{"id":38795,"date":"2022-10-26T09:57:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:55:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:55:30","slug":"parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents Differ Sharply by Party Over What Their K-12 Children Should Learn in School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"716b68\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #716b68;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_featured.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Phot showing students and parents head to class on Aug. 15, the first day of school at Melinda Heights Elementary in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. (Paul Bersebach\/MediaNews Group\/Orange County Register via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-46856 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students and parents head to class on Aug. 15, the first day of school at Melinda Heights Elementary in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. (Paul Bersebach\/MediaNews Group\/Orange County Register via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand how parents with children in K-12 schools see their children\u2019s education. This analysis is based on 3,251 U.S. parents with children in elementary, middle or high school. The data was collected as part of a larger survey of parents with children younger than 18 conducted Sept. 20 to Oct. 2, 2022. Most of the parents who took part are members of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This survey also included an oversample of Black, Hispanic and Asian parents from Ipsos\u2019 KnowledgePanel, another probability-based online survey web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Address-based sampling ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/u-s-survey-research\/american-trends-panel\/\">ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most questions in this report were asked only of K-12 parents who indicated that their child attends a public, private or charter school (this excludes 197 parents who said their child is being homeschooled and 15 parents who didn\u2019t provide an answer for the type of school their child attends). <br><br>Read more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_TOPLINE.pdf\">questions used for this report<\/a> and the report\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-k-12-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"terminology\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;terminology&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>Terminology<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">References to White, Black and Asian adults include only those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMiddle income\u201d is defined here as two-thirds to double the median annual family income for panelists on the American Trends Panel. \u201cLower income\u201d falls below that range; \u201cupper income\u201d falls above it. See the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-k-12-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the midterm election approaches, issues related to K-12 schools have become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/policy-politics\/election-guide-2022-k-12-issues-and-candidates-shaping-the-midterms\/2022\/09\">deeply polarized<\/a>. Republican and Democratic parents of K-12 students have widely different views on what their children should learn at school about gender identity, slavery and other topics, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-01-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46945\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e6e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e6e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"389\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Republican parents are more likely than Democrats  to say that parents have too little influence on what kids learn in school and school boards have too much\" class=\"wp-image-46945 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=300,278 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=768,711 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=437,405 437w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=200,185 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=260,241 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=310,287 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=420,389 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=640,593 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=740,685 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=160,148 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-01.png?resize=320,296 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also offer different assessments of the influence parents, local school boards and other key players have on what public K-12 schools in their area are teaching. Republican parents with children in K-12 schools are about twice as likely as Democratic parents to say parents don\u2019t have enough influence (44% vs. 23%, including those who lean to each party). And Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say school boards have <em>too much<\/em> influence (30% vs. 17%). These parents also differ over the amount of input they personally have when it comes to what their own children are learning in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Republican and Democratic parents \u2013 including those with children in public schools \u2013 are equally likely to say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of the education their children are receiving (58% each) and that the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s schools have values that are similar to their own (54% each).<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"is-style-caret wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"a-note-about-the-sample\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;a-note-about-the-sample&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>A note about the sample<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the questions in this report were asked only of parents of K-12 students who are not homeschooled. These questions relate to what parents want their children to learn in school, assessments of the quality of education their children are receiving and other aspects that relate to their children\u2019s schools. Because parents with multiple children in K-12 schools may have different answers depending on the child or the school they attend, these parents were randomly assigned to think about their youngest or oldest child who is in grades K-12 when answering these questions. The data was weighted to account for each parent\u2019s probability of being assigned to a child in elementary, middle or high school and is representative of all parents of students at each of these stages. Please see the report\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-k-12-methodology\/\">Methodology<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_TOPLINE.pdf\">Topline<\/a> for details about the survey and how these questions were asked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to what their children are learning in school, U.S. parents of K-12 students are divided over what they think their children should learn about gender identity: 31% say they would prefer that their children learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by the sex they were assigned at birth, and the same share say they\u2019d rather their children learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that\u2019s different from their sex at birth. A 37% plurality