PRINCETON, NJ -- Forty-three percent of U.S. adults want the federal government to be more involved in education than it is currently and 20% want it to keep the same level of involvement, while 35% want it less involved. Parents of school-aged children are particularly supportive of expanding the government's role in education, with 56% favoring more involvement.

Ten years ago, Americans were slightly more likely to favor greater government involvement in education over less involvement, 46% to 29%. The next year (in 2001), President George W. Bush and Sen. Ted Kennedy succeeded in passing the landmark No Child Left Behind education initiative through Congress. Among other things, this compelled states to meet extensive new testing and achievement standards in order to receive Title I federal education funding.

The new findings, from Gallup's Aug. 5-8 Work and Education poll, do not speak directly to public support for No Child Left Behind; however, they do suggest that Americans are, at a minimum, content with the current level of federal involvement in education. Still, views on this are highly partisan. Sixty percent of Republicans favor less federal involvement in education while 63% of Democrats want to see more. By 44% to 33%, independents tend to favor more involvement over less.

Support for expanded federal government involvement in education is also higher among younger Americans than among older Americans.

The same poll finds 54% of Americans dissatisfied with the quality of K-12 education in the United States today, the highest Gallup has recorded since August 2000.

By contrast, American parents have remained largely satisfied with the quality of education their own children are receiving. The 80% currently saying they are either completely (35%) or somewhat (45%) satisfied is the most positive assessment Gallup has measured since the question was first asked in 1999.

Bottom Line

President Obama has promised to rework federal education law in a way that gives more responsibility for meeting educational standards and improving outcomes back to state and local governments. However, the public may not immediately support this. A combined 63% of Americans want the federal government's role in education either maintained at its current level or increased. The figure is 72% among parents of K-12 schoolchildren. The fact that a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the status of education today may give added support to an expanded federal role.