Public Favors Longer School Year, Gallup Poll Shows

By Julie A. Miller

The American public strongly favors national achievement standards and testing, public-school choice, and merit pay for excellent teachers, and an unprecedented number back lengthening the school year, according to the latest Gallup Poll on education.

Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander said in a statement that this year's edition of the poll demonstrates "overwhelming" support for the Bush Administration's America 2000 education strategy, which includes all those elements.

But the 23rd annual poll, which concentrated on proposals contained in the Bush plan, yielded mixed results on the issue of school choice, which President Bush and Mr. Alexander have called the...