On The Issues: Classroom Culture Wars

Schools have become a stand-in for conservative social fights

View this email online This is a special NPR Politics newsletter series on the 2024 presidential campaign, designed to sort through the noise and help you understand what matters. Dec. 21, 2023 Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, we're diving into some of the biggest issues at play in the 2024 election. Today, we take a look at the classroom "culture wars."  On The Issues: Education, Social Issues and 2024 Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images As our subscribers know, we've been tracking the Republican presidential candidates’ positions on different issue areas (abortion, immigration, climate change, etc.). But when I sat down to make an issue tracker on the topic of education, I hit a snag: There weren’t a lot of clear policy positions to track. True, multiple candidates have said they want to close the department of education. Some have talked about "school choice." But usually, when candidates talk about schools in this presidential primary, they are really talking about the so-called culture wars.  This isn’t a cycle where candidates are debating major education reform proposals (see: George W. Bush in 2000). Instead, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touts how his state eliminated "CRT and gender ideology" in schools. Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley often says transgender girls should not play on girls' sports teams, calling it the "women's issue of our time." And former President Donald Trump gets a roar of approval when he says schools are pushing "inappropriate racial, sexual or political content" on America's children.  Behind the rhetoric and applause lines, there are a few contradictions here: The president can't actually do much about what's being taught in schools, so why are candidates talking about it so much? And polling shows that voters rarely list education as a top issue, so why does it seem to be a top issue for the people running? After talking to voters and going to rallies, I concluded that the candidates are using schools to tell voters a story: that they’re effective, tough leaders (in the case of DeSantis), that they will fight so-called “political correctness” (Trump), or that they’re no-nonsense truth-tellers (Haley). The goal isn’t to sell a particular policy — one that the candidates know they'd only have tangential power to enact. It’s to sell themselves as the leader America needs right now. Read More Newsletter continues after sponsor message Looking for a last minute gift for the podcast lover in your life? Give them access to NPR+ benefits for 6 or 12 months with a simple one-time payment that supports your local station. NPR+ is a growing collection of over 20 podcasts that are the same NPR shows you know and love (which will always be free to enjoy), but with added perks like bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening, archive access, and even early releases. You can even customize your gift with a personal message and schedule delivery for a specific day. So how about it? Will you give a gift that makes an impact? Just proceed through the link below and select the "gifts" option in the top navigation bar. Get NPR+ By The Numbers Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images 65% of Republican parents say they are worried about what their children are being taught in schools, according to a May NPR/IPSOS poll. 46% of Independent parents and 30% of Democratic parents said the same.  — Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer Voter Voices: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images "We're really tying [teachers'] hands. I wouldn't go to my mechanic and tell him how to fix my car... So why are we doing this to our teachers? It just doesn't make any sense to me." – Amanda Hickerson, a Republican parent in southeast Virginia "They've told us here that 'Oh no, you can't have parents involved. You must have experts choosing books for the children.’ That makes no sense. Parents are the primary stakeholders for children." – Carolyn Harrison, founder of Parents Against Bad Books  “I just don't want to have to separate myself like I feel like I've had to – which is, being an athlete but then, like, kind of being trans on the side. I kind of just want to exist as a whole person.” – Parker Parker, a trans field hockey player from Ohio  — Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer Essential Reading Rick Bowmer/AP Bills targeting trans youth are growing more common — and radically reshaping lives In the battle over books, who gets to decide what's age-appropriate at libraries? School book bans show no signs of slowing, new PEN America report finds Poll: Americans say teachers are underpaid; about half of Republicans oppose book bans Essential Listening 🎧 Who should decide what's taught in schools? (NPR Politics Podcast) 🎧 3 generations of trans Americans reflect on what has (and hasn't) changed (Consider This) 🎧 The battle over book bans takes a toll on librarians and comes at a financial cost (Consider This) 🎧 This trans college athlete is being faced with an impossible decision (Embedded)  🎧 How critical race theory went from Harvard Law to Fox News (Consider This) Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from St. Louis Public Radio (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? 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