The report found little evidence of a growing resistance to policies that set specific performance standards and usually call for ending social promotion - passing children from grade to grade regardless of whether they learned the material. The majorities of each group said it was better for failing children to repeat a grade. Another part of the standards movement is high-stakes testing, where tests carry consequences such as repeating a grade or being denied a diploma. This is the third year for the survey, which was done with the publication Education Week as a partner. Scores worsened on honesty ratings.
Teachers continue to oppose reforms favored by many conservatives.
While 59 percent of parents favor linking teacher pay to student performance, only 22 percent of teachers favor that. Nearly 60 percent of parents and professors say teachers entering the profession are average at best. The surprising results from the survey are the high number of teachers who appear unaffected by the standards movement, which has been adopted in 49 states. Only 42 percent of the teachers surveyed said they took their academic guidance from state standards. And only 44 percent said new standards led to higher expectations.