{"id":8020,"date":"2023-06-05T14:58:14","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T19:58:14","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:55:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:55:02","slug":"partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"Partisan divides over K-12 education in 8 charts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9813\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_feature-jpg\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"68584d\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #68584d;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?w=640\" alt=\"Proponents and opponents of teaching critical race theory attend a school board meeting in Yorba Linda, California, in November 2021. (Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-9813 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=564,317 564w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=1128,634 1128w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=690,388 690w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=268,151 268w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=536,302 536w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=194,110 194w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=148,84 148w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=296,168 296w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=720,405 720w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?resize=640,360 640w\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Proponents and opponents of teaching critical race theory attend a school board meeting in Yorba Linda, California, in November 2021. (Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">K-12 education is shaping up to be a key issue in the 2024 election cycle. Several prominent Republican leaders, including GOP presidential candidates, have sought to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/schools-become-flashpoint-for-republicans-eyeing-2024-presidential-race\">limit discussion of gender identity and race in schools<\/a>, while the Biden administration has called for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/06\/23\/title-ix-trans-biden-students\">expanded protections for transgender students<\/a>. The coronavirus pandemic also brought out <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/04\/academic-emotional-concerns-outweigh-covid-19-risks-in-parents-views-about-keeping-schools-open\/\">partisan divides on many issues related to K-12 schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, the public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum. Here are eight charts that highlight partisan differences over K-12 education, based on recent surveys by Pew Research Center and external data.<\/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=\"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 analysis to provide a snapshot of partisan divides in K-12 education in the run-up to the 2024 election. The analysis is based on data from various Center surveys and analyses conducted from 2021 to 2023, as well as survey data from Education Next, a research journal about education policy. Links to the methodology and questions for each survey or analysis can be found in the text of this analysis.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Most Democrats say <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/11\/17\/anti-corporate-sentiment-in-u-s-is-now-widespread-in-both-parties\/\"><strong>K-12 schools are having a positive effect on the country<\/strong><\/a>, but a majority of Republicans say schools are having a negative effect, <\/strong>according to a Pew Research Center survey from October 2022. About seven-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (72%) said K-12 public schools were having a positive effect on the way things were going in the United States. About six-in-ten Republicans and GOP leaners (61%) said K-12 schools were having a <em>negative<\/em> effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9781\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_1-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eae8e8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eae8e8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"920\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_1.png?w=310\" alt=\"A bar chart that shows a majority of Republicans said K-12 schools were having a negative effect on the U.S. in 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-9781 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_1.png 620w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_1.png?resize=202,300 202w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About six-in-ten Democrats (62%) have a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/03\/30\/americans-feel-favorably-about-many-federal-agencies-especially-the-park-service-postal-service-and-nasa\/\">favorable opinion of the U.S. Department of Education<\/a><\/strong><strong>, while a similar share of Republicans (65%) see it negatively, <\/strong>according to a March 2023 survey by the Center. Democrats and Republicans were more divided over the Department of Education than most of the other 15 federal departments and agencies the Center asked about.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9784\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_2-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e5e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e5e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"1048\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png?w=420\" alt=\"A bar chart that shows wide partisan differences in views of most federal agencies, including the Department of Education.\" class=\"wp-image-9784 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png?resize=240,300 240w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png?resize=768,958 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png?resize=821,1024 821w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_2.png?resize=640,798 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May 2023, after the survey was conducted, <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/lawmakers-education-secretary-cardona-clash-culture-war-issues\/story?id=99359433\">Republican lawmakers scrutinized the Department of Education\u2019s priorities<\/a> during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing. The lawmakers pressed U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on topics including transgender students\u2019 participation in sports and how race-related concepts are taught in schools, while Democratic lawmakers focused on school shootings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/24\/republicans-confidence-in-k-12-principals-has-fallen-sharply-during-the-pandemic\/\"><strong>Partisan opinions of K-12 principals<\/strong><\/a> have become more divided. <\/strong>In a December 2021 Center survey, about three-quarters of Democrats (76%) expressed a great deal or fair amount of confidence in K-12 principals to act in the best interests of the public. A much smaller share of Republicans (52%) said the same. And nearly half of Republicans (47%) had not too much or no confidence at all in principals, compared with about a quarter of Democrats (24%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9787\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_3-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png?w=420\" alt=\"A line chart showing that confidence in K-12 principals in 2021 was lower than before the pandemic \u2014 especially among Republicans.