by Kendall Tietz
Roughly 6-in-10 parents are concerned about the current quality of American education, according to a survey conducted by an education advocacy group.
An overwhelming number of parents believe they should be able to determine what their kids are taught in the classroom, according to a Free to Learn (FTL) poll. Concerns over COVID-19 mitigation measures, Critical Race Theory (CRT), gender ideology and virtual learning have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
Over 50% of parents said virtual learning negatively impacted their children’s academic performance, while 60% said it negatively impacted their mental health, according to the survey. More than half of parents said they have become more involved in their child’s curriculum because of virtual learning.
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FTL wrote a letter to the National Education Association President Becky Pringle, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and National School Boards Association President Viola Garcia on Monday to inform them of the survey’s findings and urge their organizations to focus on “academics, not activism.”
“Despite the unending push by your organizations to de-emphasize academic achievement in the name of activism, there was overwhelming consensus in our research that American families are extremely concerned with how K-12 schools are performing,” the letter said.
Over 80% of respondents said they are concerned with today’s quality of education and 74% of parents said they “should be able to request the curriculum being taught to their children,” while 72% said they should be able to opt their children out of any curriculum they think is harmful or inappropriate.
Nearly three-fourths of Americans said it is inappropriate for schools to conduct surveys about students’ sexual experiences, gender identity and sexual orientation and 66% of respondents said that since 2019 they have seen schools become more political.
“I hope this data helps make clear that those students’ parents are not some disembodied, disinterested group to be ignored, nor are they domestic terrorists against which to fight,” the letter concluded.” They are the ones who have the greatest interest in seeing their children succeed and should be treated as full partners as you help America’s young people achieve their greatest potential.”
The survey polled 1,200 respondents from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 with a margin of error of ± 2.83%.
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Kendall Tietz is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Kid Learning” by US Department of Education. CC BY 2.0.
