Met Life just released its twenty-fifth-anniversary "view of education" survey conducted by Harris Interactive. A total of 902 students, 1000 teachers, and 502 principals from public schools were surveyed. One thing has remained consistent--most teachers are committed to and love teaching. But I was rather surprised at the change in many of the responses between 2009 and 1984, the year of the first survey. I think you may be as well.

The survey's good news indicates that more teachers feel respected by society, recognized for what they do, and adequately paid for their work. Student results indicate that they trust their teachers more and say that a teacher's interpersonal skills are what make them good. The not-so-good news is that urban teachers, principals, and students have a much more negative view of education than their suburban counterparts.

I thought you might be interested in some of the major findings, so here they are. Note the differences between 1984 and 2008. If you want to drill more deeply into the survey, go to survey. But be forewarned--it's a 191-page download.

• Fewer teachers today value standardized tests as a means of improving instruction.
•  A majority of teachers are very satisfied with their careers--40% in 1984 compared with 62% in 2008.
• A majority feel that their job pays them a decent salary--37% in 1984 compared with 66% in 2008.
• More teachers would recommend teaching as a career to their students--45% in 1984 compared with 75% in 2008.
• Twice as many teachers rate the availability of materials as good--22% in 1984 compared with 44% in 2008.
• 90% of teachers say technology enhances their teaching.
• 57% of teachers and 51% of principals rate student global awareness as fair to poor.
• More teachers rate school curriculum as good--81% in 1984 compared with 89% in 2008.
• Most teachers report students come to school prepared for grade-level instruction--44% in 1984 compared with 54% in 2008.
• In reading, more suburban teachers rate their students from excellent to good than urban teachers--61% for urban compared with 81% for suburban.
• In math, more suburban teachers rate their students from excellent to good than urban teachers--53% for urban compared with 76% for suburban.
• 43% of teachers say they never connect online with teachers outside their district.
• 72% of teachers say they have never written, read, or responded to an online blog. I guess those of you reading this fall in the 28% who do.

After reading a sampling of the response findings, would you have answered in the same way? I am confused that, while I constantly read and hear in the news about how poorly U.S. students are performing compared to their counterparts in other countries, by and large today's teachers believe that students are doing better than they were twenty-five years ago.

The first round of monies from the education stimulus package was freed up earlier this month, and some reports, to my dismay, indicate a feeding frenzy over the funds.

Education Week reports that while the funds are intended to supplement and support existing school district budgets, some cash-strapped governors and legislative officials are arguing that they should cut millions from their education budgets and use the federal funds to fill in the gap. The freed-up money would be used for other purposes. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan fired this warning shot: "If states are doing things that are not in the best interests of children, they are going to disqualify themselves and take themselves out of the running for billions of dollars."

You tell 'em, Arne.

The digital age is breeding a new kind of school librarian--a librarian who believes that literacy includes, but also exceeds, books. A shining example of this new librarian is Stephanie Rosalia, a librarian at Public School 225 in Brooklyn.

I was intrigued by a snippet I read in Sunday's Parade Magazine. In August of this year, a school district in Westminster, Colorado, will eliminate grade levels. No more second grade, no more fifth grade. Instead, elementary and middle-school students will find themselves in multi-age classrooms, grouped with other students at a similar learning level. The idea is to create an environment conducive to how children learn.

This isn't the first time this has been tried in the United States; in the 1990s, a small school district in Alaska reacted to dismal test scores, high dropout rates, and the inability of graduates to hold jobs by launching a comprehensive restructuring effort. The Chugach School District replaced credit hours and grade levels with an individualized, student-centered approach. By 2001, the dropout rate had been cut nearly in half; the students consistently tested above state averages in reading, writing, and math; and more than two-thirds of the graduates went on to attend college. The system is still working well today.

The Parade article has a poll asking whether schools should do away with age-dependent grade levels. I was surprised to see that an overwhelming majority of readers say "yes." What do you think?