World News: OnPolitics: The progression of education policy in U.S. politics

Thursday, October 27

People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist." (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio) ORG XMIT: NMCA102

OnPolitics: The progression of education policy in U.S. politics

Polling from over the summer of likely voters in 62 congressional battleground districts suggests Republicans now have an advantage over Democrats on education.

Greetings, OnPolitics readers! It's Amy with today's top stories out of Washington.

For decades, Democrats were viewed as the "education party," enjoying most voters' trust on issues surrounding public schools and money to pay for those schools.

At various points in history, however, Republicans have intervened in education issues, too, including by lamenting the state of public schools and crafting policies around charter schools and private school vouchers to introduce competition with traditional public schooling.

How the GOP strengthened on education: Parents. A lack of consensus has created an opportunity for Republicans, who have been more proactive about appealing to parents, tapping into their fears about curriculum and educational quality.

As partisanship grows around education issues, Republicans have been proactive about appealing to parents.

Conservatives have won seats on a number of school boards, running on campaigns targeting critical race theory.

Another wave of candidates are running on the same issue this cycle, with some also targeting LGBTQ+ lessons and the contents of school libraries.

Polling from over the summer of likely voters in 62 congressional battleground districts suggests Republicans now have an advantage over Democrats on education.

The full picture: Check out this visual timeline for the full progression of education policy in U.S. politics.

Poll: Voters expect gridlock

Voters have low expectations of what Republicans will be able to do if they win a majority in the House of Representatives in November's elections, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.

Four in 10, 42%, foresee "more partisan gridlock with nothing getting done" if power is divided between a GOP-controlled House and a Democratic president. Just 19% say that situation would force more bipartisanship.

The poll also found voters think a GOP-controlled House would investigate Hunter Biden. | More poll results.

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