Where We Are Now

here We Are Now is a survey of surveys. Drawing on a decade of Public Agenda opinion research and polls conducted by other respected organizations, we try to pinpoint the key elements of public thinking about public schools and show how it has changed over the last few years. This report was sponsored by Washington Mutual.

This report naturally prompts the question of what role polls should play in education or any other complex policy arena. Viewing public opinion as a formula for policy change is probably a recipe for disaster. People may have a vision of the kind of public schools they want, but few have struggled with the details of precisely how to get there. Still, the public pays for public schools, and most American families send their children to them. It is almost inconceivable to imagine a defensible public school system that does not reflect the values and goals of the community. Surveys offer a road map of where people agree and where they are divided. They can be an early warning system about policies that may unnerve or alienate people. But in the end, they are a starting point for dialogue, not a substitute for it. They are a guide for leadership, not a replacement for it.

Where We Are Now is available for free download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format to registered users of Public Agenda Online. You may download either the report itself, or a longer version that includes complete survey data for every poll question used in the report. For the first time, Public Agenda is making all the studies used in Where We Are Now available for free download to registered users. Studies published since 1998 are available in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. For older studies, press releases and other materials are available online but full reports must be ordered in print form. If you're not a registered user, sign up today - it's free.


	Where We Are Now: 12 Things You Need to Know about Public Opinion and Public Schools Login to Download PDF:	Complete Survey Results (Including Technical Appendix) Login to Download PDF:
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	A Lot Easier Said Than Done: Parents Talk about Raising Children in Today's America Login to Download PDF:	Sizing Things Up: What Parents, Teachers and Students Think About Large and Small High Schools Login to Download PDF:
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	Reality Check 2002 Complete Report


	Trying to Stay Ahead of the Game: Superintendents and Principals Talk about School Leadership Login to Download PDF:	Just Waiting to Be Asked? A Fresh Look at Attitudes on Public Engagement Login to Download PDF:
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	Reality Check 2001 Complete Report


	A Sense of Calling: Who Teaches and Why Login to Download PDF:	Survey Finds Little Sign of Backlash against Academic Standards or Standardized Tests Login to Download PDF:
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	Great Expectations: How the Public and Parents—White, African American and Hispanic—View Higher Education Download PDF (from NCPP)	Reality Check 2000 Complete Report


	Playing Their Parts: What Parents and Teachers Really Mean by Parental Involvement Login to Download PDF:	On Thin Ice: How Advocates and Opponents Could Misread the Public's Views on Vouchers and Charter Schools Login to Download PDF:
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	Taking Responsibility: Leaders Expectations of Higher Education Download PDF (From NCPP)	Reality Check 1999 Complete Report


	Time to Move On: African American and White Parents Set an Agenda for Schools Login to Download PDF:	The Price of Admission: The Growing Importance of Higher Education Download PDF (From NCPP)
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	Reality Check 1998 Complete Report


		Different Drummers: How Teachers of Teachers View Public Education Press Release	Getting By: What American Teenagers Really Think About Their Schools Press Release

		Assignment Incomplete: The Unfinished Business of Education Reform Press Release	First Things First: What Americans Expect from the Public Schools Press Release