Parental involvement has become a flashpoint in the public debate over what instructional content is appropriate for school settings. These heated discussions have manifested in numerous forms, including a Parents Bill of Rights Act passed by House Republicans, lawsuits initiated by parents against school districts, and even violent conflicts at school events. The media narrative has largely pitted parents against schools (even though these incidents may be the work of a small but vocal minority of parents).

Over the last two years, we’ve repeatedly used the RAND Corporation’s American Educator Panels (AEP) to survey educators about how they are navigating politically charged issues. These national surveys of K–12 educators—including district leaders, principals, and teachers—consistently show that parents have become a key source of tension in schools.

In this post, we use AEP survey findings to discuss what role educators see parents playing in these debates over politicized issues. We also discuss what schools can do to better engage parents as a way of alleviating political tensions.

In fall 2022, about half of a nationally representative sample of 300 district leaders agreed that political polarization over hot-button topics like critical race theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and COVID-19 safety practices was interfering with their ability to educate students. When we asked what specific challenges districts had experienced, leaders often identified issues involving parents or local community members. For example, roughly three in ten said they were dealing with threats from the public against educators or school board members. Another three in ten reported increased requests from parents to opt their children out of instruction about controversial topics.

In addition to surveying district leaders, we surveyed principals. They, too, identified parents as a key source of pressure.

Read the full article about political tensions in schools by Ashley Woo and Melissa Kay Diliberti at Brookings.