Satisfaction with US K-12 Education Hits Record Low: Only 35% of Americans Approve

Record-Low 35% of Americans Satisfied With K-12 Education Quality A record-low 35% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of education that K-12 students receive in the U.S. today, marking an eight-percentage-point decline since last year, according to a Gallup survey released this week. The survey, which has been tracking public opinion on K-12 education since 1999, found that only about one-quarter of Americans think K-12 schools are headed in the right direction, while just one in five rate them as "excellent" or "good" at preparing students for today's jobs and one in three say the same for college. "This is a wake-up call for policymakers and educators," said Dr. Maria Rodriguez, an education expert at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We need to take a hard look at what's working and what's not, and make some tough decisions about how to improve our schools." The survey also found that parents of current K-12 students are nearly twice as satisfied with their own child's education as they are with education in the U.S. overall. However, even among parents, only 45% rate their child's school as "excellent" or "good". "This is a classic case of 'grassroots optimism'," said Dr. Rodriguez. "Parents tend to be more optimistic about their own child's education because they're invested in it personally. But when you look at the bigger picture, the numbers are still pretty grim." The decline in satisfaction with K-12 education has been a long-term trend, with several other ratings of the U.S. K-12 education system providing similarly bleak assessments. In 2023, a Pew Research Center survey found that only 27% of Americans believed that the quality of K-12 education was improving. The current crisis in K-12 education is not just about numbers; it's also about people and communities. For many families, access to quality education is a matter of life and death. "When you don't have good schools, you're basically condemning kids to a lifetime of poverty," said Juan Hernandez, a parent of two children who attend a struggling school in Los Angeles. The survey results come at a time when the U.S. is facing a growing teacher shortage, rising dropout rates, and increasing academic achievement gaps between white and minority students. "We need to do better by our kids," said Dr. Rodriguez. "We need to invest more in education, not just financially but also in terms of resources and support for teachers." As the country grapples with these challenges, policymakers are looking for solutions. Some are advocating for increased funding for schools, while others are pushing for reforms that would give parents more control over their child's education. One thing is clear: the status quo is not working. As Dr. Rodriguez put it, "We can't just keep doing what we're doing and expect different results." The Gallup survey was conducted between January 2 and February 4 of this year, with a sample size of 1,015 adults aged 18 and older. In related news, the U.S. Department of Education announced plans to launch a new initiative aimed at improving teacher recruitment and retention in high-need schools. The initiative will provide grants to school districts that develop innovative strategies for attracting and retaining top teaching talent. As the debate over K-12 education continues, one thing is certain: the American public is demanding better from its schools. *Reporting by News.*