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Education, Standards and Leadership: A Review of Public Opinion on Education
By Allan Rivlin, Peter Hart Research for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
A survey sponsored by National Geographic found:
- 63% of 18- to 24-year-olds in America can’t find Iraq on a map of the Middle East
- Only 50% can find New York on a U.S. map
Key Survey Findings from the Gates Foundation Dropouts Survey:
- A strong majority of dropouts say they did not feel motivated or inspired to work hard in high school. Most are confident that they would have been able to graduate if they had put in the necessary effort, and that they would have worked harder if more had been demanded of them.
- Attendance is a strong predictor of dropping out: most dropouts say they frequently missed class during the year they dropped out.
- Most dropouts blame themselves for their failure to graduate from high school, although clearly there are aspects of the school environment that contribute to or exacerbate the problem. Fewer say the responsibility is shared with school, and even fewer believe the school is squarely to blame for them dropping out.
Top Five Reasons Dropouts Identify as Major Factors for Leaving School:
- 47% - classes were not interesting
- 43% - missed too many days and could not catch up
- 42% - spent time with people who were not interested in school
- 38% - had too much freedom and not enough rules in my life
- 35% - failing in school
Printable Version - PDF Sept. 18, 2006
