"The polls kept telling us that education was the seventh or eighth or ninth most important issue. Let me tell you, it is the top issue right now, and Republicans across the country can own this topic," Glenn Youngkin said in November 2021, just days after being elected as Virginia's new governor. The Republican reversed 11 points from Joe Biden's 2020 win and became the first GOP politician to govern the state since 2013.
As he explained at the time, his improbable victory was made possible because education became the campaign's central issue. Under the slogan "parents matter," he highlighted the importance of their rights to make decisions about their children's education, in clear contrast to the Democratic candidate who, months before the elections, seemed invincible: Terry McAuliffe.
As political analysts previewed in the days following Virginia's gubernatorial election, the Republicans' education agenda could propel them to win key states at the local and federal levels in the coming years. Charter schools, school choice and parental oversight appear to be popular topics among voters in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina, four states set to define the country's fate at the upcoming polls.
So found a survey conducted by Democrats for Education Reform, a group that seeks to bring the Democratic Party closer to some of the aforementioned proposals, such as charter schools. According to their findings, 36% of likely voters trust the GOP regarding handling education, outpacing the 33% who view the ruling party better.
Biden won three of the four aforementioned states by a very narrow margin in 2020. For example, he carried Nevada by less than 34,000 votes, Georgia by 12,000 and Arizona by less than 11,000.
Jorge Elorza, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, said the results should warn Democrats nationally. "Voters, especially parents, want to see bold investments and more choices for their children. Republicans are capitalizing on this," he added in a statement.
In addition, the poll found that 66% of independent voters support charter school expansion, while 6 in 10 parents say they have seen no improvement in their children's schools over the past ten years. The latter is striking, given that, since the Covid-19 pandemic, heavy investments have been made in education.
What is a charter school?
To summarize, it is a free school of choice that is publicly funded but independently administered by a teacher, a non-profit organization or a university.
"The charter school model empowers teachers to deliver innovative, high-quality instruction and gives them the autonomy to design a classroom that fits the needs of their students. Charter schools are led by dynamic principals who have the flexibility to create a school culture that fosters student achievement and parent satisfaction. Charter schools are accountable for the performance standards they agree to in their charter and for their communities," explained The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
"The reasons parents choose charter schools for their children are as unique as the students themselves. They choose charter schools because of strong, dedicated teachers, because the school's focus matches their child's needs, or simply because their child was struggling in their assigned public school and needed to try something new. Charter schools provide families with options in public education, allowing parents to play a more active role in their children's education," they added.
