From xxxxxx <[email protected]>
Subject New Poll: Voters Prioritize School Basics Over Culture Wars
Date February 2, 2023 4:25 AM
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[ Poll participants are not interested in an agenda prioritizing
political fights over things like book bans and limitations on how to
teach about race and gender and instead support real solutions, like
getting our kids and teachers what they need to recover and thrive]
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NEW POLL: VOTERS PRIORITIZE SCHOOL BASICS OVER CULTURE WARS  
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American Federation of Teachers
January 13, 2023
AFT
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_ Poll participants are not interested in an agenda prioritizing
political fights over things like book bans and limitations on how to
teach about race and gender and instead support real solutions, like
getting our kids and teachers what they need to recover and thrive _

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The AFT released a poll on Jan. 13 and the message is clear. Voters
are rejecting the culture war that has recently
saturated education policy and instead want to see political
leaders prioritize what kids need to succeed in school: strong
fundamental academic skills and safe and welcoming school
environments. 

Poll participants are not interested in an agenda prioritizing
political fights over things like book bans and limitations on how to
teach about race and gender—an agenda favored by House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy—“and instead support real solutions, like getting
our kids and teachers what they need to recover and thrive,” says
AFT President Randi Weingarten.

“Rather than reacting to MAGA-driven culture wars, voters
overwhelmingly say they want lawmakers to get back to basics: to
invest in public schools and get educators the resources they need to
create safe and welcoming environments, boost academic skills and pave
pathways to career, college and beyond,” Weingarten says.

“One key weakness of the culture war agenda is that voters and
parents reject the idea that teachers today are pushing a ‘woke’
political agenda in the schools,” says Geoff Garin, president of
Hart Research Associates, the organization that conducted the
poll. “Most have high confidence in teachers. Voters see the
‘culture war’ as a distraction from what’s important and believe
that politicians who are pushing these issues are doing so for their
own political benefit.”

The poll was conducted from Dec. 12-17, 2022, among 1,502 registered
voters nationwide, including 558 public school parents, and shows
that support for and trust in public schools and teachers remains
strong: 

* 93 percent of respondents said improving public education is an
important priority for government officials.
* 66 percent said the government spends too little on education; 69
percent want to see more spending.
* By 29 points, voters said their schools teach appropriate content,
with an even greater trust in teachers.
* Voters who prioritized education supported Democrats by 8 points.

* Top education priorities for voters include providing: 

* students with strong fundamental academic skills;
* opportunities for all children to succeed, including through
career and technical education and greater mental health supports, as
examples; and 
* a safe and welcoming environment for kids to learn.

According to voters, the most serious problems facing schools
include teacher shortages, inadequate funding, unsafe schools and
pandemic learning loss. Voters and parents are looking forward to
finding solutions: By 85 percent to 15 percent, they want Congress
to focus on improving schools through greater support, rather than
through McCarthy’s investigation agenda.

“COVID was terrible for everyone,” says Weingarten. “Educators
and parents took on the challenges of teaching, learning and
reconnecting and are now asking elected officials to focus on the
building blocks of student success. Instead, legislators in 45 states
have proposed hundreds of laws making that harder—laws seeking to
ban books from school libraries; restrict what teachers can say about
race, racism, LGBTQIA+ issues and American history; and limit the
school activities in which transgender students can participate.
Voters are saying that not only are these laws bad policy—they’re
also bad politics.”

In state after state in the November midterms, voters elected
pro-public education governors and school board candidates and
rejected far-right attacks on teachers and vulnerable LGBTQIA+
students. 

Click here
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a slide deck further describing the poll, here
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a summary and here
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sample questions from the summary.

* Education
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* Culture Wars
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* American Federation of Teachers
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