A Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll released Wednesday shows that a majority of Americans are in the dark about new rigorous curriculum standards that have been adopted in 45 states, including California.
A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs survey also found that more than half of public school parents polled didn't know much about the standards, with a quarter saying they knew nothing at all.
But the two polls reported very different results for questions related to standardized testing. Andy Rotherham, co-founder and partner of the nonprofit Bellwether Education consulting organization, said during a Tuesday media call about the PDK/Gallop poll that answers can vary based on the wording of the questions.
"You get different results in different polls -- not because pollsters are up to things," he said, "but because how you ask the question matters a lot."
Here's a comparison of some of the two polls' questions and answers related to Common Core State Standards, the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations and perceptions of standardized testing.
PDK/Gallup poll:
Before today, have you ever heard of the Common Core State Standards?
Total: Yes: 38 percent; No: 62 percent
Subtotal parents: Yes: 45 percent; No: 55 percent
AP-NORC poll:
How much would you say you have heard about the Common Core State Standards? Would you say you have heard a great deal, a lot, a moderate amount, only a little, or nothing at all?
A great deal: 15 percent
A lot: 11 percent
A moderate amount: 22 percent
Only a little: 27 percent
Nothing at all: 25 percent
PDK-Gallup poll:
Some states require that teacher evaluations include how well a teacher's students perform on