say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is also no consensus when it comes to what parents want their children to learn about slavery: 49% say they would prefer that their children learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today, while a smaller but sizable share (42%) would prefer that their children learn that slavery is part of American history but doesn\u2019t affect the position of Black people in American society today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On both gender identity and the legacy of slavery, there are differences ranging from 23 to 46 percentage points in what Republican and Democratic parents of K-12 students would prefer that their children learn in school. There are also large partisan differences when it comes to what parents want their K-12 children to learn about sex education and America\u2019s standing in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-02-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46943\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7e7e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7e7e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"440\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?w=640\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Republican and Democratic parents have widely different views of what their K-12 children should learn about certain topics in school\" class=\"wp-image-46943 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png 1280w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=300,206 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=768,528 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=1024,704 1024w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=589,405 589w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=200,138 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=260,179 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=310,213 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=420,289 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=640,440 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=740,509 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=160,110 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-02.png?resize=320,220 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked to assess the quality of the education their children are receiving, a majority of U.S. parents of K-12 students (57%) say they are extremely or very satisfied. However, fewer than half (40%) express similar levels of satisfaction with the amount of input they have in what their children learn in school. Parents who are extremely or very satisfied with the amount of input they have express higher levels of satisfaction with the overall quality of their children\u2019s education than those who are somewhat satisfied or who are not too or not at all satisfied with how much say they have in what their children learn in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>See also: <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/10\/26\/most-k-12-parents-say-first-year-of-pandemic-had-a-negative-effect-on-their-childrens-education\/\"><em>Most K-12 parents in the U.S. say first year of pandemic had a negative effect on their children\u2019s education<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-03-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46939\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e7e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e7e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"422\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing parents offer different assessments of the influence  of government, school boards, parents, teachers, students and principals on what schools are teaching\" class=\"wp-image-46939 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=768,772 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=403,405 403w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=200,201 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=260,260 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=310,311 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=420,422 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=640,643 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=740,744 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=75,75 75w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=140,140 140w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=160,161 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-03.png?resize=320,322 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to asking parents about how much influence parents and the school board have on what\u2019s being taught in their local schools, parents were asked about the influence of the federal and state government, teachers, principals and students. While many parents say each of these has the right amount of influence or that they aren\u2019t sure, larger shares say their state government, the federal government and their local school board have too much influence than say they don\u2019t have enough influence. Conversely, more say parents, teachers, students and principals don\u2019t have enough influence than say they have too much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nationally representative survey of 3,251 U.S. parents of K-12 students was conducted Sept. 20-Oct. 2, 2022, using the Center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">American Trends Panel<\/a>.[1. The survey includes an oversample of Black, Hispanic and Asian parents. For details, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-k-12-methodology\/\">Methodology<\/a> section of the report.] Among the other key findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Upper-income parents and parents answering about a child in private school express higher levels of satisfaction with the quality of their children\u2019s education. <\/strong>About eight-in-ten parents answering about a student in a private K-12 school (79%) say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of the education their child is receiving, compared with 55% of those answering about a child in a public school.[2. The survey was not designed to be representative of all parents with children in public or private schools. Of all surveyed parents with at least one child in K-12 schools who is not homeschooled, 86% were asked about a child who is attending a public school, 9% were asked about a child in private school, and 5% were asked about a child who attends a charter school (too few parents answered about a child in charter school to allow for separate analysis of this group). According to the Current Population Survey, 91% of K-12 students were enrolled in public schools in the fall of 2021, the most recent data available (this figure includes those enrolled in charter schools) and 9% were enrolled in private schools.] About two-thirds of upper-income parents (66%) express high levels of satisfaction, compared with 58% of those with middle incomes and a smaller share of those with lower incomes (52%).[3. Family incomes are based on 2021 earnings and adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household sizes. Middle income is defined here as two-thirds to double the median annual family income for panelists on the American Trends Panel. Lower income falls below that range; upper income falls above it. See the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-k-12-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a> for more details.] The difference between upper- and lower-income parents remains when looking only at those answering about a child in public school (the sample size for parents answering about private school children is too small to analyze separately).