This survey, which measures the attitudes of Americans toward their public schools, is the 13th annual survey in this series. New as well as trend questions are included in this and every survey. Personal, in-home interviews of 1519 adults were conducted in all areas of the nation and in all types of communities. The survey questions addressed: major problems confronting the public schools in 1981; 1981 ratings of the public schools; how the public rates local principals and administrators; how the public rates local parents; preparing students for jobs and college; low-interest loans for college students; the voucher system; using volunteers to reduce school costs; the goals of education; the high school curriculum; subjects the public would require; special instruction areas; emphasis on high school athletics; state board examinations for teachers; tenure for teachers; teacher strikes and unionization; teacher age and effectiveness; equal educational opportunities; nationwide examination for graduation; release of exam results and comparison between schools; smoking in the public schools; parent influence in deciding school policies; and losing the lead in science and technology to Japan and Germany. (Author/BW)