Support For Public Schools - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Brian Hanson-Harding is a writer and a teacher of English at Northern Valley Regional High School, in Old Tappan, NJ.

Americans want better schools--and they're willing to put their money where their mouths are. A recent survey of 1,422 adults (parents and non-parents), conducted by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, found that three out of four of them would accept an annual tax increase of $200 to improve their schools; more than half would pay an additional $500. The survey also showed that 83 percent of the respondents think school funding should be equalized between rich and poor districts. Attitudes on school vouchers are mixed: 54 percent of all those surveyed oppose them while 42 percent support them. About two thirds, or 66 percent, of parents of public-school students say they would not take advantage of vouchers even if they covered 100 percent of private-school tuition.

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