91心頭

A snapshot of 7 states where voters support limiting what schools can teach

Date:

Share post:

Educators are feeling besieged by new laws, book-banning campaigns and other efforts to limit what they can teach in the classroom, recent polls have found. But a new survey of swing state voters shows growing supportparticularly among Republicansfor prohibiting teaching about LGBTQ issues to younger students and barring critical race theory, among other restrictive rules that have reignited the culture wars in America’s classrooms.

About 60% of the respondents said they were dissatisfied with how schools teach about race, sexual preference and gender identity, according to an American Federation of Teachers survey that polled a mix of Democrats, Republicans and Independents in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. was first obtained and posted by NBC News.

About half said they were also not satisfied with the level of input parents have over what their children are learning. When it comes to sexual preference and gender identity, voters’ top objections were that children were too young for such content and that parents should be the ones to teach them about these topics.

Some 43% of the voters said schools spend too much time teaching about sexual preference and gender identity while only 29% said the same about racial issues. However, a majority of adults said they opposed censoring LGBTQ-themed books and curriculums and that sexual preference and gender identity were appropriate subjects for elementary school, according to a national, a suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.

FETC 2023

The takes place live and in-person Jan. 23-26, 2023, in New Orleans.

This poll emphasizes just how out of step recent political attacks aimed at LGBTQ students and their families are with public opinion, said Sam Ames, The Trevor Project’s director of advocacy & government affairs. A majority of adults reject the government overreach we’re witnessing across the countrywhether it’s banning books, censoring school curriculums, or intervening in medical care decisions that are best left to doctors and parents.

At the ballot box, voters, by a margin of 32 percentage points, said they would be more likely to vote for a Republican candidate who believed schools should spend less time teaching about race. Voters would also be more likelyby 27 percentage pointsto back a candidate who supports prohibiting sexual orientation or gender identity lessons in kindergarten through third grade.

However, a majority of voters agreed that schools should teach U.S. history so children can “reckon with our past, understand our present, and create a better future.” And voters were less likely to support a candidate who advocated for removing books from school libraries based on parents’ objections or for prosecuting teachers who discuss critical race theory or gender identity with their students.


More from 91心頭: Job dissatisfaction is still surging in K-12. There’s more than COVID to blame


When asked about their biggest goals for public schools, voters leaned toward more traditional topics and away from social-emotional concepts. Giving children the freedom to be themselves, preparing them for diverse workplaces and providing an inclusive environment ranked at the bottom. Voters’ top priorities were ensuring students have strong math, science and reading skills, practical skills such as money management and critical thinking skills.

Finally, voters were less certain about parents’ role in the shaping of curriculum. Voters preferred having educators design instruction with help from families rather than giving parents more influence. Andwhen asked what was the biggest problem in K-12, voters said the politicization of education. About one-third blamed liberals for the politicization while 28% blamed Republicansand 36% blamed both parties.

Educators share voters’ sentiments about politics. Principals said “politicians making decisions about what students learn” was their biggest concern, according to a survey conducted earlier this year byLearning Heroes, a nonprofit equity advocacy organization. In the same poll, parents said they were more worried about people who are not educators making decisions about what students learn than they were about their children’s reading and math skills.

Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of District 91心頭istration and a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for District 91心頭istration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights peer-to-peer collaboration and more build exclusively fot K-12 Superintendents and thier leaders
Built for the uniqueness of the superintendent role and their supporting team.Most platforms treat all K12 leaders the same. 91心頭+ recognizes that superintendents face a unique level of pressure, complexity, visibility, and responsibilityand gives them a space designed specifically for the demands of the top job.
A community where you dont have to explain the context.Skip the backstory. 91心頭+ understands the job, the politics, the stakes, and the pace.
Your decisions shape communities.Find the tools and peer insight to make them with confidence here.
Leadership tailored to the realities of running a district.From board relations to budgets, crisis response to community trust91心頭+ focuses on the challenges only superintendents navigate each day.
Built for superintendents.Powered by superintendents. Trusted by superintendents. If you run a district, you belong here.

Related Articles