Since the pandemic, parents have gotten increasingly involved in their child’s education. Furthermore, they say they’d prefer their kids to avoid pursuing teaching as a career, according to the 54th annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools released this week.
The findings come at a time when teachers are more frustrated than ever, with many leaving the classroom to protest in hopes of receiving better pay and safer working conditions.
“This year, as we developed our PDK Poll questions, protests at school board meetings were making headlines across the United States,” wrote Director of Publications Teresa Preston and acting CEO of PDK International Albert Chen in a joint statement addressing the results of this year’s poll. “Parents and activists were expressing their anger over COVID-19 policies, the availability of books they deemed inappropriate, the fear that critical race theory was infusing with school curricula, and school policies and practices for addressing gender identity and sexualities.”
According to the results, 62% of U.S. adults say they don’t want their child to become a teacher in their communities. The first time the majority of parents expressed this concern was in 2018 when it reached 54%.
“No single reason for this growing disinterest stands out,” wrote Preston and Chen. “More than 20% alike cited poor pay, the demands and stress of the job, and lack of respect.”
Despite these negative implications, respondents conveyed high levels of satisfaction in their community’s public schools. Those polled were asked to rate their public schools using a letter system: A, B, C, D or fail.
54% of all respondents gave their public schools either an A or a B grade, the highest marks since 1974. In contrast, 47% responded with a C, D or fail.
In addition, adults expressed high levels of trust and confidence in their public school teachers: 63% reported having “a great deal or good amount” of trust and confidence in their educators.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said these findings contradict the political inaccuracies portrayed in the media. “This year’s PDFK poll results confirm what we hear as we visit communities in every corner of this country: Parents trust their children’s public school teachers and support their public schools,” she said. “It is yet another fact from people on the ground, as compared with the smears and propaganda that some politicians traffic in.”
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Most notably, the results reveal that more respondents trust teachers to appropriately address topics related to history, civics and social/emotional growth. Conversely, less than half trust their educators to handle gender/sexuality issues.
Public school parents trust educators to cover:
- U.S. History: 67%
- Civics: 57%
- Social/emotional growth: 59%
- Racial/ethnic diversity: 56%
- Media literacy: 54%
- How the history of racism affects America today: 55%
- Gender/sexuality issues: 46%
“When educators and school staff and parents and caregivers work together, we have a better chance to meet the needs of kids—to get back to the basics and help them find some joy in learning and develop important life skills in the process,” said Weingarten.
“And it is encouraging that parents support teachers in teaching civics and honest history, so young people can reckon with our past, understand our present and create a better future.”