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>One-in-five parents of K-12 students say their children\u2019s school doesn\u2019t spend enough time on core academic subjects like reading, math, science and social studies. <\/strong>The shares saying this are higher among fathers (24%) than mothers (17%) and among Republican and Republican-leaning parents (23%) than those who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party (17%). But majorities of 70% or more say their children\u2019s school spends about the right amount of time on these subjects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About two-thirds of parents say it is extremely or very important to them that their children\u2019s school teaches them to develop social and emotional skills. <\/strong>Parents of elementary school students (69%) are more likely than parents of high school students (59%) to say it\u2019s at least very important to them that their children\u2019s school teaches these skills (64% of parents of middle schoolers say the same). And while majorities of Democratic and Republican parents say this is extremely or very important to them, this is a more common view among Democrats (74% vs. 57% of Republican parents).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Parents of K-12 students have mixed views about whether public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in prayer. <\/strong>About half of parents (52%) say this shouldn\u2019t be allowed in any form, while 27% say leading students in Christian prayers should only be allowed if prayers from other religions are also offered and 19% say it should be allowed even if prayers from other religions are not offered. Among Democratic parents, 63% say public school teachers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers; 39% of Republican parents say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;elementary-school-parents-express-higher-levels-of-satisfaction-with-the-quality-of-their-children-s-education-than-those-with-older-children&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"elementary-school-parents-express-higher-levels-of-satisfaction-with-the-quality-of-their-children-s-education-than-those-with-older-children\">Elementary school parents express higher levels of satisfaction with the quality of their children\u2019s education than those with older children<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-04-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46934\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4e7e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e7e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"617\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing a majority of parents of K-12 students are extremely  or very satisfied with the quality of the education their children are receiving \" class=\"wp-image-46934 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=204,300 204w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=768,1128 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=697,1024 697w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=276,405 276w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=200,294 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=260,382 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=310,455 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=420,617 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=640,940 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=740,1087 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=160,235 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-04.png?resize=320,470 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A majority of parents with children in K-12 schools (57%) say they are extremely or very satisfied with the overall quality of the education their children are receiving at school; another 34% are somewhat satisfied and 9% say they are not too or not at all satisfied. Parents of elementary school students (63%) are more likely than those with children in middle school or high school (54% each) to say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of their children\u2019s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents\u2019 assessments also vary widely depending on the type of school their children attend. About eight-in-ten parents answering about a child in private school (79%) express high levels of satisfaction with the quality of education their child is receiving, compared with a narrower majority (55%) of those answering about a child who is in public school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upper-income parents (66%) are more likely than those with middle (58%) and lower (52%) incomes to say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of their children\u2019s education. While these differences in part reflect the fact that parents with higher incomes are more likely to have children in private schools, a larger share of upper-income parents (61%) than lower-income parents (51%) answering about a child in public school express a high level of satisfaction with the quality of the education their child is receiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, Democratic and Democratic-leaning and Republican and Republican-leaning parents are equally likely to say they are extremely or very satisfied with the quality of the education their children are receiving at school (58% each). There is also no statistical difference between Republicans and Democrats when looking only at those answering about a child who attends a public school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;four-in-ten-parents-of-k-12-students-are-extremely-or-very-satisfied-with-how-much-say-they-have-in-what-their-children-learn-in-school&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"four-in-ten-parents-of-k-12-students-are-extremely-or-very-satisfied-with-how-much-say-they-have-in-what-their-children-learn-in-school\">Four-in-ten parents of K-12 students are extremely or very satisfied with how much say they have in what their children learn in school<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-05-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46929\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4e6e3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e6e3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"448\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bart chart showing Democratic parents are more likely than Republican parents to express high levels of satisfaction with how much say they have in what their children learn\" class=\"wp-image-46929 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=281,300 281w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=768,819 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=380,405 380w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=200,213 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=260,277 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=310,331 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=420,448 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=640,683 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=740,789 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=160,171 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-05.png?resize=320,341 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a majority of parents of K-12 students express high levels of satisfaction with the quality of their children\u2019s education, fewer than half (40%) say they are extremely or very satisfied with the amount of input they personally have in what their children learn in school; the same share (40%) are somewhat satisfied, and 19% say they are not too or not at all satisfied with the amount of input they have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents answering about a child in private school are far more likely than those answering about a child in public school to say they are extremely or very satisfied with how much input they have in what their child learns in school (61% vs. 38%, respectively). One-in-five parents answering about a public school student say they are not too or not at all satisfied, compared with one-in-ten parents of those answering about a child in private school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partisanship also factors into these views: 44% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning parents say they are extremely or very satisfied with the amount of input they have in what their children learn in school, compared with 36% of parents who identify with or lean toward the GOP. This difference persists when looking only at Democratic and Republican parents answering about a child in public school.