Public Backing For Schools Is Called Tenuous

By Ann Bradley

Most Americans want public education to work, but their support for schools is fragile and "disintegrates at the slightest probing," a report issued last week by Public Agenda warns.

"In the battle over the future of public education, the public is essentially 'up for grabs,"' concludes the report from the influential public-opinion research organization. "Neither the advocates of public education nor the proponents of private alternatives should confidently count the American public on their side."

The report, "Assignment Incomplete: The Unfinished Business of School Reform," is a follow-up to "First Things First," which gained widespread notice after its release last year by New York City-based Public Agenda. That study--which found that the public demands safety, order, and basic skills and is mistrustful of many educational innovations--generated a wave of interest among educators in understanding and meeting the public's concerns. (See Education...