June 03, 2007
Sunday

Nearly two-thirds of American adults want Congress to re-write or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act that mandates nationwide testing of elementary students to determine if public schools are performing adequately.

63 percent want 'no child' law ended or changed Scripps Howard News Service The following are selected results from a survey of 1,010 adult residents of the United States conducted by telephone from May 6-27 at the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University. The federal No Child Left Behind Act is up for renewal in Congress soon. Would you say you are very familiar with this law, somewhat familiar or not familiar with this law. Very familiar .................... 27 Somewhat familiar ................ 47 Not familiar ..................... 25 Don't Know/Other Response ......... 1 That law requires states to test elementary students to determine if schools do a good job teaching. But critics say the law forces teachers to teach to a particular test. From everything you've heard, do you think the No Child Left Behind Act has been good for public schools or not good for public schools? Good For Schools ................. 34 Not Good For Schools ............. 43 Don't Know/Other Response ........ 23 Based upon everything you've heard, do you want Congress to renew the No Child Left Behind law, do you want Congress to make changes in the law or do you want Congress to cancel the No Child Left Behind law? Renew law ........................ 23 Change Law ....................... 49 Cancel Law ....................... 14 Don't Know/Other Response ........ 14 Are there any children in your household who have attended a public elementary school in the last five years? Yes .............................. 29 No ............................... 71 A look at who opposes the 'no child' law By THOMAS HARGROVE Scripps Howard News Service The Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University asked 1,010 adults: "Based upon everything you've heard, do you want Congress to renew the No Child Left Behind law, do you want Congress to make changes in the law or do you want Congress to cancel the No Child Left Behind law?" Sixty-three percent answered they want Congress to make changes or cancel the law. Here is how opposition to the current law breaks down among different groups. Entire nation ................... 63 Men ............................. 62 Women ........................... 64 Public School Kids in Home ...... 68 No School Kids in Home .......... 61 Is "Very Familiar" with Law ..... 73 "Somewhat Familiar" with Law .... 64 Not Familiar with Law ........... 49 Strong Democrat ................. 69 Lean Toward the Democrats ....... 63 Independent ..................... 67 Lean Toward the Republicans ..... 61 Strong Republican ............... 56 Very Conservative ............... 50 Somewhat Conservative ........... 60 Middle of the Road .............. 64 Somewhat Liberal ................ 76 Very Liberal .................... 76 18-24 ........................... 64 25-44 ........................... 67 45-64 ........................... 64 65 or older ..................... 55 Not A High School Graduate ...... 58 Graduated High School ........... 51 Attended Some College ........... 62 College Graduate ................ 71 Post Graduate Studies ........... 80 White ........................... 64 African-American ................ 58 Hispanic ........................ 67 Asian-American/Other ............ 54 Northeast ....................... 61 South ........................... 60 Midwest ......................... 68 West ............................ 62 Lives in major city ............. 61 Smaller city .................... 61 Suburb .......................... 69 Rural area ...................... 67 Income Below $25,000 ............ 61 25,000 to $40,000 ............... 61 40,000 to $60,000 ............... 72 60,000 to $80,000 ............... 65 80,000 to $100,000 .............. 71 Above $100,000 .................. 68 Approves of Bush ................ 54 Disapproves of Bush ............. 68 Source: National survey of 1,010 adult residents of the United States conducted by Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University from May 6-27.

Opposition is especially high among people most familiar with the law, according to a survey of 1,010 adults conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University.

Controversy about the law has grown in recent months as Congress begins the debate on whether to reauthorize the measure that President Bush has touted is one of the most important achievements of his administration.

"The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law," Bush urged legislators during his last State of the Union address.

But dissent against reauthorization has developed within his own party. Fifty-two Republican House members and five GOP senators are calling for a repeal of the law in favor of a more flexible system of achievement standards to be negotiated between the Department of Education and individual states.

"This expensive and largely unsuccessful legislation has broadened the scope of the federal government's role in education," Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said while introducing his bill.

Participants in the poll were told that No Child Left Behind "requires states to test elementary students to determine if schools do a good job teaching. Critics say the law forces teachers to teach to a particular test. From everything you've heard, do you think the No Child Left Behind Act has been good for public schools or not good?"

Only about a third said they think the law has had a positive influence on public education while slightly less than half said it has had a negative impact and a fifth were undecided.

A few respondents volunteered different answers that were generally critical of the law.

"The schools should have more leeway," said the mother of two public school children from Lexington, S.C.

"It was a good theory, but the implementation has been faulty," remarked another mother with three children from Elmhurst, N.Y.

"No Child Left Behind created unfunded mandates which force teachers to teach to the test," complained a single woman from Tonopah, Nev.

"States should have more control over their education programs," said a mother from Houston, Texas.

Respondents in the poll were also asked: "Based upon everything you've heard, do you want Congress to renew the No Child Left Behind law, do you want Congress to make changes in the law or do you want Congress to cancel the No Child Left Behind law?"

Twenty-three percent said they want the law renewed in its current form, 14 percent want it abolished and 49 percent want it amended. Fourteen percent were undecided. Taken together, 63 percent want the law abolished or amended.

About three-quarters of people who said they are "very familiar" with the law also say they want it altered or abolished, compared to less than half of people who say they are "not familiar" with the measure.

Well-educated people, especially college graduates and those who've attended post-graduate schooling, are especially likely to call for changes to the law. People who have public school children at home are somewhat more likely to want the law altered or abolished than are people who don't currently have children in school.

Although much of the criticism in Congress against the current form of the law is coming from Republicans, the poll found that Democrats in the general public were more likely to want changes in the law than were Republicans.

The survey was conducted by telephone from May 6-27 among 1,010 adult residents of the United States who were selected at random. The survey was conducted by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University under a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation.

The survey has a margin of error of about 3 percent, although the margin is somewhat higher when estimating support for the No Child Left Behind Act among different subgroups.

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