*N=952 Briefing on NCLB and AYP Reporting Focus Groups and a Survey among Voters and Parents July 2003

Today’s Agenda  Opinion Environment  Main Tenets of NCLB  AYP Reporting & Labeling  Messages & Messengers

Methodology  8 focus groups were conducted:  2 among Suburban Baltimore parents  2 among Suburban Baltimore teachers  2 among Chicago city parents  2 among Chicago city teachers  A nationwide phone survey was conducted May 29 through June 4, 2003:  450 registered voters (margin of error = +/- 4.6% at the 95% confidence level)  This sample was weighted to population benchmarks for Black (13%) and Hispanic (13%)  403 parents of public school children (margin of error = +/- 4.9% at the 95% confidence level)  This sample was weighted to public school population benchmarks for Black (16%) and Hispanic (17%)

Opinion Environment

5 Registered Voters Support Standards and Accountability Will reduce inventiveness and creativity, forcing teachers to teach to tests Don’t know Will hold all schools accountable and produce results- oriented schools Some people say: Establishing standards will hold all schools accountable and produce results-oriented schools. Others say: that such standards will reduce inventiveness and creativity, forcing teachers to teach to national tests. Which statement comes closer to your view? Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates, Registered Voters June 17-20,1999, n=502

6 The Public Supports Adequate Academic Standards Oppose Strongly 4% Oppose not strongly 2% Favor not strongly 8% Favor strongly Net Oppose: 6% Net Favor: 93% Please tell me whether you favor or oppose making students meet adequate academic standards to be promoted/graduate. ICR-International Communications Research, General Public, June 25-July 19, 1999, n=1,422

7 How would you grade the quality of education your child is receiving from the school he or she attends? Black Parents and Voters Rate the Quality of Education in Local Schools Lower than Others Total Parents (n=403) White Parents (n=271) Black Parents (n=61) Hispanic Parents (n=48) Voters (n=450) A41%43%25%48%26% B40%39%52%43%35% C14% 15%10%25% D-F5%4%8%5%14%

Parents More Aware of State Report Cards Than Registered Voters Do you happen to know if your state publishes an annual report card or other rating of each public school based on how well the students are meeting state standards? Registered Voters n=450, Parents n=403 Parents (n=403) Voters (n=450) Aware of a report card AND pays close attention to it 57%31% Aware of a report card BUT does not pay close attention to it 8%11% Not aware of a report card 36%58%

9 How familiar would you say you are with a recent education law passed by the federal government called No Child Left Behind?* Not at all familiar Somewhat unfamiliar Somewhat familiar Very Familiar Total Unfamiliar: 54% Total Familiar: 42% *SDS Fall 2002 Omnibus Survey for ETS, n=900 Majority of Parents Not Familiar with NCLB

10 Very favorable17% Somewhat favorable19% Somewhat unfavorable 13% Very unfavorable15% Don’t know enough32% Neutral/Not sure4% Two years ago, Congress passed and President Bush signed into law an education reform bill called the No Child Left Behind Act. The new law provides federal funds for school districts in poor areas, and requires states to set standards for education and to test students each year to determine whether the standards are being met. Based on this statement and anything else you may have heard, would you say that you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the No Child Left Behind Act, or have you not heard enough to form an opinion? General Public Favorable/Unfavorable on NCLB ETS College Survey, Adults Nationwide, 1003n, May 2003, Peter Hart and Associates 36% 28% 36%

11 Opinion Environment Key Takeaways  Standards, accountability and testing are popular  Familiarity with NCLB is still relatively low.  Parents and voters are concerned about sub-groups of students not meeting state standards

12 Main Tenets of NCLB

13 Do you think that the quality of education available to students in the public schools in your area is the same or different for African-American, Hispanic, White, Asian, Poor, ESL, and Special Ed students? 72% 28% All students receive the same quality of education Some groups of students receive a better quality of education than others Parents: n=403 Most Parents Believe that All Students in their Area Receive Same Quality of Education

14 Do you think that the quality of education available to students in the public schools in your area is the same or different? Black Parents Less Likely to Believe Quality is Equal in Given Area Total Parents (n=403) White Parents (n=271) Black Parents (n=61) Hispanic Parents (n=48)Voters(n=450) Same72%79%49%65%68% Different28%21%51%35%32%

