A History of Public Opinion Toward American Schools: The Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, 1969–2014

• In Event: Interrogating Sources: History of Education From Fact and Fiction

Abstract

The media, politicians, policymakers, and scholars consider the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of The Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools the preeminent source of information about public opinion on education. Despite its decades long influence, there has been little analysis of the poll. This paper is both a history of public opinion about education and an analysis of the poll as a source for its many users. Using historians’ emphasis on broad contextual realities, this paper argues that the poll has obscured rather than revealed public attitudes toward schools, especially in regards to race and educational equity. This historical analysis raises important questions about the data policymakers and scholars use when advocating for specific education reforms.

Author

• DeeAnn Grove, University of Iowa