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;one-in-five-parents-of-k-12-students-say-their-children-s-school-doesn-t-spend-enough-time-on-core-academic-subjects&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one-in-five-parents-of-k-12-students-say-their-children-s-school-doesn-t-spend-enough-time-on-core-academic-subjects\">One-in-five parents of K-12 students say their children\u2019s school doesn\u2019t spend enough time on core academic subjects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-06-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46923\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9eae7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9eae7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"505\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing most parents of K-12 students say their children\u2019s school spends the right amount of time on core academic subjects\" class=\"wp-image-46923 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=250,300 250w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=768,923 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=337,405 337w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=200,240 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=260,313 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=310,373 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=420,505 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=640,770 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=740,890 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=160,192 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-06.png?resize=320,385 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the most part, parents of K-12 students think their children\u2019s school spends about the right amount of time on core academic subjects like reading, math, science and social studies (73% say this). Still, one-in-five say their children\u2019s school doesn\u2019t spend enough time on these subjects, while 7% say too much time is spent on core academic subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These views largely reflect the opinions of parents answering about a child in public school: 21% of these parents say their child\u2019s school doesn\u2019t spend enough time on core academic subjects, compared with 13% of parents answering about a child in private school (private school parents are more likely to say it\u2019s about right).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fathers (24%) and Republican parents (23%) are more likely than mothers (17%) and Democrats (17%) to say their children\u2019s school doesn\u2019t spend enough time on core academic subjects like reading, math, science and social studies, but seven-in-ten or more across these groups say their children\u2019s school spends about the right amount of time on these subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;most-parents-see-value-in-their-children-learning-social-and-emotional-skills-at-school&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"most-parents-see-value-in-their-children-learning-social-and-emotional-skills-at-school\">Most parents see value in their children learning social and emotional skills at school<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-07-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46919\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfe4e1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfe4e1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"531\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing majorities of Democratic and Republican K-12 parents say it\u2019s very or extremely important to them that their children learn social, emotional skills at school \" class=\"wp-image-46919 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=237,300 237w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=768,971 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=810,1024 810w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=320,405 320w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=200,253 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=260,329 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=310,392 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=420,531 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=640,809 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=740,936 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-07.png?resize=160,202 160w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two-thirds of parents of K-12 students (66%) say it\u2019s extremely or very important to them that their children\u2019s school teaches them to develop social and emotional skills; another 27% say this is somewhat important and just 7% say it\u2019s not too or not at all important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents with children in elementary school (69%) are more likely than parents of high school students (59%) to say it\u2019s extremely or very important for their children to learn social and emotional skills at school (64% of parents of middle schoolers say the same). <br><br>Majorities of mothers and fathers say it\u2019s extremely or very important to them that their children\u2019s schools teach them to develop social and emotional skills, but mothers are more likely to say this (69% vs. 63% of fathers). And while about three-quarters of Democratic and Democratic-leaning parents (74%) place high value on social-emotional learning, a smaller majority of Republicans and Republican leaners (57%) share this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;no-consensus-among-parents-about-what-they-want-their-children-to-learn-about-gender-identity-or-slavery&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"no-consensus-among-parents-about-what-they-want-their-children-to-learn-about-gender-identity-or-slavery\">No consensus among parents about what they want their children to learn about gender identity or slavery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey asked parents of K-12 students what they would prefer that their children learn in school about some issues that have been at the center of <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/schoolhouse-culture-wars-factor-2022-midterms\/story?id=83343766\">the national conversation about K-12 education<\/a>. Parents are most divided when it comes to what their children should learn about gender identity, and there\u2019s no majority consensus about what children should learn about slavery. <br><br>In turn, majorities of parents say they would prefer that their children learn that there are safe