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John,
Since the beginning of the pandemic, educators and school support staff have made heroic efforts to keep students safe and learning. In a school year that started with the delta variant and a calendar year that started with omicron, educators have tried to overcome these challenges and focus on helping our students recover and thrive. And contrary to what you hear some armchair pundits say, this new polling shows parents see this work and acknowledge it.
A supermajority of U.S. parents give their public schools and teachers top marks for their herculean efforts to respond to the challenges of COVID-19, fresh polling shows, and perceptions of teachers unions are on the rise.
Share this graphic here to spread the word!
A few key points from the survey:
- 72 percent of parents say their school provides excellent or good-quality education.
- 78 percent of parents express satisfaction with their children’s schools’ overall handling of the pandemic, including 82 percent of urban parents, 77 percent of Black parents and 74 percent of Hispanic parents.
- 83 percent of parents are satisfied with the schools’ efforts to keep students and staff safe.
Some on the far right have tried to exploit this crisis to usher in a shameful new chapter of teacher-bashing, but most parents aren’t buying it. It’s been a tough time for everyone, but parents get that public schools are key for their kids’ well-being. They are standing with the community, teachers and their unions—not only in defense of public education but also to address inadequate school funding, students’ progress during COVID-19, lower class size, and the conditions necessary for academic recovery, including enough counselors, enough nurses and adequate teacher pay.
We need to show our communities that educators are a force for good. Click here to share this graphic and tell your friends about this poll on social media.
The virus is our enemy, not each other. Parents are saying teachers are heroes for their efforts during this pandemic and that they deeply value how their public schools have gone above and beyond to help their kids recover and thrive.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
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