\" class=\"wp-image-9787 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png?resize=300,300 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png?resize=768,768 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_3.png?resize=640,640 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This divide grew between April 2020 and December 2021. While confidence in K-12 principals declined significantly among people in both parties during that span, it fell by 27 percentage points among Republicans, compared with an 11-point decline among Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say teachers\u2019 unions are having a positive effect on schools.<\/strong> In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.educationnext.org\/partisan-rifts-widen-perceptions-school-quality-decline-results-2022-education-next-survey-public-opinion\/\">May 2022 survey by Education Next<\/a>, 60% of Democrats said this, compared with 22% of Republicans. Meanwhile, 53% of Republicans and 17% of Democrats said that teachers\u2019 unions were having a <em>negative<\/em> effect on schools. (In this survey, too, Democrats and Republicans include independents who lean toward each party.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9792\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_4-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"784\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_4.png?w=420\" alt=\"A line chart that show from 2013 to 2022, Republicans' and Democrats' views of teachers' unions grew further apart.\" class=\"wp-image-9792 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_4.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_4.png?resize=300,280 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_4.png?resize=768,717 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_4.png?resize=640,597 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 38-point difference between Democrats and Republicans on this question was the widest since Education Next first asked it in 2013. However, the gap has exceeded 30 points in four of the last five years for which data is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Republican and Democratic parents differ over how much influence they think governments, school boards and others should have on what K-12 schools teach. <\/strong>About half of Republican parents of K-12 students (52%) said in a <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\/#wide-partisan-gaps-in-views-of-how-much-influence-parents-school-boards-and-governments-have-on-what-public-k-12-schools-teach\">fall 2022 Center survey<\/a> that the federal government has too much influence on what their local public schools are teaching, compared with two-in-ten Democratic parents. Republican K-12 parents were also significantly more likely than their Democratic counterparts to say their state government (41% vs. 28%) and their local school board (30% vs. 17%) have too much influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9796\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_5-webp\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eaeae6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eaeae6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_5.webp?w=420\" alt=\"A 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-9796 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_5.webp 564w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_5.webp?resize=165,300 165w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, more than four-in-ten Republican parents (44%) said parents themselves don&#8217;t have <em>enough<\/em> influence on what their local K-12 schools teach, compared with roughly a quarter of Democratic parents (23%). A larger share of Democratic parents \u2013 about a third (35%) \u2013 said teachers don\u2019t have enough influence on what their local schools teach, compared with a quarter of Republican parents who held this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Republican and Democratic parents don\u2019t agree on <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\/#no-consensus-among-parents-about-what-they-want-their-children-to-learn-about-gender-identity-or-slavery\">what their children should learn in school<\/a><\/strong><strong> about certain topics.<\/strong> Take slavery, for example: While about nine-in-ten parents of K-12 students overall agreed in the fall 2022 survey that their children should learn about it in school, they differed by party over the specifics. About two-thirds of Republican K-12 parents said they 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. On the other hand, 70% of Democratic parents said they would prefer for their children to learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9799\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_6-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edeaea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edeaea;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" height=\"656\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png?w=640\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that, in 2022, Republican and Democratic parents had different views of what their children should learn about certain topics in school.\" class=\"wp-image-9799 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png 1280w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png?resize=293,300 293w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png?resize=768,787 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png?resize=999,1024 999w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_6.png?resize=640,656 640w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents are also divided along partisan lines on the topics of gender identity, sex education and America\u2019s position relative to other countries. Notably, 46% of Republican K-12 parents said their children should not learn about gender identity at all in school, compared with 28% of Democratic parents. Those shares were much larger than the shares of Republican and Democratic parents who said that their children should not learn about the other two topics in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Many Republican parents <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\/#views-about-whether-public-school-teachers-should-be-allowed-to-lead-students-in-prayer-are-somewhat-mixed\">see a place for religion in public schools<\/a><\/strong><strong>, whereas a majority of Democratic parents do not.