Survey: Drugs and lack of respect for teachers pose greater school problems than bullying
In light of all the attention to bullying after the suicide of Massachusetts high school freshman Phoebe Prince, a new survey found nearly three-quarters of Americans consider bullying and harassment a serious problem in their local public schools. Respondents, however, said illegal drugs and lack of respect for teachers were a greater problem, according to the survey by Public Agenda.
According to the study:
More than one-third of Americans (35 percent), including 39 percent of parents, say they were bullied themselves when growing up. But only 8 percent of the public and 10 percent of parents say they were bullied “a lot.” These findings are based on a Public Agenda survey of 1,001 people, including 262 parents of children under 18, conducted from April 8 – 11, 2010
Public Agenda found that 74 percent of those surveyed say bullying and harassment are serious problems in their local schools, with 47 percent calling these actions “very serious” problems. Roughly three-quarters (76 percent) of the public say illegal drugs and students treating teachers with a lack of respect are serious problems, with 53 percent calling illegal drugs and 50 percent saying disrespect for teachers was “very serious.”
Parents are actually slightly less concerned about these problems than the public overall. Sixty-nine percent of parents say bullying is a serious problem (40 percent say “very serious”), seventy percent say disrespect for teachers is a serious problem (45 percent say “very serious”), and 68 percent say illegal drugs are a serious problem (39 percent say “very serious”).
Physical fighting and cheating in schools are lesser concerns for both the total public (59 percent and 55 percent, respectively) and parents (55 percent for fighting, 48 percent for cheating).
Adults who say they were bullied in school are more likely to say bullying is a “very serious” problem (49 percent versus 42 percent of those who said they weren’t bullied). Men are more likely to say they were bullied (41 percent compared with 30 percent of women), but women are more likely to consider bullying a “very serious” problem (53 percent of women compared with 41 percent of men).
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110 comments Add your comment
Kathy
April 30th, 2010
10:32 pm
Anyone ever heard that perception is truth? Here’s a thought or two…ever heard the phrase, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? Now, what do we know about cognitive dissonance? One source defines it, “n. Psychology
A condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one’s beliefs and one’s actions, such as opposing the slaughter of animals and eating meat
ScienceTeacher671
April 30th, 2010
11:05 pm
@Kathy, as a classroom teacher I am required to enforce a number of rules, most of which I had no say at all in formulating.
So far as parent involvement goes, some parents want to meet the teachers, some parents you’ll never see unless there is a problem, and some parents you’ll never see *period*. I have taught up to five siblings in the same family without *ever* meeting the parents.
Our district implemented the online information system this year – parents get a secure login and can have access to their childrens’ grades, attendance, and disciplinary records. We teachers can see how many times the parents have logged in. Of the parents of my students, a couple log in to check grades several times a week. Several have logged in once or twice. In my last period class, only one parent has ever checked the online system. Only ONE.
Now personally I think the parents who check their child’s grades twice a day every day are bordering on “helicopter” territory, but I do think if the system had been available when my kids were in school, I’d have used it occassionally….
Kathy
April 30th, 2010
11:48 pm
scienceteacher671; In one of my previous postings I mentioned that the classroom teacher is charged with implementing and enforcing rules they had no hand in creating or updating. Thus, I totally understand the position administrators put teachers in. Thus, that is prbably the reason we have no teacher unions in the south.
We can never know for sure why parents do or do not do in the education process, but if I might say, in the US we have been educating minoirities and disabled kids “equitably” as per ESEA of 1965, which gives us about 45 years to undo a “fundamental” belief/practice that some were indferior and uneducable. For southern states we have been tasked with “equitably” educating after the federal court order in 1970 to integrate, which leaves us 40 years to convince everyone that all children are created equal and will receive a free and appropriate education.
OK, so let’s look at this. We have the majority whose culture allowed educational processes within our society since the first settlers to America more than 200 years ago. I’m not making any excuses for any parents, but I understand this. In my lifetime, all people were NOT created, nor were they treated equal in our society. Even with de jure laws mandating equity and civil rights, can we be certain that de facto behaviors are congruent with written laws?
Should victims of the education processes years ago believe that school districts are doing anything differently for their kids?
Yes, technology is available to bridge the communication between home and the school. However, the primary stakeholders, parents, review results of tools utilized by educators, but it is up to the parent to interpret the “final outcome/grade”
If I were a betting person, I would bet that the parent who is blindsided or surprised by the outcome is the one who becomes the most frustrated, (for many reasons and on many different levels). We know from research that frustraion begets aggression, and it is at this time when I believe the parents may say or take action against the teacher, which will affect how the student views the educator and the process.
