A growing lack of confidence in K-12 principals—mainly among Republican voters—may only be the tip of the iceberg as yet more evidence of wider dissatisfaction with U.S. schools emerged Wednesday.
Only about half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed confidence in K-12 principals early this winter, a substantial drop from the 80% approval rating this group gave school leaders at the beginning of the pandemic, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Mask mandates, critical race theory and debates over how to teach about race drove this shift downward. This week, more research found that what is being taught, particularly around issues of race, has convinced a majority of Americans that schools are on the wrong track by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to the latest Grinnell College National Poll.
Again, attitudes break along party lines, though a substantial number of Democrats polled by Grinnell also voiced concerns. In the survey, 83% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats said public schools had gone astray, a sentiment that appears to be driven by how schools—or perceptions of how schools—teach about race. Among those who said schools are headed in the wrong direction, a majority (54%) cited how racism is taught.
“Historians point out that U.S. public education has long been driven by three overarching, but sometimes conflicting, goals: democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility,” said Cori Jakubiak, associate professor of education at Grinnell College. “The racial reckoning catalyzed by the 2020 killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement has prompted some educators to teach about structural racism as a central way to promote the democratic equality goal of public schooling.” He added, “We find that the public is divided over whether the schools can be trusted to teach about racism and that these concerns have fueled the sentiment that schools are on the wrong track.”
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But there are also findings that should encourage K-12 leaders. Most Americans trust educators to choose appropriate library books and to intervene when students pose a risk of violence. More than half said they oppose the use of public funds to support the education of students at private religious institutions.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey found most Americans also believe it is essential for schools must teach math, writing, American history, home economics and budgeting, and job skills. They also believe strongly that schools should teach students to be independent thinkers, to have respect for people of different races, and to respect authority. One subject that respondents did not feel was crucial for schools to teach? Patriotism.
In December, the leading organization representing high school principals warned of a looming mass exodus of building leaders, caused by political upheaval and the ongoing challenges of COVID. Job satisfaction was at an “ultimate low” with almost four in 10 principals saying they are likely to leave the profession in the next three years, according to a National Association of Secondary School Principals’ survey.
“Historically marginalized communities, students of color and those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds will be disproportionately affected by the departure of our strong and dedicated school leaders,” NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe said in December.
