A new federal study released last month raises new concerns over science education in major urban school systems, but Public Agenda research raises questions about whether parents are hearing these warnings.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that students in 10 major cities scored below the national average in elementary and middle school science tests. Only one of the urban districts matched the national average among fourth-graders, while students in all 10 fell behind in eighth grade testing. The students did better when compared to pupils in other large central cities and by ethnic and racial groups.

Business and science leaders have repeatedly called for a re-examination of science education, saying the U.S. risks falling behind the rest of the world. But in our series of Reality Check surveys on education, we found that most American parents are complacent about the science education their children get.

While six in 10 say it's "crucial" for today's students to learn advanced math, nearly as many, 57 percent, say the amount of math and science their children get is "about right."

Urban parents are slightly less likely to be satisfied with their child's math and science education. Only about half, 51 percent, say it's "about right," compared to

61 percent of suburban parents. Parents with children in elementary school are also less likely to say their child gets enough science (48 percent).

Public Agenda’s Reality Check shows that minority high school students are actually somewhat more likely to consider math and science education "absolutely essential" than white students (53 percent of minorities say this, compared to 48 percent of white students). In addition, black students are much more likely to consider math and science a "serious problem" in their school (35 percent compared to 20 percent of whites). They're also more likely to say increasing math and science courses would improve their high school education. More than two-thirds of black students say this, compared to 54 percent of whites.

Find out more in Reality Check No. 1, "Are Parents and Students Ready for More Math and Science": http://www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_details.cfm?list=96

Read the National Assessment of Educational Progress report: http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/tuda_science