PS: I am guilty of NOT checking my child’s “grades via internet access provided by our school district and I have been surprised on more than one occasion. It works better for me if I email a teacher and fully support the teacher in front of my child. Then I ask for a conference where my child is NOT involved in “adult” conversation. I may not always agree what goes down, but at least my concerns were heard and dialogue continues, because I appreciate teachers and I truly believe they need to know my expectations for my child’s education process. If my child does not reach my expectations, the teacher is NEVER blamed because I am the parent and I am ultimately responsible for my child, before, during, and after the 10 yr. education process provided in the Georgia Constitution. .
ScienceTeacher671
May 1st, 2010
12:32 pm
Kathy, I also believe that parents who did not do well in school, or who felt they were discriminated against or otherwise treated poorly in school harbor lingering emotions of fear, resentment, and distrust toward the school system, and pass these on to their children.
Kathy
May 1st, 2010
5:57 pm
Science Teacher671: Amen!
ga
May 2nd, 2010
1:25 am
and by the way Florida is notorious for baker acting children and starting the process before a parent isn’t even aware.. I say the parents are not being told early enough of a problem, of course it’s easier that way to blame the parent then
ScienceTeacher671
May 2nd, 2010
9:48 am
ga, actually it’s “easier to blame the parent” when the parent has been called numerous times and (1) the behavior doesn’t change, (2) the parent never responds to the message you leave because no one answers the phone, and/or (3) the parent hasn’t left any working contact numbers with the school.
ScienceTeacher671
May 2nd, 2010
9:49 am
…or if the parent DOES come to the school and acts worse than the child does….
Kathy
May 2nd, 2010
12:26 pm
Both ga and science teacher have excellent points and perhaps Oleguy’s question in an earlier posting could begin the dialogue. After all, it is human nature to voice the problems, and it takes collaborative efforts for the solutions, as per research partnering stakeholders with education systems.
Ole guy wrote: OK, so we’ve identified a boatload of problem areas, discussed them into oblivian, provided first-hand descriptions of the deteriorating effects these problems cast upon the education field, kids, and, ultimately, upon society (that’s you, me, and everyone else inclusive). So what’s next?
How about starting with the letter of the law first and work on the “spirit of the law” later. OCGA 20-2-85-86. It is May, and every public school has a state mandated School Council. Every school council should have at least one opening for a parent representative on their child’s school council. If a parent is out here and wants change, start by getting involved in your child’s school council. Everyone in the community can go to a council meeting and read the minutes and offer feedback to the group. Everyone can make sure the school council has a parent in charge and that parents represent the majority. Teachers can also offer feedback on these councils, but we all know what can happen to a teacher who “may NOT ” be aligned with fundamental traditions of their boss, the school principal, who answers to the LBOE who actually makes all of the decisions..
If we are talking about Public schools that is designated a Title I school wide program than all of us can look at how compaqs are inititated and created. Parents are supposed to be a part of that collaboreative process as well. Anyone can go to a school and ask to see the compaqs and also ask to review the results of “parent surveys” that are mandated by USDOE. The more we know about the laws that involve parents the more likely we can ask the “right questions.” Georgia received almost $1/2 BILLION USDOE Title I funds in 2008, where did that money go? Parents are also supposed to be involved in deciding where they believe the $$$ might be directed,. School systems are to spend at least 1% of its Title I funding on parent involvement, so parents or community members might ask the school council or principal, how do we use the millions of dollars to include parents who do not have the resources to be involved in the education process?
Now, we can all attend school board meetings and ask questions, offer feedback as per OCGA 20-23-736, HB 605, The Student Disciplinary Act of 1999. This law gives parents the RIGHT to be involved in creating and updating Codes of Conduct at the district level, and/or school level.
How about legislation like HB 251 signed into law last year allowing “intra district choice” in which a LBOE can make up rules like a capacity standard to minimize choice. What can we do about that???
Run for a LBOE seat this fall and/or lobby legislators and let them know about the loopholes in their laws. Legislators on the education committee only know of concerns if the public or primary stakeholder perceives there is a problem. Edcuation systems DO NOT have problems, because they have a Constitutional Right to manage the day to day operations schools in their district. Also, if the district acknowledges a problem, how many of us would say…. hey, why are we paying millions of dollars for you to educate ourchildren and now you say there is a problem? Parents need to push the rigid ethnocentric boundaries in the education process established over the decades, but it will take the community as a whole to be engaged in the education process.
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