WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush believes national testing is the ticket to improving America's schools. But students give a better grade to former President Clinton's focus on smaller classes.

A survey released Tuesday suggests that high-school students see reducing the number of pupils in each class as the best path to better schools.

The "State of Our Nation's Youth" survey is an annual production of the Horatio Alger Association. The Virginia-based nonprofit organization gives $3 million in need-based college scholarships each year, funded through donations from individual association members, corporations, foundations and other nonprofits.

The gauge of adolescent attitudes and expectations is based on a telephone survey of 1,014 13-to-18-year-olds conducted in May by pollster Peter Hart. The results had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

House and Senate negotiators are working out the differences in their separate versions of the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides most of the federal money for public education through high school.

Bush has called for students to take nationally standardized tests in math and reading each year to measure school performance. If schools don't improve in three years, parents of pupils in those schools would be given public money to seek private tutoring for their children or to transfer them to a better public school - but not for vouchers for private school tuition.

That idea received the support of 52 percent of the students surveyed. Giving students greater access to computers and the Internet was even more popular, with 56 percent saying that would significantly help schools. Increasing teachers' salaries was cited as a good approach by 46 percent, while lengthening the school day or year was decidedly unpopular, with 7 percent saying it would help.

The winner - favored by 64 percent - was reducing class sizes, an idea favored by Clinton and Democrats in Congress.

Other results of this year's survey defy some common stereotypes of kids:

-Three-fourths of students surveyed said teachers and administrators have taken all the necessary steps to make them feel safe and nearly two-thirds are worried only a little bit or not at all about being safe.

-More than a quarter said a lack of parental involvement - either with the school or in their children's lives - is the biggest cause of violence in schools, second only to bullying of students by others.

-Almost half say that a family member, not an entertainer, pop icon or sports star, is their role model.

-To 84 percent of the teens, future success will be defined by whether they have close family relationships. Also scoring high were having a close group of friends and making a contribution to society, with making money and being famous favored by far fewer as signs of success.

-A majority said they do not feel pressure to look a certain way, adhere to family expectations, do drugs or drink, or have sex.

-Only 57 percent live with both their parents.

-Three-quarters plan to go to college right after high school.

"These young people are very directed, very serious, very motivated," Hart said. "This is going to be a remarkable generation if they continue to follow the path they've been talking about."