Colleges

The American public is quick to condemn the K-12 schools, yet expresses confidence that colleges and universities are doing a good job educating students, a recent report found.

Precollegiate schools are unsafe and unable to impart basic academic skills, according to survey responses in "Doing Comparatively Well: Why the Public Loves Higher Education and Criticizes K-12.'' Released last month by the Institute for Educational Leadership, based in Washington, and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, located in San Jose, Calif., the report analyzed data collected by several groups over five years.

However, the study found that many respondents consider U.S. colleges and...