and effective methods of contraception (rather than being taught abstinence-only sex education) and that there are countries that are as good as or better than the United States (rather than learning that the U.S. stands above all other countries). On each of these, views differ along partisan lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"republican-moms-and-dads-have-different-views-about-what-if-anything-schools-should-teach-about-gender-identity-among-democrats-views-differ-by-race-and-ethnicity\">Republican moms and dads have different views about what, if anything, schools should teach about gender identity; among Democrats, views differ by race and ethnicity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-08-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46855\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eaeae6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eaeae6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"606\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing views on what children should learn about gender identity in school differ by gender among Republicans and by race and ethnicity among Democrats\" class=\"wp-image-46855 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=208,300 208w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=768,1108 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=710,1024 710w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=281,405 281w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=200,289 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=260,375 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=310,447 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=420,606 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=640,923 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=740,1068 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=160,231 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-08.png?resize=320,462 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About three-in-ten parents of K-12 students (31%) say they would prefer that their children learn in school that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by the sex they were assigned at birth; an equal share (31%) say they would rather their children learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that\u2019s <em>different<\/em> from their sex at birth. More \u2013 37% \u2013 say their child shouldn\u2019t learn about this at school. Parents of elementary school students (45%) are more likely than those with children in middle school or high school (31% each) to say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about gender identity in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Views about what children should learn about gender identity in school vary considerably along party lines, although no position reaches a majority within either party. About half of Democratic and Democratic-leaning parents (49%) say they would prefer that their children learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that\u2019s different from the sex they were assigned at birth; just 9% of Republican parents and those who lean to the GOP say the same. In turn, Republican parents (44%) are about twice as likely as Democratic parents (21%) to say they would prefer that their children learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by their sex at birth. Republican parents are also more likely than Democratic parents to say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school (46% vs. 28%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Republicans, views differ by gender, with 53% of Republican fathers and 37% of Republican mothers saying they would prefer that their K-12 children learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by their sex at birth. Republican mothers are more likely than their male counterparts to say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school (51% vs. 39%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are no differences by gender among Democratic parents, but views among this group differ by race and ethnicity. A majority of White Democratic parents (64%) say they would prefer that their children learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that\u2019s different from the sex they were assigned at birth, compared with 30% of Black and 36% of Hispanic Democratic parents.[4. There aren\u2019t enough Asian Democratic parents in the sample to analyze their views separately.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black and Hispanic Democratic parents are more likely than their White counterparts to say they would prefer that their children learn that a person\u2019s gender is determined by their sex at birth (31% and 32% vs. 11%, respectively). Black Democratic parents (37%) are more likely than those who are White or Hispanic (25% and 29%, respectively) to say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"large-shares-of-black-and-democratic-parents-would-prefer-that-their-children-learn-that-the-legacy-of-slavery-still-affects-the-position-of-black-people-in-american-society-today\">Large shares of Black and Democratic parents would prefer that their children learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-09-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46911\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e9e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e9e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"547\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing views about what children should learn about slavery vary widely by race and ethnicity, party\" class=\"wp-image-46911 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=230,300 230w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=768,1000 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=786,1024 786w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=311,405 311w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=200,260 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=260,339 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=310,404 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=420,547 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=640,834 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=740,964 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=160,208 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-09.png?resize=320,417 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About half of parents of K-12 students (49%) say they would prefer that their children learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today. A smaller but substantial share (42%) would prefer that their children learn that slavery is part of American history but does not affect the position of Black people in American society today. Just 8% say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seven-in-ten Democratic parents, but only about a quarter of Republican parents (24%), say they\u2019d prefer that their children learn in school that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today. For their part, 66% of Republican parents would rather their children learn that slavery is part of American history but doesn\u2019t affect the position of Black people today; just 23% of Democratic parents say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black parents (79%) are far more likely than Asian (53%), White (46%) and Hispanic (40%) parents to say they\u2019d prefer that their children learn that the legacy of slavery has had a lasting effect. Among Democrats, however, White and Black parents are equally likely to say they want their children to learn this in school (81% each). A smaller share of Hispanic Democratic