Although California is not the nation, its sheer size alone dictates that what happens there should not be dismissed as an anomaly (“Confidence in California public schools declines sharply; a third give L.A. a D or F,” Los Angeles Times, Feb. 25).
A poll conducted by UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that only about 21 percent of voters give the state’s public schools an A or B, which is down from 27 percent in 2011. D or F grades rose 15 points in the last decade from 13 to 28 percent.
It’s always risky to extrapolate the results in one state to the nation as a whole, but I think there is other evidence that confirms the loss of confidence in traditional public schools. I’m referring to the long wait lists for admission to charter schools in cities in other states and the increasing pressure to expand vouchers and similar means for parental choice.
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