15%

Parents: 7%

All adults: 10%

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Parents not involved/don’t teach values

Students: --

Teachers: 31%

Parents: 9%

All adults: 10%

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How would you rate teachers in California’s public schools?

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Excellent/ Below Parents Above average Average average/Poor Don’t know White 29% 57 11 3 Black 16% 64 20 -- Latino 22% 58 16 4 Asian 46% 38 10 6 All 28% 55 13 4 Teachers 70% 26 1 3

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How would you rate the curriculum offered to students in California’s public schools?

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Excellent/ Below Parents Above average Average average/Poor Don’t know White 15% 52 30 3 Black 10% 51 37 2 Latino 16% 64 20 -- Asian 38% 44 10 8 All 18% 54 25 3 Teachers 48% 42 9 1 All Adults 17% 51 26 6

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How serious a problem is each of the following at your child’s school (students asked “at your school”)?

Out-of-date textbooks?

Parents

Serious: 36%

Not serious: 60%

Don’t know: 4%

*

Students

Serious: 42%

Not serious: 58%

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Drug use in school?

Parents

Serious: 37%

Not serious: 58%

Don’t know: 5%

*

Students

Serious: 58%

Not serious: 42%

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Overcrowded classrooms?

Parents

Serious: 53%

Not serious: 46%

Don’t know: 1%

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Students

Serious: 47%

Not serious: 53%

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How safe do you think. . .

Parents: “your child is”/Teachers & students: “you are” at school from crime or violence?

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Parents Students Teachers Very safe 44% 50% 70% Somewhat safe 38 41 22 Somewhat unsafe 14 7 6 Very unsafe 3 2 2 Don’t know 1 -- --

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Have you ever been involved in a fight or had a weapon, such as a gun or knife, pulled on you at school?

Students

No: 83%

Yes, fight: 14%

Yes, weapon: 2%

Yes, both (volunteered): 1%

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Students in some schools try to avoid using the bathrooms at school because they are unsafe, dirty or don’t work well. Do you?

Students

Yes: 48%

No: 51%

Don’t know: 1%

Notes: “--”indicates less than 0.5%. Totals may exceed 100% in questions where more than one response was accepted. Totals may be less than 100% where not all answer categories are shown.

Source: Los Angeles Times polls

Times Poll results are also available on the World Wide Web at:

https://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/POLLS/