The majority of teachers said they do not have enough control over what they teach in public schools, according to a survey released Thursday, while the federal and state governments have too much.
In a Pew Research Center poll, 71% of K-12 teachers claimed they do not have enough say over what is taught in public schools in their respective areas, while 58% claim their state government has too much control.
State governments are generally expected to set their own education policies, and many states have different education requirements and expectations, which can cause discrepancies nationwide.
Teachers were also divided on what subjects should be taught in the schools and whether controversy on the subjects was impacting their ability to teach them. Only about 4% of respondents said the debate around education was positively affecting their jobs, but 41% said it was having a negative impact. Fifty-three percent said there was no impact.
The survey, which was conducted between Oct. 17 and Nov. 14, 2023, through the RAND American Teacher Panel, polled 2,531 teachers and examined their views on the role of race and gender identity in school classrooms. The majority of respondents were Democrats or Democratic-leaning.
On the topic of race, the Pew survey found wide support, 64%, for teaching about slavery in the U.S. and how it affects black people today. But 23% said it should be taught and that it no longer affects today’s black population, and just 8% said it should not be taught in schools.
When it comes to gender identity and whether someone’s gender can be different than the one assigned at birth, half of the teachers said the subject should not be taught in schools. A third of teachers said students should be taught that it can be different than the one assigned at birth. Just 14% said gender is determined at birth.
Elementary school teachers were the most adamant that gender identity not be taught in their schools, making up 62% of elementary school respondents. However, 45% of middle school teachers and 35% of high school teachers agree that students should not learn about gender identity in schools.
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Another important topic that has flooded school board meetings in recent years is a parent’s role in education, particularly on controversial matters such as gender identity. In 2022, 37% of parents said their children should not learn about gender identity in school, and more teachers agree that parents should be able to “opt their children out” of learning about the subject.
A third of teachers also believe that parents have too much influence in school curriculum, compared to 19% who claim parents do not have enough.
