New York City -- As the math and science achievement of American students continues to lag behind the international competition, business leaders, educators and President Bush in his State of the Union address are all launching major campaigns to improve math and science education for the nation's students. But where American leadership sees a crisis, parents and students think that on the math/science front, things are just fine, thank you.

These are some of the findings of a new national survey of parents and high school students from the nonpartisan research organization Public Agenda which found that American parents and students do not share business and government leaders' worries that flagging math and science skills are a threat to both students' and the nation's future.

In the first of a series of reports, Reality Check 2006: Are American Parents and Students Ready for More Math and Science?, Public Agenda found that while, in general, parents support proposals to make high schools globally competitive, most (57%) also say the amount of science and math their child studies now is about right. In fact, Public Agenda notes, parents' concern about math and science achievement has actually declined since the mid 1990s. In 1994, 48% of parents thought their children were not getting enough math and science compared to only 32% of parents thinking the same in 2005.

American students aren't too worried either. Only one quarter say lack of emphasis on science and math is a problem in their own school. And, despite widely publicized predictions about the role science and technology will play in the economy of the future, more that four in 10 students say they would be quite unhappy if they ended up in a career with a math or science focus.

Just four in 10 students (41%) say having great skills with computers and technology is essential and half (50%) say that understanding science and having strong math skills are essential. When asked to rank serious problems in their own schools, not being taught enough math and science ranked near the bottom of their concerns.

Boys/Girls; Minority/White

Despite concerns about how few young women pursue math and science studies and careers, the survey found no significant differences between the attitudes of high school girls and boys. Majorities of both girls (58%) and boys (55%) say that increasing the number and quality of math and science courses would improve high school education. And even though American students generally score poorly on international comparisons, both girls (65%) and boys (66%) say they have learned a lot in math class.

There are, however, some striking differences between minority and white students. Minority high schoolers are more likely (53%) than white high schoolers (48%) to say that math and science are absolutely essential for real world success. And they are also more likely than white students (31% vs. 20%) to say that not being taught enough math and science is a serious problem in their own school.

Leaders Have Their Work Cut Out

According to Public Agenda President Ruth Wooden, Those who know most about the economy and workplace of the future realize that the U.S. public schools, especially high schools, are not imbuing students with the science and math skills that will be essential in the 21st century. But until recently, most leadership initiatives had been focused on revamping and strengthening college-level math and science degree programs. But if the demand side is weak, if 12th graders continue to rank near the bottom internationally on math and science, and if too few students and parents are interested in these offerings it will not make even a dent in the problem.

Jean Johnson, Executive Director of Public Agenda's new initiative Education Insights noted that Business and government leaders who are concerned about the state of math and science education in today's high schools need to get out there and rally the troops. They need to help parents and kids understand the nature of the challenge to our economy and work force. Right now, most American parents are complacent and most kids underestimate the role that science and math will play in their future and in the future of our economy.

About 'Reality Check 2006'

Reality Check 2006 is a set of public opinion tracking surveys on important issues in public education. From 1998 through 2002, Public Agenda conducted an annual survey of parents, teachers, students, employers and college professors covering standards, testing and accountability. In 2005 and 2006, Public Agenda revised and updated these surveys to cover a broader range of issues, including high school reform, school leadership, teacher preparation and quality, school funding and other issues. The tracking survey will be repeated periodically as a service of Public Agenda's Education Insights initiative.

Funding for Reality Check was provided by the GE Foundation, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and The Wallace Foundation.

For the full report go to http://www.publicagenda.org/reports/reality-check-2006-issue-no-1

Methodology

The findings in Reality Check 2006: Are Parents and Students Ready for More Math and Science? are based on two focus groups with parents and telephone interviews with a national random sample of 1,379 parents of children now in public school and 1,342 public school students in grades six through 12. Interviews were conducted between October 30 and December 29, 2005. The margin of error for the sample of parents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points; the margin of error for the sample of students is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. It is higher when comparing percentages across subgroups.

Public Agenda is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nonpartisan public policy research. Founded in 1975 by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, Public Agenda is well respected for its influential public opinion polls and balanced citizen education materials. Its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to educate citizens about government policy.