Curriculum From Our Research Center

Majority of Educators Believe Parents Should Be Involved in Curriculum Choices

By Ileana Najarro — December 17, 2021 1 min read
Illustration of a parent and child outside of a school building.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Parents across the nation are seemingly up in arms about the ways teachers talk about race, LGBTQ identities, religion, and climate change. They’re confronting school board members, recording and posting classroom lessons on social media and urging politicians to crack down on what’s allowed to be discussed in class.

How do educators feel about the issue?

Last month, the EdWeek Research Center in a nationally representative survey asked more than 1,300 district leaders, school leaders, and teachers how they feel about teaching politicized topics in the classroom, and about parental involvement in choosing or weighing in on the selection of curricula and learning materials.

Here’s what they said.

*Respondents are district leaders, principals, and teachers.

SOURCE: EdWeek Research Center survey, 2021

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 12, 2022 edition of Education Week as Majority of Educators Believe Parents Should Be Involved In Curriculum Choices

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers
The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by STARI
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Climb: A New Framework for Career Readiness in the Age of AI
Discover practical strategies to redefine career readiness in K–12 and move beyond credentials to develop true capability and character.
Content provided by Pearson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum The Many Reasons Teachers Supplement Their Core Curricula—and Why it Matters
Some experts warn against supplementing core programs with other resources. But educators say there can be good reasons to do so.
7 min read
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023. In reading classrooms nationwide, teachers tend to mix core and supplemental materials—whether out of necessity or by design.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Curriculum Shakespeare, Other Classics Still Dominate High School English
Despite efforts to diversify curricula, teachers still regularly assign many of the same classic works, a new survey finds.
6 min read
Illustration of bust of Shakespeare surrounded by books.
Chris Whetzel for Education Week
Curriculum Why Most Teachers Mix and Match Curricula—Even When They Have a 'High-Quality' Option
Teachers who supplement "may be signaling about inadequacies in the materials that are provided to them,” write the authors of a new report.
6 min read
An elementary school teacher helps a student with a writing activity.
An elementary school teacher helps a student with a writing activity.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Curriculum How Digital Games Can Help Young Kids Separate Fact From Fiction
Even elementary students need to learn how to spot misinformation.
3 min read
Aerial view of an diverse elementary school classroom using digital  devices with a digitized design of lines connecting each device to symbolize AI and connectivity of data and Information.
iStock/Getty