<\/strong> About six-in-ten Republican parents of K-12 students (59%) said in the same survey that public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, including 29% who said this should be the case even if prayers from other religions are not offered. In contrast, 63% of Democratic parents said that public school teachers should not be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9802\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_7-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e7e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e7e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"780\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_7.png?w=420\" alt=\"Bar charts that show nearly six-in-ten Republican parents, but fewer Democratic parents, said in 2022 that public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in prayer.\" class=\"wp-image-9802 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_7.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_7.png?resize=300,279 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_7.png?resize=768,713 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_7.png?resize=640,594 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June 2022, before the Center conducted the survey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/06\/27\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-coach-prayers.html\">the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach<\/a> at a public high school who had prayed with players at midfield after games. More recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/religion\/2023\/05\/23\/texas-commandments-chaplains-christianity\/\">Texas lawmakers introduced several bills<\/a> in the 2023 legislative session that would expand the role of religion in K-12 public schools in the state. Those proposals included a bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom, a bill that would allow schools to replace guidance counselors with chaplains, and a bill that would allow districts to mandate time during the school day for staff and students to pray and study religious materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mentions of diversity, social-emotional learning and related topics in school mission statements are more common in Democratic areas than in Republican areas. <\/strong>K-12 mission statements from public schools in areas where the majority of residents voted Democratic in the 2020 general election are at least twice as likely as those in Republican-voting areas to include the words \u201cdiversity,\u201d \u201cequity\u201d or \u201cinclusion,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2023\/04\/04\/school-district-mission-statements-highlight-a-partisan-divide-over-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-k-12-education\/\">an April 2023 Pew Research Center analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9809\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/sr_23-05-31_k12partisandivides_8-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f0f0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"974\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_8.png?w=420\" alt=\"A dot plot showing that public school district mission statements in Democratic-voting areas mention some terms more than those in areas that voted Republican in 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-9809 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_8.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_8.png?resize=259,300 259w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_8.png?resize=768,891 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_8.png?resize=640,742 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, about a third of mission statements in Democratic-voting areas (34%) use the word \u201csocial,\u201d compared with a quarter of those in Republican-voting areas, and a similar gap exists for the word \u201cemotional.\u201d Like diversity, equity and inclusion, social-emotional learning is a contentious issue between Democrats and Republicans, even though <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\/#most-parents-see-value-in-their-children-learning-social-and-emotional-skills-at-school\">most K-12 parents think it\u2019s important for their children\u2019s schools to teach these skills<\/a>. Supporters argue that social-emotional learning helps address mental health needs and student well-being, but some critics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/education\/2022\/03\/28\/social-emotional-learning-critical-race-theory\/\">consider it emotional manipulation<\/a> and want it banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, there are broad similarities in school mission statements outside of these hot-button topics. Similar shares of mission statements in Democratic and Republican areas mention students\u2019 future readiness, parent and community involvement, and providing a safe and healthy educational environment for students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-06-05T18:58:25Z","apple_news_api_id":"46fb2313-057d-4917-be26-2426cfd01707","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-06-05T19:02:58Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARvsjEwV9SRe-JiQmz9AXBw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[{"key":"_xyyx4kewz","termId":578}],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[361,92,373,417,25],"bylines":[578],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[521,520,519],"class_list":["post-8020","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","category-education","category-education-politics","category-k-12","category-partisanship-issues","category-politics-policy","bylines-jenn-hatfield","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-data-labs","research-teams-politics","research-teams-social-trends"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":1345,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/06\/05\/partisan-divides-over-k-12-education-in-8-charts\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":9813,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/SR_23.05.31_K12PartisanDivides_feature-jpg.webp?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"caption":"Proponents and opponents of teaching critical race theory attend a school board meeting in Yorba Linda, California, in November 2021. 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