Teenagers want more from public schools.

Public high school students want their schools to have much tougher academic standards and higher expectations, according to Getting By: What American Teenagers Really Think About Their Schools, a study released by the Public Agenda Foundation, New York. More than 70% of high school teens think most kids will pay greater attention and learn more with higher standards, and 65% readily admit they could do much better in school if they tried. Approximately three in four think students should only pass if they have learned the required materials, and significant majorities think a strong command of English should be required for a high school diploma (79% of white, 71% of Hispanic, and 68% of African-American students).

"Half of teens in public schools today told us their schools fail to challenge them to do their best. Students across the country spoke about how little work they do to earn acceptable grades and, consequently, how boring and meaningless their classes are," notes Deborah Wadsworth, executive director of Public Agenda. "Central to their learning, students repeatedly told us, are their classroom teachers. The students seem to be crying out for the adults in their lives to take a stand and inspire them to do more."

Seventy-nine percent of the students say they would learn more if schools enforced being on time along with the completion of homework. "You can just glide through. You can copy somebody's homework at the beginning of the period. I mean you can do whatever you want.... They practically hand you a diploma," a Seattle, Wash., public school teenager said. These thoughts were echoed by students in more than a half-dozen focus groups held nationwide.

In addition to calling for higher standards, 70% of public school teenagers feel there are too many disruptive students in their classes...