parents

Reading Between the Lines of the Latest ACT Results

Jenny Choi — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:12:31 -0400

New ACT results were released today, indicating a slight drop in scores for the 2008 graduating class (details of the results can be found here). But ACT officials were quick to point out that a record number of students took the test this year. They argue that, while the proportion of test-takers who demonstrated college readiness may have stayed the same, the actual number who are prepared for college increased in 2008. Still, the numbers themselves are undeniably grim, with just 22 percent meeting a benchmark score for college readiness in all the four subjects: English, math, reading and science. In math, 43 percent met the ACT's benchmark in college readiness, and just 28 percent met the benchmark in science.

Our research has shown that different parties have widely differing perspectives on the issue of college preparedness. A majority of parents (69 percent) in our Reality Check report said they believe their child will have the skills needed to succeed in college. But most parents also think that their child's education is not only better (61 percent) but that the material they are learning is harder (65 percent) than in their own experience. Some of our earlier research, however, showed jarring discrepancies between college professors and public school teachers. Nearly seven in 10 college professors said a high school dlploma is not a guarantee that a student has learned the basics, compared to 22 percent of public school teachers.

Are Kids Really Getting a Break in the Summer?

Jenny Choi — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:04:33 -0400

With August now in full swing and just a few weeks left until the school year resumes, many students may be scrambling to finish their summer homework assignments. But the Washington Post reports that there may, in fact, be a trend away from the kind of rigorous and often heavy workload of recent summers in and around the nation's capital. In some districts, students have been assigned as many as four books to read and report on and a whole packet of math problems to solve. But some educators say there are limitations to such a barrage of summer assignments and have opted to give kids a real break from the school year stresses of juggling homework with a part-time job and extracurricular activities. Many schools still require a single reading assignment but supporters of this 'lessened load' approach extol the virtues of giving students a chance to rest during the summer months.

Still, detractors of this approach say most kids' skills and study habits become rusty and that it can take them weeks to regain it. Not to mention this theory has been substantiated by comparisons of standardized test scores, especially in math. Parents, too, are especially concerned about a loss of learning and would much prefer seeing their child engaged in reading or some other assignment than playing video games or watching tv.

Our own Reality Check research on this topic has similarly shown that parents aren't exactly complaining about "too much" homework, with 68 percent saying it is about the right amount. But students actually echo this sentiment, and in slightly greater numbers (72 percent). This could, in part, be explained by the finding in an earlier Reality Check survey, in which most parents (65 percent) said that the material their child is learning is more challenging -- and the education their child is getting is better -- than their own experience. And in All Work and No Play, our survey of parents and teens on out-of-school activities, more than half of high school students (56 percent) said they would be interested in a summer program that "helped kids keep up with schoolwork or prepare for the next grade." Low-income and minority parents are especially concerned about keeping youngsters busy and productive during the summer months. As far as the general public is concerned, half say class work and homework are the best measures of academic achievement.

As The Wardrobe Malfunction Turns...

Scott Bittle — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:44:58 -0400

In case you've forgotten the most memorable event of the 2004 Super Bowl (and no, we're not talking about Adam Vinatieri's last-second field goal), a federal appeals court today threw out a $550,000 indecency fine for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show. The court said the fine levied on CBS violated the FCC's longstanding practice of not sanctioning broadcasters for "fleeting" incidents of profanity or obscenity.

With luck, this may be the last time this episode is in the news, so let's put it in context. We've done a lot of survey research on parents and we've found they have a difficult relationship with television. TV seems to be both inescapable and uncomfortable for most parents. Seven in 10 told researchers they'd been "shocked" by something they'd seen on television in the past year, and nearly half said they worry their child watches too much TV.

Banning television entirely did not seem practical to the parents we surveyed. Parents tell us they have to act on a long and difficult agenda as they try to ensure their child is safe, does well in school, and grows into a self-reliant adult. Given those challenges, it's no surprise that 85 percent said you have to "pick your battles – you can't fight our child over everything." With so many worries, many parents don't like what they see on TV, but also see television as a place to compromise – and perhaps not their most pressing concern.

Study Says Sexually Active Teens Using Birth Control Less Often

Francie Grace — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:43:33 -0400

More teens than ever before are being taught about HIV in school, but a new study shows a decline since 2003 in the use of condoms. The use of birth control pills by teens also dropped off in the past few years, according to a Centers for Disease Control report (pdf) which shows an end to what had been a decade-long decline in sexual activity among teens. Nearly 48 percent of the ninth to twelfth grade students surveyed in 2007 said they had had sex at least once; more than 7 percent said that first time was before age 13; and 35 percent reported being sexually active in the three months before the poll was taken.

