A Lot to Be Thankful For:
What Parents Want Children to Learn About America

September 1998, Yankelovich Public Agenda poll
http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/thankful/thankful.htm

Funding for this project was provided by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association.

  In an age of cynicism, the parents of America still believe in their country -- and they want the public schools to teach their children to believe as well.

  A Lot to Be Thankful For focuses on what parents consider the key American values, and to our knowledge is the first to specifically seek out parents who have immigrated here, as well as U.S.-born ones. We wanted to know what parents believe about their nation, and what they wanted their children to learn about being an American. In many ways, what we found is heartening.

  We found a clear-eyed patriotism among parents of all backgrounds; a deep belief that the United States is a unique nation, while acknowledging its faults. Parents want the schools to face those faults, but not to dwell on them -- the parents we surveyed want history taught with fairness to all groups, but recoil from strategies that they feared might encourage divisiveness.

  America's parents have absorbed the principles of the Bill of Rights, even though few of them can fit a particular freedom to a given amendment. They believe in personal freedom, tolerance toward others, and hard work -- and they think "bad citizens" include the lazy or intolerant.

  Finally, parents of all backgrounds firmly believe the schools must teach immigrant children to speak English as quickly as possible, both as a survival skill and as a symbol of their intent to become Americans. They also want schools to teach the common values of American society. Yet this commitment to English and assimilation does not translate into a fear of immigrants themselves. The parents we surveyed fear division, not diversity.

  And one of the greatest fears voiced by parents is a fear of something that could only happen in their own hearts: they fear taking the United States for granted.

(This printout includes  four of the studies six findings.)

Finding One: Something Special in the World
"We recently took a friend to the Statue of Liberty. He was an immigrant from China whose family is not allowed to leave, and he fell to his knees and kissed the ground. And it was the most moving thing I ever saw in my life because I realized the basic things we take for granted.... My children were awed, just absolutely dumbstruck. And you know teenagers are hardly ever without something to say."   -- New Jersey parent

Foreign-born and U.S. – born parents of all backgrounds share a belief that the U.S. is a special country, and treasure its freedoms. But parents also recognize that the U.S. has failings, and has a mixed record of living up to its own ideals.

Question: Which of the following comes closer to your own view about the U.S.?

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

 Question: Thinking about what it means to live in the United States, which of the following three things is most important to you personally?   

Sample: 801 parents overall.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question: For each of the following statements, please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree?

Sample: 801 parents overall.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Finding Three: History 101
"The schools should concentrate more on things that everybody uses in their everyday life, rather than who the president was. Sure, I think history is important, but I think they should concentrate more on how to go out and get a job, more than the history."  -- Birmingham, Ala., mother

Question: If your child asked you to explain [Insert item], could you immediately give a good answer or would you be more comfortable looking it up first?

Sample: 801 parents overall.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998

Question: And thinking about yourself, would you say you always appreciate the freedoms we have here in the U.S. or do you sometimes take them for granted?

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question 1: For the following statement, please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree: There is too much attention paid these days to what separates different ethnic and racial groups and not enough to what they have in common.

Question2: For the following statement, please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree: Most of today’s immigrants come to the U.S. to settle and become loyal Americans.

Question 1 Findings:                             Question 2 Findings:

Sample: 801 parents overall. Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998

Finding Four: Teach the Heroes and Traditions of America
"My first-grader is learning about the history of the United States. When he gets home, he tells me about Abraham Lincoln and the flag, why it has stars...I want him to learn the history of Mexico, too -- but that, I am going to teach him."   -- San Jose, Calif., mother

Question: How close does the following statement come to your own view – would you say very close, somewhat close, not too close or not close at all: The schools should make a special effort to teach new immigrants about American values and beliefs.

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question: How close does the following statement come to your own view – would you say very close, somewhat close, not too close or not close at all: To graduate from high school, students should be required to show they understand the common history and ideas that tie all Americans together.

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question: How close does the following statement come to your own view – would you say very close, somewhat close, not too close or not close at all: The schools should teach students about the holidays and traditions of different cultures from around the world.

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

 Finding Six: Include, But Don’t Divide

Question: Are the public schools paying too much attention to the harm done to African Americans in U.S. history, not enough attention, or are things about right?

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

 
Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question: How close does the following statement about public schools come to your own view? In the past, the schools unfairly overlooked the contributions that minorities made to U.S. history.

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

 
Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.

Question: Suppose your child had a history or social studies teacher who taught that America was, and still is, a fundamentally racist country. Would this upset you, would you be somewhat concerned, or would you not take it too seriously?

Sample: 801 overall.

Oversamples: 200 foreign-born parents; 203 Hispanic parents; 198 African American parents.

Methodology: Telephone interview conducted September 3-16, 1998.