Is the average child learning as much in school today as the average child did a generation ago? And what about the above average and below average children today compared with their counterparts of a few decades ago? In 1963 the NEA Research Division asked a sample of public-school classroom teachers: In your opinion are children and youth today learning as much in school as they did when you were in the elementary and secondary grades? Compare the above average now with the above average then; the average now with the average then, etc. today is learning: More About the same Less Number reporting 51.2% 48.3% 34.6 35.1 14.2 16.6 100.0% 100.0% In all categories, except one, a majority of the teachers believe that pupils are learning more today. Less than half of the secondaryschool teachers polled believed that the "below average pupils" in the secondary grades were learning more today; however, only 17 percent of the secondary-school teachers thought that these pupils were learning less. In general, teachers believe all three groups of children are learning at least as much as their counterparts did a generation ago and most teachers believe they are learning more. DE FACTO SEGREGATION How to deal with de facto school segregation resulting from housing patterns in large cities is a difficult problem facing school boards. De facto segregation. (March 1964, Teacher Opinion Poll 6. Reported in the NEA Journal, November 1964, p. 30.) In the spring of 1964, the NEA Research Division asked teachers this question: Various steps are being proposed to school boards in large cities where housing patterns produce "de facto" school segregation in Negro and other minority neighborhoods. Which ONE of the following policies would you recommend for elementary schools and which ONE for secondary schools? About half of the teachers would permit pupils to transfer voluntarily to less crowded schools outside their own neighborhoods. Forty percent of all teachers recommend the continuance of neighborhood attendance areas for elementary schools, and 33 percent of all teachers recommend it for secondary schools. Policy for secondary schools Permit pupil transfers to less crowded schools in other sections, without providing transportation. Permit transfer to less crowded schools in other sections and provide transportation.... Require exchanges of groups of pupils to reduce racial or mi- Policy for elementary schools Permit pupil transfers to less crowded schools in other sections, teachers 100.0% 638 Number reporting......... 1,332 694 When opinions were compared on a regional basis, there was surprising consistency. For example, the proportion of teachers who would require exchanges of pupils in elementary schools ranged from 9 percent in the Northeast to 4 percent in the Middle states. The percents of teachers who favored maintaining neighborhood attendance areas for elementary schools were almost identical: in the Northeast (38 percent), Southeast (39 percent), and West (37 percent); in the Middle states, 45 percent. There was even greater consistency of opinion among teachers in large, medium, and small school systems. For example, those in favor of maintaining elementary-school neighborhood attendance areas comprised 41 percent of the teachers in both large and small systems and 39 percent in the medium-sized systems. The smallest percent of teachers who would require exchanges of elementary-school pupils (4 percent) was found in the large school systems (25,000 or more pupils). DISCIPLINE The behavior of children and youth is a topic of much discussion. The extent of behavior problems and how to deal with them is of concern to teachers and parents. Corporal punishment. (February and March 1960, Teacher Opinion Polls 1 and 2 combined. Reported in the NEA Journal, May 1961, p. 13.) Is the use of corporal punishment in public schools advisable? School boards, faculties, and parent-teacher groups have wrestled with this controversial question. A national teacher opinion poll sample was asked this question: Do you favor the judicious use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in elementary schools? A Almost 72 percent of the respondents said More than 2 elemenYes; 22 percent said No. tary-school teachers in 3 and almost 3 secondary-school teachers in 4 favored the use of corporal punishment in elementary schools. larger proportion of men teachers, 78 percent, than women teachers, 69 percent, approved of such disciplinary measures in the elementary grades. A similar question was asked secondaryschool teachers: Do you favor the judicious use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in secondary schools? Nearly half of the teachers said Yes, they favored the judicious use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in secondary schools, 40 percent said No. The opinions of secondary-school teachers were as follows: Yes, 58 percent; No, 35 percent; and Don't know, 7 percent. The answers show that most teachers have few trouble makers in their classes. Only 1 teacher in 5 reported that as much as 5 percent of the pupils he teaches are trouble makers. For each teacher who reported more than 5 percent, there was another teacher who reported none. In elementary schools: 19.5 100.0% Number reporting... 1,750 100.0% 915 6.8 100.0% 835 37.9% 58.3% 42.6 34.9 |