Poll shows most parents prefer teachers to prioritize facts over opinion

June 12, 2024 TruthUSA

A significant majority of Canadian parents are in favor of teachers providing advance notice of controversial lessons and focusing on facts rather than opinions in the classroom, as per a recent report.

Eighty-six percent of parents surveyed for the Fraser Institute report expressed that both teachers and the curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12 should emphasize presenting students with facts and creating a learning environment where students can freely explore facts, rather than the interpretations or opinions of teachers and school boards.

Furthermore, eighty-one percent of parents believe that schools should give advance notice of controversial topics being discussed in class or during formal school activities.

“With ongoing debates across Canada impacting K-12 classrooms, school policies, and curriculum development, what we can glean from this parent survey is that a clear majority of parents across Canada want facts presented in classrooms rather than a teacher’s interpretation or opinions,” expressed Fraser Institute associate director of education studies Paige MacPherson in a press release.

The Leger poll conducted interviews with parents of school-aged children, ages five to 18, enrolled in public and independent schools. A total of 1,202 interviews were carried out via an online panel, and 1,000 interviews were conducted with a representative sampling of parents across Canada between March 25 and April 8.

The survey unveiled various concerns among parents such as the use of age-appropriate material, how schools should address controversial topics, and whether parents have the right to withdraw their children from controversial lessons without any repercussions.

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Ninety-one percent of parents indicated that classroom material and discussions should always be appropriate for their children’s age, while seventy-six percent agreed that students should be presented with both perspectives on controversial issues or the topic should not be taught at all.

Seventy percent of parents also asserted their right to withdraw their child from a specific lesson on a controversial issue without affecting the child’s grade. Topics identified as controversial in the survey included gender issues and climate change.

Among the parents who disagreed with the parental right to remove their child from class, sixty percent stressed the importance of students learning about all topics regardless of their parents’ views, while twenty percent believed controversial topics should be mandatory to help children form their own opinions.

Fifteen percent of parents mentioned that they should trust educators and the curriculum, and eleven percent believed that exposure to controversial topics helps in developing critical thinking and open-mindedness.

Ms. MacPherson commented, “These questions are often portrayed as contentious in media and politics, but this polling data shows there is a clear consensus among Canadian parents with children in K–12 schools. Parents overwhelmingly value balance, not bias. They want their children to be taught age-appropriate facts rather than opinions and expect prior notice so they can provide informed consent about any controversial occurrences in their children’s schools.”

Parents have been increasingly advocating for more input on the curriculum taught in classrooms as more school boards incorporate gender ideology into health and sex education.

A widespread movement known as the “1 Million March for Children” took place across the country last September, with numerous demonstrators marching in various cities nationwide to protest gender ideology in school curricula.

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