15 Parents Have High Levels of Concern if Certain Groups of Students Not Meeting Standards How concerned would you be about your child’s public school under each of the following circumstances? Parents n=403 93% 91% 83% 82%

16 Which of the following comes closest to your own view: 44%56% The reporting requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation are unfair because some schools could get labeled as needing improvement even when the vast majority of the students are doing fine The reporting requirements are fair because schools should be labeled as needing improvement if even one group of students is falling behind A Majority of Parents Think AYP Reporting is Fair in General Parents: n=403 Voters: Fair:59% Unfair:41%

17 55%40% UnfairFair But, A Majority Think it is Unfair When Applied to an “Excellent” Local School Parents: n=403 Don’t know 5% Would you think it was fair or unfair if a school in your community that was considered an excellent school is now labeled as a school needing improvement because one group of students is doing poorly, even though the vast majority of its students continue to do very well? Voters: Fair:37% Unfair:59% Don’t know: 5%

18 Hispanic and Black Parents Support Targeting Resources More Strongly than Others Hispanic Parents Black Parents Free/Reduced Lunch White Parents Total Parents Neutral* Do you favor or oppose school districts targeting their resources to the lowest performing schools first? FavorOppose Voters 46% 44% 42% 36% 35% 39% (strongly/somewhat) *Includes those responding “neutral” and “leaners.”

19 Do you think that the quality of education available to students in the public schools in your area is the same or different (for sub-groups)? Parents’ Belief About Quality of Education in Given Area Drives Specific Views on NCLB Those who think Quality of Education is “Same” (n=295) Those who think Quality of Education is “Different” (n=108) NCLB Reporting is Fair53%66% Favor targeting of resources to lowest performing schools 39%50% Parents: n=403 Same/Different Beliefs are Influencing These NCLB Specific Views

20 Parents are Divided on Whether Disaggregation is Helpful or Harmful Reporting test results by subgroups-such as low income and minority students- Total Parents (n=403) Black Parents (n=61) Hispanic Parents (n=48) White Parents (n=249)Voters(n=450) Will be helpful because it will focus attention on resources needed to help all students meet state reading and math standards 53%52%63%49%57% Will be harmful because it may single out some groups for embarrassment or ridicule 47%48%38%51%43%

21 NCLB Main Tenets Key Takeaways   Parents who believe all students within the schools in their area have access to the same quality of education also believe that labeling schools based on sub-group performance is unfair.   These parents and voters feel that holding schools accountable for the performance of individuals or groups is unreasonable since failure is the “fault” of the students and/or their parents, not the school.   Opinion about fairness of and support for school labeling based on subgroup is complex. Type of information and level of specificity can cause support to shift.   Disaggregation is complicated and potentially controversial. It must be explained and “sold” to parents and voters.   Targeting resources to lower performing schools is more strongly supported by Hispanics, Blacks and “reduced lunch” parents than by White parents.

22 Reporting and Labeling

23 Percentage of schools on AYP List Parents (n=403) Voters (n=450) 30% or less 51%44% More than 30% 30%39% Don’t know 19%17% Thinking about the schools in your state, how many of those schools would you expect to be on the list for not making adequate yearly progress? Majority of Parents Expect 30% or Fewer of Schools in Their State to NOT Make AYP

24 Parents and Voters Want Levels of Refinement Within the “Needs Improvement” Category Preference for AYP List Parents (n=403) Voters (n=450) Broken up74%57% Kept as one list8%14% Does not matter16%26% Don’t know2%3% If the “needs improvement” list includes schools that need different levels of improvement, do you think the list should be broken up into the different levels of improvement needed, kept as one list or does it not matter to you either way?

25 There is No Consensus on a Label for Non-AYP Schools, But “Failing” is Least Popular Option What to call Lowest Performing Schools on List Total parents (n=403) Voters (n=450) Priority27%24% Failing13%12% Academically Unacceptable 26%24% Lower Performing19%22% Target15%18% If a state were to break out the schools on its “needs improvement” list and label the lowest performing schools on the list, which of the following labels for the lowest performing schools would you prefer?

26 Black & Hispanic Parents More Cautious about Recognizing Progress than White Parents Total parents (n=403) White parents (n=271) Black parents (n=61) Hispanic parents (n=48) Treated Different 59%66%43%50% Treated Same 39%32%54%49% Should two schools be treated differently by the state because one is showing progress but is still far behind and the other has shown no improvement or should they be treated the same because both are failing to meet state standards?

