March is the month of elections, and political enthusiasm is rising along with spring. The presidential primary is already showing what the biggest issue in the education world will be this year.
critical race theory
While some states have banned critical race theory (CRT) from their curriculum, teachers in other states are fighting for freedom in what they teach. Former President Donald Trump criticized how many educators discuss race and gender, saying, “There must be a strict ban on teaching inappropriate racial, sexual or political content to American students in any form nationwide.” Trump plans to keep critical race theory an education issue, but the truth is more complex.
Many schools do not teach CRT to help legislators and lawyers understand the needs of underserved communities. Instead, it became a scapegoat for discussions about racism, equity, and gender. President Biden has focused on banning books, calling for diverse books and history. Biden argues that banning CRT limits free speech and public education rather than protecting students. Teachers can get more help celebrating diversity by looking at banned books when discussing race and history in the classroom.
Charter vs. Public School
The call for education privatization continues to be one of the biggest issues in education. This is a complex issue and one we often see in schools and political debates. Some see this as a way to fix public education by having public schools “fight” with private schools for resources, while others see it as a way to separate wealthier students from poorer students.
Former President Trump is calling for the expansion of charter schools. His plan is to encourage “parental choice” by funding private schools over public schools.
But Biden wants to support local public schools with more funding and programs. Biden's plan focuses on “evidence-based practices” in education rather than funding private schools. The plan also calls for smaller class sizes, more supports and transparent data to improve schools.
“Parental Rights”
Some politicians advocate for ‘parental rights’, while others criticize movements that harm LGBTQ+ youth. Others worry that “parental rights” could lead to abuse and neglect of LGBTQ+ children. That's because some of these bills require schools to notify parents if a child represents a different gender or sexual orientation.
Trump supports 'parental rights' and pledged to sign the 'Parental Bill of Rights Act'. The Parent Bill of Rights Act mandates parent-teacher conferences, a complete list of all books available to children, and disclosure of school expenditures. He argues that this would allow parents to know what their children are learning and ensure their tax dollars are being spent wisely. This bill could be one of the biggest problems in education because it requires more teachers, librarians, and administrative staff without additional funding.
But President Biden has come under attack for not doing enough to support parental rights. When the Parental Bill of Rights was approved last March, he vetoed it because he felt it did not sufficiently help parents. He was also concerned that this would harm LGBTQ+ youth. Opponents of the bill believe it would give too much power to Congress, ignore marginalized communities and destroy the public school system. Even a few House Republicans felt that the Parental Bill of Rights dictated too broadly how states should handle education.
Changing Measures of Success
Many students are still feeling the effects of the pandemic. Students are lagging behind their pre-pandemic peers in many subjects, and experts worry today's students may not be able to catch up. Harvard University and Stanford University are working on an Education Recovery Scorecard to determine how individual school districts are recovering from the pandemic. Stanford and Harvard hope parents and policymakers can use their research to determine which school districts need the most help to get students back on the right path.
Amid these concerns, some states have adopted “portraits of the graduate” to guide their curriculum by defining the skills students need to succeed after high school. As part of this portrait, schools focus on competency-based learning and require students to demonstrate their mastery of skills rather than focus on class time. However, how to test competency remains a difficult problem. Although standardized tests have been the norm for decades, some policymakers have debated whether these high-stakes tests can help students demonstrate mastery. But others cling to these tests in the belief that they measure all students and schools fairly. They argue that these tests raise standards and prepare students for adulthood. New York, Louisiana, and Florida are just three states currently debating better ways to measure success, and it is expected that more states and even Congress will debate how best to measure success.
While heading to the polls…
As the presidential election approaches, each candidate will continue to define what the biggest issues are in education. While Trump has so far expressed a desire to expand charter schools, Biden has called for a more robust education system. Countries are trying to define what students should learn, debating how to measure success and what history to teach.
Students can also be expected to discuss these issues, whether or not these discussions are invited into the classroom. If you're brave enough to discuss politics, check out this article. If you instead want to focus on helping your students figure out if the facts they find are real, check out this article.