In a speech in Dayton, Ohio last week, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama told the crowd the failure of Washington to act on education reform is putting our nation in jeopardy. John McCain asked his audience at the Republican National Convention what the value is of equal access to a failing public education system.

But 81% of adults rate the performance of their children’s schools as good or excellent. Of that percentage, 47% of adults rate their children's school as excellent.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just four percent (4%) give their schools poor ratings.

The positive grades span across both men and women, blacks and whites and party affiliation. Married parents are slightly less critical than non-married parents: While 83% of marrieds give their children’s schools good or excellent ratings, 70% of adults who are not married do the same.

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However, the majority of adults think schools place too much emphasis on standardized testing. Over half (52%) say this is true, while 30% disagree. While under half of Republicans (48%) say schools worry too much about standardized tests, over half of Democrats (54%) and unaffiliated voters (55%) agree.

When it comes to homework, half of adults (53%) say students receive just the right amount. Twenty-two percent (22%) say students are assigned too much homework, while 21% say they are not assigned enough.

Most adults oppose corporal punishment in the classroom. While 35% favor spanking as punishment in schools, 55% are against the idea. Men are much more likely than woman to favor this type of punishment. While 44% of men say spanking should be allowed, only 27% of women agree. The majority of women (63%) are opposed to spanking, compared to 46% of men.

A Rasmussen survey conducted in December 2007 found that just 30% of adults thought teachers should have the right to spank their students.

Adults still place an emphasis on physical education in the schools. Most (86%) believe PE should be required, while just nine percent (9%) disagree. Over half of adults (53%) say boys and girls should take separate gym classes, while 39% say the class should be co-ed.

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