27 Black Parent Concerns Over Acknowledging Progress May Relate to Higher Levels of Government Distrust If state officials from your state reported that half of the state’s schools had not met the state’s standards in reading and math but that many of the lower performing schools were making solid progress toward meeting the standards, which of the following would be closer to your own reaction? Total Parents (n=403) White Parents (n=249) Black Parents (n=65) Hispanic Parents (n=69) This is a bad situation, but at least it’s getting better and I’m glad the state officials pointed out the progress being made61%63%51%63% This is a bad situation that the state officials are trying to minimize by focusing on the progress being made by some schools39%37%49%38%

28 Reporting and Labeling Key Takeaways   Half of parents expect 30% or less of state’s schools to NOT make AYP.   About ¼ of parents expect 10% or less of state’s schools to NOT make AYP.   States with higher percentages may run counter to public expectations.   There is no clear preference for labeling of schools not making AYP, but “failing schools” is the least popular label.   Parents and voters understand and prefer having sub-categories of schools not meeting AYP.   Black and Hispanic Parents are less willing than White Parents to consider school progress when determining AYP.

29 Messages & Messengers

30 Moral Obligation is Primary Message Key Messages Total parents (n=403) Voters (n=450) Our society has a moral obligation to provide a high quality education to all students and to insure that they can perform at an acceptable level in reading and math before graduating from high school 43%40% The country’s economy will be much stronger if every student meets basic standards in reading and math by the time they graduate from high school 25%18% Taxpayers have a right to expect that their tax dollars are being used effectively 16%26% Individuals who cannot meet state standards in reading and math by the time they graduate from high school will be unable to find good jobs and become fully productive members of society 16%17% Which of the following do you consider the most important reason to try to have every student meeting state standards by 2014?

31 Parents Believe Most Students Have the Ability to Succeed If schools focus enough attention and resources on the students having the most difficulty almost all of them can meet state standards in reading and math No matter what the school does to help, most of the students having difficulty will not meet the state standards in reading and math because they lack the natural ability Which of the following comes closest to your own view? Parents n=403 Voters: 75% to 25%

32 Parents Believe Many Students Cannot Succeed Without More Parental Involvement If schools focus enough attention and resources on the students having the most difficulty almost all of them can meet state standards in reading and math No matter what the school does to help, most students that are having difficulty will not meet state standards in reading or math until more parents get involved with their children’s education Which of the following comes closest to your own view? Parents n=403 Voters: 32% to 68%

33 Success Stories Can Help But They Should Be as Localized as Possible We know that schools can improve the performance of all their students, including minorities, poor students and students that speak English as a second language, because hundreds of schools across the country are already doing it Each school is unique and just because a school somewhere else has succeeded in educating its kids does not mean it will work somewhere else Which of the following comes closest to your own view? Parents n=403 Voters: 54% to 46%

34 Parents think Teachers and Researchers are most believable in presenting school performance information Which of the following individuals would you consider most believable in presenting information on school performance? Parents n=403 Voters top three : Local Teachers37% Academic Researchers19% School Principals14%

35 Parents Think Reports from Teachers and Children are Most Important Sources of Information Which of the following is the most important source of information in forming your opinion of your child’s public school? Parents n=403 Voters top three: Newspaper or TV reports33% Reports from teachers22% Reports from other parents17%

36 However, Preferred Source of Information Does not Explain Attitudes on NCLB Parents who Cite Teachers as Most Important Source (n=150) Parents who Cite State Report Cards as Most Important Source (n=50) Parents who Cite Children as Most Important Source (n=163) NCLB reporting requirements are UNFAIR 40%42%47% Subgroup reporting is HARMFUL 47%49%51% Good school labeling is UNFAIR 54%57%60% If Source of Information were Related to Opinions on NCLB, these numbers would be different, BUT THEY AREN’T.

37 Messaging Key Takeaways  Lead with the moral argument for why all students should receive a high quality education.  Follow with the importance to nation’s economic well-being and the obligation to the taxpayer.  The public does not attribute poor performance of most students to lack of innate ability.  Parental involvement is seen as a key ingredient in student success and needs to be recognized as a necessary part of the “solution.”  Use examples of success stories. Making them local and including different types of schools can help overcome the idea that every school is unique.