THE STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN EDUCATION

Recent studies indicate that Americans have lost faith in public schoo ls. Polls trace a steady decline of confidence in the educational syst em extending over the past two decades. The general trend masks two an omalies, however. First, several indicators associated with increased confidence in the schools are on the rise-students staying in school i nstead of dropping out, parents enrolling their children in public sch ools over private schools, governments boosting financial outlays for public education. Second, poll respondents are more likely to express dissatisfaction with the nation's schools than with their own local sc hools. This essay explores ways of reconciling the conflicting evidenc e and argues that we need a more sophisticated definition of public co nfidence in education.