The Real Reason Democrats Are Losing Ground on Education
This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Question of the Week
Should America go “all in” on public schools, or should parents have the ability to direct the tax dollars that fund their child’s education to the public or private school of their choice? Please share your viewpoint and the reasoning or experiences that shape that position.
Send responses to conor@theatlantic.com.
Conversations of Note
On many bygone Election Days, voters trusted Democrats more than Republicans on the issue of education––but that may not hold this November, if recent polling is to be believed. The American Federation of Teachers commissioned a survey of 1,758 likely voters in seven battleground states to gauge their views on education politics as the midterms approach. The most newsworthy result, in my estimation, was a dead heat on a question Democrats historically win:
In general, do you have more confidence in the Democrats or in the Republicans to deal with education issues?
More confidence in Democrats ......... 38
More confidence in Republicans ....... 39
Same confidence in both parties ....... 9
No confidence in either party ............ 14
What viewpoints are informing those results? In one question, likely voters were asked to choose the most important among a list of “different goals that public schools might try to achieve.” Their No. 1 goal: “Making sure students have strong fundamental skills in reading, math, and science.” The second-most important goal: “Teaching practical life skills, like how to balance a checkbook and deal with money.” The third-most important: “Developing students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills” (tied with “preparing students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in college or careers”). Here are the goals that finished last: “Making sure all children can
