For increasing numbers of Americans, a crucial facet of the American Dream appears to be at risk. A solid majority consider a college degree an indispensable ticket to the middle class. At the same time, even more people believe college is financially out-of-reach for many qualified students. This is the message from new public opinion research by…

Six out of ten Americans now say that colleges today operate more like a business, focused more on the bottom line than on the educational experience of students. Further, the number of people who feel this way has increased by five percentage points in the last year alone and is up by eight percentage points since 2007. These are highlights from…

For increasing numbers of Americans, a fundamental element of the American Dream appears to be at risk. A solid majority consider a college degree an indispensable ticket to the middle class, while even more people believe college is financially out-of-reach for many qualified students. The authors of this report advocate that findings have…

A study conducted by Public Agenda Foundation, in partnership with the National Constitution Center, examined what typical adults know and believe about the U.S. Constitution, probed what they understand their rights and civic responsibilities to be, and reported their views on the document's importance and relevance in their lives today. The…

This report gives the results of a study that probes how typical individuals think about religion, faith, and personal morality. Alongside their belief in the power of religion to help individuals become better people, most people are also instinctively wary about injecting religion directly into politics, the public schools, and public life in…

Uses question-and-answer format to report results of Public Agenda survey of 510 parents of special-needs students about their experiences with special education. Survey obtained parents' perspectives on topics such as the quality of special-education teachers and programs, the evaluation process, mainstreaming, and standards. Finds that a…

This study explored public opinion with regard to educational vouchers and charter schools. It summarizes findings from an in-depth national survey conducted in 1999 of 1,200 members of the public, including 394 parents of school-age children. The study also examined parents' attitudes in several areas where vouchers and charter schools are now…

This publication is a followup report to Public Agenda's 1994 study on public-school education, entitled "First Things First." The publication reports findings of a 1995 study that investigated the public's perspective on school restructuring. Data were derived from a national telephone survey of 1,200 Americans, including 439 parents of children…

This report summarizes findings from two national opinion surveys that looked at issues surrounding parental involvement in schools. One survey assessed the views of 1,000 public school teachers; the other examined the views of 1,220 parents of children currently in public school. The focus of the survey was to find out what parents and teachers…

This report examines students', teachers', and parents' reactions to standardized testing and whether the move to raise academic standards has improved the quality of college students and new employees. It is based on telephone interviews conducted in late 2001 with a national and random sample of 600 K-12 public-school teachers, 610 parents of…

This report examines students', teachers', and parents' reactions to standardized testing and whether the move to raise academic standards has improved the quality of college students and new employees. It is based on telephone interviews conducted in late 2000 with a national and random sample of public-school teachers, parents of public-school…

How people treat each other in their daily interactions seems to be profoundly important and even central to the definition of a "civilized" society. This nationwide survey examined what Americans are thinking about courtesy, manners, rudeness, and respect. Data were gathered through a random sample telephone survey of 2,013 adults…

This report is the third in a series of "Reality Check" reports finds that five years into the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act and over a dozen years into the so-called standards movement in American education, the public now sees these reforms as "necessary, but not sufficient." This is consistent across a…

It is not the kind of atmosphere most adults would find helpful if they needed to study and learn-high dropout rates, kids promoted without learning, schools short on money, profanity and disrespect, fighting, drug and alcohol abuse. Yet these are "very serious" problems in schools, according to surprisingly large numbers of the nation's black and…

This document presents responses of a national telephone survey of 510 parents of children with special needs to find out whether or not parents believe that special education, as it is now structured, is effective. An introduction examines issues related to reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), noting the…