By JUSTIN WHITE
Most people in Utah give public schools in this state a B, according to a recent BYU-sponsored survey.
Only 6 percent said the schools deserved an A, but the grades were up from past years. Utahns graded the schools in their own communities even higher, and the schools their children attend were graded higher still. The survey, conducted by BYU's Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, polled 500 people with proportional representation from each Utah county.
Fifty percent of those polled handed down a B or better to Utah schools overall, while in 1991 only 40 percent gave grades that good. When grading the schools their own children attend, respondents were quite generous: 69 percent said the schools earned a B or better.
This contrasted with Utahns' perceptions of the nation's schools as a whole. Only 28 percemt felt they deserved a B or better, and 53 percent gave the nations' schools a solid C.
A striking aspect of the poll was how people's perceptions of schools change as they evaluate schools closer to home, said F. Del Wasden, professor of Educational Leadership and Foundations. He said this is a result of often negative reporting about schools in the media.
'Mostly we hear about the perceived failure of public education by people quoted in the media,' he said. '(But) the people who have kids in the schools have a different perception.'
Respondents also had a chance to comment on the problems facing Utah schools. The results show an interesting comparison to results of a similar poll conducted at the national level.
Overcrowding is the biggest problem facing public schools in Utah, according to 34 percent of people polled, while nationally people felt that drugs (16 percent), discipline problems (15 percent), and gangs and violence (14 percent) were the biggest problems. Only five percent of Utahns thought gangs were the biggest problem here.
Other things Utahns felt were the most significant were lack of funding (15 percent), discipline problems (12 percent) and teacher apathy/quality (11 percent).
The survey also asked people to respond to different issues facing public schools today. Eighty-one percent said a law should be passed giving students a moment of silence to do anything he or she chooses to do, during the school day. Seventy-eight percent said student-led prayers should be allowed at graduation ceremonies.
Fifty-nine percent said they would be willing to pay more taxes to help raise the standard of public education in Utah. When asked about voucher systems, Utahns were fairly evenly divided, with 49 percent favoring and 45 percent opposing. Most of those surveyed said local school boards, not the government, should have the most say in policies relating to public education.