parents (48%) hold this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"most-democratic-parents-and-a-plurality-of-republican-parents-would-prefer-that-their-children-learn-that-there-are-safe-and-effective-methods-of-contraception\">Most Democratic parents \u2013 and a plurality of Republican parents \u2013 would prefer that their children learn that there are safe and effective methods of contraception<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-10-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46904\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5e7e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5e7e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"574\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing a majority of parents would prefer that their children learn that abstinence is not the only safe and effective method of contraception\" class=\"wp-image-46904 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=220,300 220w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=768,1050 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=749,1024 749w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=296,405 296w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=200,273 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=260,355 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=310,424 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=420,574 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=640,875 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=740,1011 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=160,219 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-10.png?resize=320,437 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About six-in-ten parents of K-12 students (59%) say they would prefer that their children learn that there are methods of contraception that are safe and effective ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); 22% would rather their children learn that abstaining from sex is the only safe and effective method to prevent unintended pregnancy and STIs, and 18% say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school (parents of elementary school children are the most likely to say this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A large share of Democratic parents (71%) say they would like their children to learn in school that there are safe and effective methods of contraception, while 17% would prefer their children to learn that abstinence is the only safe and effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy and STIs and 12% don\u2019t think their children should learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Views are more divided among Republican parents, but a plurality (45%) say they would prefer that their children learn that there are methods of contraception that are safe and effective; 28% would rather their children learn abstinence is the only safe and effective way, and a quarter say their children shouldn\u2019t learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Democrats, White parents (84%) are far more likely than Hispanic (63%) and Black (51%) parents to say they would prefer that their children learn that there are methods of contraception that are safe and effective in preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs. Still, majorities or pluralities across these groups say this. Only 7% of White Democratic parents would prefer that their children learn that abstinence is the only effective way, compared with 30% of Black Democratic parents and 24% of those who are Hispanic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fathers-and-republican-parents-are-more-likely-than-mothers-and-democrats-to-say-they-want-their-children-to-learn-that-the-u-s-stands-above-all-other-countries-in-the-world\">Fathers and Republican parents are more likely than mothers and Democrats to say they want their children to learn that the U.S. stands above all other countries in the world<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-11-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46898\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5e8e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5e8e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"650\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing most Democratic parents and about half of Republican ones would prefer their children learn that some countries are as good as or better than the U.S.\" class=\"wp-image-46898 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=194,300 194w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=768,1189 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=662,1024 662w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=262,405 262w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=200,310 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=260,402 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=310,480 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=420,650 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=640,990 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=740,1145 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=160,248 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-11.png?resize=320,495 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two-thirds of parents of K-12 students (66%) say they would prefer that their children\u2019s school teach them that there are other countries in the world that are as good as or better than the United States; 18% would rather their children learn that the U.S. stands above all other countries in the world, and 14% don\u2019t think their children should learn about this in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Views on this differ widely by party, with 77% of Democratic parents saying they would prefer that their children learn that there are other countries that are as good as or better than the U.S., compared with 52% of Republican parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while fewer than half of Republican and Democratic parents say they would prefer that their children learn that the U.S. stands above all other countries in the world, Republicans (29%) are more likely than Democrats (10%) to hold this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A larger share of fathers (24%) than mothers (13%) say they\u2019d prefer that their children learn that the U.S. stands above all other countries, and this difference is particularly pronounced among Republicans. About four-in-ten Republican dads (38%) say this, compared with 23% of Republican moms. In turn, a majority of Republican moms say they would prefer that their children learn that there are other countries that are as good as or better than the U.S. (57% vs. 47% of Republican dads).