Bryan Goodwin, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
July 2003
As part of an ongoing "national dialogue," Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) released this report on public attitudes toward standards-based education. Despite recent assertions that Americans don't understand or support NCLB-style reforms, McREL's research found something very different: people consistently "in favor of holding schools accountable to parents, employers and taxpayers," albeit couching "their calls for accountability...in complaints about schools and districts being unresponsive, impenetrable bureaucracies." McREL concludes that "people are, indeed, concerned about education issues and generally support the kinds of standards, testing and accountability provisions embodied in NCLB." These findings provide a sharp contrast to the recent Kappan/Gallup claims that "the public shows little support for the strategies that are an integral part of NCLB as it is being implemented." To see for yourself, go to http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/Standards/5032IR_IssuesBrief0703_DiggingDeeper.pdf.
