Republicans Pounce on Schools as a Wedge Issue to Unite the Party - The New York Times - 0 views
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“parental rights,”
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a highly effective political strategy capitalizing on the frustrations of suburban parents still reeling from the devastating fallout of pandemic-era schooling.
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Republicans have moved to galvanize crucial groups of voters around what the party calls “parental rights” issues in public schools, a hodgepodge of conservative causes ranging from eradicating mask mandates to demanding changes to the way children are taught about racism.
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education rocketed to the top of voter concerns in the final weeks of the race, narrowly edging out the economy.
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He attacked critical race theory, a graduate school framework that has become a loose shorthand for a contentious debate on how to address race.
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teachers’ unions, unresponsive school boards, quarantine policies and the instruction parents saw firsthand during months of remote learning.
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The trend was most evident in Mr. Youngkin’s improvement over former President Donald J. Trump’s performance in the Washington suburbs, which include a mix of communities with large Asian, Hispanic and Black populations.
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While the conservative news media and Republican candidates stirred the stew of anxieties and racial resentments that animate the party’s base
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Many of those effects were borne most heavily by key parts of the Democratic base, including women and Black and Latino families.
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Black parents upset over the opposition of teachers’ unions to charter schools; and suburban mothers of all races who were generally on edge about having to juggle so much at home over the last year and a half.
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exploited similar lines of attack but beat it back by leaning into vaccination and mask mandates in schools.
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But the election results suggested that Republicans had spoken about education in ways that resonated with a broader cross-section of voters.
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They also need to be prepared to assert the value of public education in terms of a place where there’s a common curriculum and common set of values that most voters agree are the right ones for public schools.
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“Critical race theory isn’t being taught, but we need to actually tell people what is being taught and why this is a strategy to prevent our kids from learning about all of our history,”
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National and state union leaders drew public ire for slowing the reopening of schools even after teachers were given early access to vaccines.
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But she also chided Democrats for their timidity, warning that tough conversations were needed to rebuild trust between parents and their schools.
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education in Virginia and nationwide has continued to be disrupted by occasional quarantines and classroom closures to contain the coronavirus.
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While some parents supported the cautious approach — driven by teachers’ unions, school boards and some administrators — others became frustrated and angry, especially in suburban counties like Fairfax and Arlington.