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Democrats, Black (17%) and Hispanic (13%) parents are more likely than White parents (4%) to say they would prefer that their children learn that the U.S. stands above all other countries. But most White (86%), Black (69%) and Hispanic (68%) Democratic parents say they would prefer that their children learn that there are other countries that are as good as or better than the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;views-about-whether-public-school-teachers-should-be-allowed-to-lead-students-in-prayer-are-somewhat-mixed&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-about-whether-public-school-teachers-should-be-allowed-to-lead-students-in-prayer-are-somewhat-mixed\">Views about whether public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in prayer are somewhat mixed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-12-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46894\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e9e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e9e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"552\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing White, Asian and Democratic parents are the most likely to say public school teachers should not be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers\" class=\"wp-image-46894 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=228,300 228w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=768,1009 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=779,1024 779w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=308,405 308w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=200,263 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=260,342 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=310,407 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=420,552 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=640,841 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=740,973 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=160,210 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-12.png?resize=320,421 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About half of parents of K-12 students (52%) say public school teachers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers, but more than four-in-ten say public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, including 27% who say this should be allowed only if prayers from other religions are also offered and 19% who say this should be allowed even if prayers from other religions are <em>not<\/em> offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similar shares of parents across racial and ethnic groups (between 17% and 20%) say public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers even if prayers from other religions are not offered. But Black parents are the most likely to say teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers as long as prayers from other religions are also offered (41% vs. 31% of Hispanic parents, 25% of Asian parents and 22% of White parents). Some 37% of Black parents and 43% of Hispanic parents say public school teachers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers, smaller than the share of White (58%) and Asian (56%) parents who say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Democratic parents (63%) say public school teachers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers, compared with 39% of Republican parents. Among Republican parents, 30% say teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, but only if prayers from other religions are also offered (25% of Democrats agree), and 29% say teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers even if prayers from other religions are not offered (vs. 10% of Democratic parents).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-13-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46889\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e9e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e9e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"538\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing about four-in-ten White evangelical parents say public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers even if no other prayers offered\" class=\"wp-image-46889 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=234,300 234w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=768,984 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=799,1024 799w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=316,405 316w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=200,256 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=260,333 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=310,397 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=420,538 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=640,820 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=740,948 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=160,205 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-13.png?resize=320,410 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps not surprisingly, these views vary considerably by religious affiliation. About four-in-ten White evangelical parents (41%) say public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, even if prayers from other religions are not offered. A quarter (25%) of Black Protestant parents share this view, as do 19% of Catholic, 16% of White non-evangelical Protestant and 7% of unaffiliated parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Religiously unaffiliated parents are by far the most likely to say public school teachers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers: 73% say this, compared with 55% of White non-evangelical parents, 45% of Catholic parents, 31% of Black Protestant parents and 28% of White evangelical parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;white-parents-are-more-likely-than-other-major-racial-or-ethnic-groups-to-say-teachers-and-administrators-share-their-values&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"white-parents-are-more-likely-than-other-major-racial-or-ethnic-groups-to-say-teachers-and-administrators-share-their-values\">White parents are more likely than other major racial or ethnic groups to say teachers and administrators share their values<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-14-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46883\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e1e5e1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e1e5e1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"657\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing about half of parents say the teachers, administrators at their children\u2019s school share their values\" class=\"wp-image-46883 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=192,300 192w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=768,1201 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=655,1024 655w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=259,405 259w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=200,313 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=260,407 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=310,485 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=420,657 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=640,1001 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=740,1158 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=160,250 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-14.png?resize=320,501 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About half of parents of K-12 students (52%) say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school have values that are at least somewhat similar to their own, with a relatively small share (14%) saying these teachers and administrators have values that are <em>very <\/em>similar to theirs. About a third of parents (32%) say the values of the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school are neither similar nor different, and 14% say they are very or somewhat different than their own values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These views vary considerably by the type of school students attend. Some 46% of parents answering about a child in private school say the teachers and administrators at their child\u2019s school have values that are <em>very<\/em> similar to their own, compared with 11% of those answering about a child in public school (78% of those answering about a child in private school say the values are at least somewhat similar vs. 50% of those answering about a child in public school).