Only about half of Delaware citizens and about one-third of educators said they believe the accountability system should be used to determine if a student graduates from high school or advances to the next grade level. This is a substantial change from a 1997 survey, in which more than 80 percent believed an accountability system should be used to make graduation decisions and more than 70 percent believed such a system should be used to make promotion decisions. National data reveal that surprisingly little has changed since 1985 with respect to methods for improving student behavior. Classes for parents and teachers on how to deal with problem children were, and still are, viewed as the best solutions. According to the survey, nearly all Delaware citizens also said they believe that classes for students on how to solve problems in a constructive manner would be most helpful.
Research indicates that parent involvement improves student achievement.
Children whose parents provide help at home and are in touch with the school perform better than children of similar ability and family background whose parents are not involved. These effects are not limited to early childhood, but persist throughout the high school years. The survey is the sixth in a program of annual polls designed to track the perceptions of Delaware's citizens regarding schools in the state. From Jan. 3-13, telephone interviews were conducted with 301 educators throughout the state. The educator poll included teachers, building administrators and district administrators and used a simple random sampling design.