Headline RoundupSeptember 7th, 2022

As Students Return to Class, Public Confidence in Schools Falters

Summary from the AllSides News Team

New data from Gallup suggests that public confidence in schools is falling, especially among Republicans.

The poll says 42% of U.S. adults are satisfied with the state of K-12 education, down from 51% in January 2019 and the lowest reading Gallup has recorded since 2000, when it was 36%. The drop has been mostly among Republicans. More Democrats are satisfied now (51%) than in 2019 (50%), but Republican satisfaction dropped from 50% to 30% in the same period. Of those who said they were dissatisfied, 82% either cited concerns with curriculum or political agendas.

Meanwhile, the poll also says that 80% of parents with children in grades K-12 say they're at least somewhat satisfied with the quality of their oldest child's education, including 85% of Democratic/Democratic-leaning parents and 74% of Republican/Republican-leaning parents.

Many right-rated news sources covered the Gallup data; few left-rated sources did. Many on the right framed it as evidence that hidden political agendas within school curriculum are straining public confidence. A report from the Washington Post quoted voices who made similar arguments, while also highlighting teacher shortages and suggesting that conservative politicians like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) "found it could be politically advantageous to blast teachers." Conversely, a report from Washington Free Beacon (Right bias) said Youngkin "rode a wave of dissatisfaction with school boards in Virginia's suburbs to victory."

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