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This article is part of The 74鈥檚 EDlection 2024 coverage, which takes a look at candidates鈥� education policies and how they might impact the American education system after the 2024 election.

Heading into a divisive national election, a new poll shows that when it comes to education, at least, Americans overwhelmingly agree that the next president should focus on two things: preparing students for careers and attracting top teachers who will stay in the profession.

鈥淭here are clear priorities that overwhelming numbers of Americans on both sides of the aisle can support,鈥� said James Lane, CEO of PDK International, a professional organization for educators that administers the annual survey. 鈥淚f I were a candidate for any office at the federal level, I would want to know those things that have broad support because they鈥檙e likely to have an opportunity for success.鈥� 

But beyond those narrow avenues of agreement, the country is separated by large partisan differences on issues from student mental health to paying for college. Eighty-six percent of Democrats want the next administration to focus on mental health and college affordability, compared with less than two-thirds of Republicans.

American voters also vary widely on their views of Washington鈥檚 role in education. Former President Donald Trump says he would dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, push for universal private school choice and expect schools to promote patriotism, according to his . On the Democratic side, Vice President Kamala Harris would push for more 鈥渟tringent guardrails鈥� on charter schools, revive an effort to pass and expand the to provide up to $6,000 for families with a newborn. 

Less than half of Americans 鈥� 45% 鈥� approve of how the Biden administration has handled education policy, the same they gave former President Donald Trump in 2020. But less than a third say they鈥檇 trust Trump on education if he鈥檚 elected again in November. Their views on a potential Harris-Walz administration are unclear 鈥� the poll was conducted before the disastrous debate that sparked President Joe Biden鈥檚 departure from the race. 

Lane, who served as acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education in the Biden administration before joining PDK last year, declined to comment on the president鈥檚 education track record. Attitudes toward the candidates might have shifted slightly if the poll had been conducted after Harris became the nominee, he said, but views on the major issues likely wouldn鈥檛 have changed much. 

The large partisan gaps are surprising given that many issues 鈥渄on’t really have a straightforward partisan connotation,鈥� said David Houston, an education professor at George Mason University. Public pre-K, for example, has long held bipartisan support at the state level, but a federal role in expanding access is a much higher priority for Democrats than Republicans, 71% and 48% respectively. 

The poll also shows that 54% of Americans overall 鈥� and 70% of public school parents 鈥� say education will play an extremely or very important role in the upcoming presidential election. But Houston is skeptical. 

鈥淚 would be surprised if education was the top-of-mind issue that would be deciding those votes,鈥� he said. That could change, he said, if the race is really close. 鈥淎nything that moves the vote count a fraction of a percent matters in a head-to-head race.鈥�

Across the sample of over 1,000 participants, there are also striking differences in responses by race. Support for a greater focus on helping students catch up in school, addressing mental health and reducing college costs is roughly 20% higher among Blacks than whites. 

The largest gap is on the issue of protecting students from discrimination, with 87% of Black respondents saying they want more attention paid to civil rights, compared to 51% of whites. Hispanic and Black Americans were nearly tied on wanting the next administration to strengthen access to public pre-K 鈥� 66% and 67% respectively 鈥� but just half of white respondents viewed it as a priority.

The Trump platform doesn鈥檛 mention early learning, but a for his potential second term, released by the conservative Heritage Foundation, would eliminate Head Start, the federally funded program for low-income families. While for 3- and 4-year-olds remains a plank in the Democratic platform, Biden was not able to win Congressional support for the issue when he ran on it in 2020.

Views on charters

Charter school expansion was the only issue where less than half of Americans 鈥� 35% 鈥� want an expanded federal role. Surprisingly, just half of Republicans called it a priority, perhaps reflecting the party鈥檚 increasing shift toward education savings accounts, which allow parents to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling costs with public funds.

鈥淸GOP] interest in charter schools has really petered out, compared to their heyday in the 2010s,鈥� Houston said. 鈥淭he school choice wing of the party has its energies focused elsewhere.鈥�

Among Democrats, who often accuse such schools of siphoning students from traditional outlets, less than a quarter wanted more federal attention on charter expansion.

Enrollment trends tell a different story, said Sonia Park, executive director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, a network that encourages socioeconomic and racial diversity. Charters overall have seen continued growth 鈥� a 2% increase last year, 鈥� during a time when the student population in district schools was flat or declining. 

鈥淧arents want quality public school choice, regardless of where they are, and charters are part of that,鈥� she said.

Democrats promise to pick up where the Biden administration left off on charter policy. According to the 2024 , additional federal funding for charter expansions or renewals would hinge on whether local districts determine they 鈥渟ystematically underserve the neediest students鈥� 鈥� a change that goes beyond restrictions the Biden administration adopted in 2022. 

鈥楬arrowing鈥� results on teaching

With Harris鈥檚 selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher, as her running mate, education is likely to get frequent attention during the fall campaign. But Lane, with PDK, wants to hear specific plans to address ongoing in the teaching workforce. Relief funds that allowed districts to hire more staff will soon expire, a reality that already contributed to a wave of . Some districts are still starting the school year with , and another shows just 16% of teachers would recommend the profession to their friends.

For the first time, the survey also asked the public about AI in education, a subject that often generates mixed reactions. Over 60% of Americans support AI for tutoring, test preparation and lesson planning. But only 43% favored students relying on AI for help with homework.

In keeping with its focus on teaching, PDK International routinely includes a question in its poll that asks parents whether they鈥檇 support their children going into education. The organization runs , a nationwide program that aims to get middle and high school students interested in the profession.

Just four in 10 parents say they鈥檇 like to see one of their children become a teacher 鈥� a significant drop from the three-fourths of parents who favored that choice when the question was first asked in 1969. The primary reason: low pay. 

鈥嬧�嬧�漌e’re going to have to address salaries,鈥� Lane said. 鈥淭he fact that 60% of folks wouldn’t even recommend a teaching career to their own children is harrowing, considering the needs that we have.鈥�

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