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White parents are the most likely to say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school have values that are at least somewhat similar to their own. Six-in-ten White parents say this, compared with 46% of Asian parents, 44% of Hispanic parents and 43% of Black parents. These differences remain when looking only at parents answering about a child in public school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Majorities of parents with upper (63%) and middle (56%) incomes say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school have values that are at least somewhat similar to their own, compared with 42% of those with lower incomes. These income differences remain when looking only at parents answering about a child who attends public school.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican and Democratic parents \u2013 including those answering about a child in a public K-12 school \u2013 are about equally likely to say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school have values that are very similar (10% and 12%, respectively) or somewhat similar (39% and 40%) to their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, parents who are less satisfied with the amount of input they have into what their children are learning at school are more likely to say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school don\u2019t share their values: 29% of parents who say they are not too or not at all satisfied with how much input they have say this, compared with 11% of those who are extremely or very satisfied. Among those who express high levels of satisfaction with the amount of input they have, 63% say the teachers and administrators at their children\u2019s school share their values (vs. 31% of those who are not too or not at all satisfied).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;wide-partisan-gaps-in-views-of-how-much-influence-parents-school-boards-and-governments-have-on-what-public-k-12-schools-teach&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wide-partisan-gaps-in-views-of-how-much-influence-parents-school-boards-and-governments-have-on-what-public-k-12-schools-teach\">Wide partisan gaps in views of how much influence parents, school boards and governments have on what public K-12 schools teach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/10\/26\/parents-differ-sharply-by-party-over-what-their-k-12-children-should-learn-in-school\/st_2022-10-26_parents-k-12_0-15-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-46879\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebebe7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebebe7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" height=\"762\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Republican and Democratic parents have different views of the influence government, school boards, parents and teachers have on what schools teach\" class=\"wp-image-46879 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=165,300 165w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=768,1393 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=564,1024 564w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=223,405 223w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=200,363 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=260,472 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=310,562 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=420,762 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=640,1161 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=740,1343 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=160,290 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/ST_2022.10.26_Parents-K-12_0-15.png?resize=320,581 320w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to asking parents of K-12 students about their assessments of and experiences with their children\u2019s education, the survey also asked more generally about their views of how much influence each of the following have on what public K-12 schools in their area are teaching: the federal government, their state government, the local school board, parents, teachers, principals and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the most part, parents of K-12 students either say that each of these actors has the right amount of influence or that they are not sure. But to the extent that parents see each of these as having too much or not enough influence on what public K-12 schools in their area are teaching, more say the local school board, their state government and the federal government have too much influence than say they don\u2019t have enough influence. In turn, larger shares say parents, teachers, principals and students don\u2019t have enough influence than say they have too much influence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican parents (44%) are far more likely than Democratic parents (23%) to say parents in general don\u2019t have enough influence when it comes to what public K-12 schools in their area are teaching. And by double-digit margins, Republican parents are more likely than their Democratic counterparts to say the federal government (52% of Republicans vs. 20% of Democrats), their state government (41% vs. 28%) and their local school board (30% vs. 17%) have <em>too much<\/em> influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to how much influence they think teachers have on what public K-12 schools are teaching, Republican and Democratic parents alike are more likely to say teachers don\u2019t have enough influence than to say they have too much influence. But Democratic parents are more likely than Republican parents to say teachers don\u2019t have enough influence (35% vs. 25%, respectively). And while 16% of Republican parents say teachers have too much influence, a smaller share of Democratic parents (9%) say the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican and Democratic parents differ widely over what their children should learn at school about gender identity, slavery and other topics, but they are equally satisfied with the quality of education their children are receiving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":578,"featured_media":140473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","sub_headline":"But majorities of both Republican and Democratic parents are satisfied with the quality of their children\u2019s 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Issues","permalink":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2022\/06\/28\/americans-complex-views-on-gender-identity-and-transgender-issues\/","date":"2022-06-28 09:47:17","label":"Report"},{"key":"_kr5u8jvr7","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2022\/06\/02\/how-teens-navigate-school-during-covid-19\/","postId":410328,"title":"How Teens Navigate School During COVID-19","permalink":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2022\/06\/02\/how-teens-navigate-school-during-covid-19\/","date":"2022-06-02 11:57:12","label":"Report"},{"key":"_soci465za","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/07\/29\/partisans-tend-to-cite-different-ideas-for-what-more-the-government-should-do-for-parents-and-children\/","postId":413260,"title":"Partisans tend to cite different ideas for what more the government should do for parents and children","permalink":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/07\/29\/partisans-tend-to-cite-different-ideas-for-what-more-the-government-should-do-for-parents-and-children\/","date":"2022-07-29 10:59:16","label":"Short 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