Education Is “Political” and Will Always Be

The idea that politics should remain out of the classroom is impossible. Teachers inherently have biases and foundational philosophies that are grounded on what people would consider politics. I’ve seen how California being the first state to pass legislation requiring ethnic studies to the taught in high school has sparked debate on how this is a political brainwash by Gov. Gavin Newsom and that their kids shouldn’t be taught ethnic studies. I know of parents that have pulled their kids out of school because they believe that politics has invaded schools.

The reality is that politics have been there all along — in the philosophies of the teachers, mission and vision of the school and district, parents, and community. It’s not, “I voted for…” or, “I’m republican and therefore, you need to vote republican,” messaging, but rather messaging in the actions (or inaction) of the school.

The sad part is that when people say that they want politics out of schools, they really mean…

• We don’t want ethnic studies in schools because it has our children analyzing power dynamics, learning about the history, experiences, cultures, and issues of people of color from their perspective, and critically analyzing systemic injustices that we personally may be contributing to.
• We want everyone to have equal access to materials despite the reality that students from disadvantaged communities have less access to supports for their success. We want equality over equity.
• We want our kids to attend “good schools” with high rankings and test scores (which really means we want to attend schools with kids from higher income backgrounds, two parent households, and other factors).

Leaving politics out of schools means maintaining the status quo. I’m not talking about teachers explicitly sharing that they are democrat, republican, independent, etc., but I’m talking about what I see on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media or community forums when people analyze schools.

When we’re advocating for ethnic studies in schools, more funding for students from low-income backgrounds for programs and support services that increase their exposure to careers, going away from testing, and so on… this IS political and needs to be in schools.

Not having these and turning and blind eye in schools IS also politics — a political statement that the rich should remain rich, the marginalized should remain marginalized, and equal support is fair support (…it isn’t).

Education is politics and needs to be in school. Not having “politics” in schools IS political. If not, how are we ever going to advocate for a future where every student can succeed?