We found the results of a recent poll of Americans by the Associated Press and Stanford University quite interesting and thought we would share the results with you.

They found that 78 percent think it should be easier for school administrators to fire poorly performing teachers. Yet overall, the public wants to reward teachers — 57 percent say they are paid too little, with just 7 percent believing they are overpaid and most of the rest saying they’re paid about right.

Nearly as many in the AP-Stanford poll — 71 percent — say it should be easier to fire principals at schools where students are performing poorly.

Americans do not agree on the method by which the performance of teachers and administrators ought to be judged.

Half say that teachers’ salaries should be based on their students’ performance on statewide tests and on the evaluations they receive from local school officials. About 1 in 4 say pay should be determined solely by school administrators’ ratings, while under 1 in 5 say salaries should be based only on how well students do on statewide testing.

While eager to send bad teachers packing, just 35 percent say a large number of bad teachers is a serious problem in America’s schools and only 45 percent say teachers’ unions are to blame. In contrast, more than half are critical of parents and federal, state and local education officials, and 55 percent say the inability to recruit and keep good teachers is a big problem.

The poll reveals that Americans are tired of blaming teachers for the performance of American schools. Lawmakers, misguided parents, quantifying everything and the loss of local control deserve a heaping dishes of blame, as well.

Perhaps it is time in America to set statewide or even national minimum standards for education and allow school districts to then set standards above and beyond, based on their community interests.