While it's too soon, statistically speaking, to know for sure whether teen sexual activity is on the increase, some experts are expressing concern. "All of us in this field are on red alert," said Sarah S. Brown, of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, in a Washington Post interview. Agreeing, but from a slightly different angle, is Charmaine Yoest, of the Family Research Council. "The No. 1 movie that all teenage girls want to see right now is 'Sex and the City,' " Yoest told the Post. "Our culture continues to tell them the way to be cool is to dress provocatively and to consider nonmarital sexual activity to be normative."

Messages from outside the home are among the challenges pointed to by parents in trying to raise teenagers. Our 2002 report, "A Lot Easier Said Than Done: Parents Talk About Raising Children in Today's America," 90 percent of parents agreed that when it comes to bad language and adult themes, "it seems like TV programs are getting worse every year." Forty-seven percent also agreed with the statement that "wherever my child turns, he/she sees crude or sexual messages in the media." Fifty-two percent disagreed.

Parents point to self-control and self-discipline as the most important things to teach their children, with 83 percent saying it is essential to teach those behaviors, but just 34 percent saying they believe they've succeeded in doing so. The teen years are a major concern. Nearly all parents (93 percent) said they worry a lot more when kids are old enough to drive and 84 percent said the worry level spikes when kids are old enough to date. Asked whether they worry if their children are acting too grown-up, or too fast, single parents were more likely to say "yes," with 49 percent saying that is a concern, as opposed to 35 percent of all parents.

But eight in 10 parents say as kids get older, parents have to ease up and give them more freedom. Showing flexibility, within limits, was favored as a strategy by 65 percent on the issue of sloppy or revealing clothes and 60 percent on the question of listening to music with crude or bad language. Only half as many parents, on both questions, said they'd instead forbid the offending music and clothing, under all circumstances.

Marijuana: How Dangerous?

Jenny Choi — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:25:38 -0400

Americans' views on marijuana are complex. While majorities say marijuana should not be legalized, they are somewhat divided on whether possession of a small amount should be considered a crime. And most Americans say they approve of using the drug for medicinal purposes when prescribed by a doctor. About three in 10 people say they have tried marijuana and a majority of parents who have tried it say they would tell their kids if they asked. On the other hand, three-quarters of parents say they would be "extremely" upset if their child smoked marijuana and half say they would be more concerned about pot than cigarettes or alcohol.

Does Everyone Need to Go to College?

Jenny Choi — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:29:53 -0400

There are some contradictions in the public's thinking about the necessity of a college education. Two-thirds of the public says it's possible to be successful in the work world without a college education and nearly half say there are too many students in college who don't belong there. Yet six in 10 parents say they consider going to college "absolutely necessary" for their own child. Minority parents are even more likely to value a college degree than the general public. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic parents and almost half of African American parents consider a college education "the one thing that can most help a young person succeed," compared to about a third of white parents and the general public.

Testing: One Measure Among Many?

Jenny Choi — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:11:38 -0400

Americans broadly favor testing to measure academic performance, as long as it’s not the only benchmark. For instance, most Americans (84 percent) say standardized tests should be used to identify students who need extra help, but far fewer (55 percent) say the scores should decide whether a student gets promoted or graduates. In Public Agenda’s Reality Check 2002, most teachers and parents said it’s wrong to rely on the results of a single test to decide whether a student advances. And majorities of both groups, teachers in particular, believe there is too much emphasis on standardized test scores. Other polls show the majority of Americans oppose using test results as the sole factor in determining whether a school should get federal funds. And half of Americans say class work and homework, rather than test scores, are the best measures of academic achievement. Among the nation’s educators, the majority of teachers and principals have some concerns about standardized testing, but they say the schools ultimately need some kind of standard assessment.

What is a likely cost or tradeoff?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:19:12 -0400

What is a likely cost or tradeoff?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:17:29 -0400

What is a likely cost or tradeoff?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:15:51 -0400

What is a likely cost or tradeoff?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:10:31 -0400

If additional funding is provided for the schools, what should it be used

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:08:35 -0400

If additional funding is provided for the schools, what should it be used

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:06:53 -0400

If additional funding is provided for the schools, what should it be used

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:05:19 -0400

If additional funding is provided for the schools, what should it be used

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:04:02 -0400

How would each approach affect minority students?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:01:49 -0400

How would each approach affect minority students?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:58:56 -0400

How would each approach affect minority students?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:57:24 -0400

How would each approach affect minority students?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:54:39 -0400

What would this approach require parents to do?

Peiting Chen — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:42:13 -0400