WASHINGTON – If improving science and math education is suddenly a national priority, someone apparently forgot to tell parents and students.
In a new poll, 57 percent of parents said “things are fine” with the amount of math and science being taught in their child’s public school. High school parents seemed particularly content, with 70 percent of them saying their child was getting the right amount of science and math.
Students aren’t worried, either, according to the poll, released Tuesday by Public Agenda, a public opinion research group that tracks education trends.
Only half of children in grades six to 12 believed that understanding sciences and having strong math skills were essential for them to succeed after high school.
In theory, parents and students said, more math and science education is a good thing. For example, 62 percent of parents said it was crucial for most of today’s students to learn high-level math, including advanced algebra and calculus.
The story changes, though, when parents talked specifically about their kids’ schools, and when the children relayed their own experiences.
Students put lack of science and math near the bottom of problems they saw at school. They were much more worried about bad language, cheating or the pressure to get good grades.
Most parents, meanwhile, said their kids were getting a better education than they got at the same age. Only 32 percent of parents said their child’s school should teach more math and science.
If anything, parents were less worried about math and science these days – not more.
In 1994, 52 percent of parents considered a lack of math and science in their local schools a serious problem. Now, only 32 percent said the same thing. During that time, states ramped up standards and testing, which seems to have affected parents’ views.
The margin of sampling error was 3.6 percentage points.
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