How the American Education System has become a political battleground and what that means for students.

When you think of war, what do you think of? Guns? Bombs? Tanks? Well, chalkboards and textbooks have become unlikely front lines in America’s ongoing cultural wars. Classrooms should be safe spaces dedicated to learning and growth, but they are now increasingly shaped by ideological battles over what students should be taught about race, gender, identity, and our nation’s history. Politicians and government bodies constantly insert their political agendas into the American education system, controlling what children are taught from kindergarten onwards. 

The government is now policing school systems and their curricula, and this is personal for students. Legislation can completely dictate whose histories are heard, which books are allowed to be on the shelves, and whether classrooms feel like safe spaces for questions and self-expression, especially for those in LGBTQ+ communities. 

A striking example of the politicization of education is Florida's decision to block a new Advanced Placement (AP) course on African American Studies from being taught in high schools. The state's Department of Education argued that the course violated state law and lacked educational value, citing concerns over topics like Black queer studies or the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Another course that has been a source of controversy is the AP Psychology course, as it includes a unit on sexual identity and the psychology behind LGBTQ+ identities, which was then deemed unnecessary and inappropriate.This move, part of a broader effort to reshape educational content, has sparked national debate over academic freedom and the role of politics in the classroom, and has led teachers and AP exam graders to protest against Florida, effectively relocating AP exam grading to Ohio to avoid paying Florida, where they were formerly graded, millions of dollars for lodging and venue costs for grading. The stakes are now higher than ever. Education shapes how young people see the world and their place in it, but how can they have an education if the content that is being covered in their classrooms is constantly surrounded by controversy?

__________________________________________________________________________________

Works Cited

Arnn, Larry P. “Education as a Battleground.” Imprimis, 17 Nov. 2022, imprimis.hillsdale.edu/education-as-a-battleground/.

Call, A. “Scholars for Social Justice.” Scholars for Social Justice, 2025, www.scholarsforsocialjustice.com/universities-as-political-battlegrounds.

Esposito, Veronica. “How US Schools Became a Political Battleground: “These Are Proxies for a Bigger Clash in Society.”” The Guardian, 16 May 2024, www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/may/16/they-came-for-the-schools-book-review-mike-hixenbaugh.

Hetrick, Christian. “The next Battleground in U.S. Politics? School Boards.” USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, 14 Mar. 2023, priceschool.usc.edu/news/school-boards-politics-covid-racism/.

J.D. Tuccille. “Public Schools Will Always Be Political Battlegrounds - Reason.com.” Reason.com, 4 May 2022, reason.com/2022/05/04/public-schools-will-always-be-political-battlegrounds/. Accessed 11 July 2025.

LaFrance, Sam. “What Students Lose When School Becomes a Political Battleground | ACLU.” American Civil Liberties Union, 20 Feb. 2025, www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/what-students-lose-when-school-becomes-a-political-battleground.

Lauraine Langreo. “Schools Are Now Political Battlegrounds. We’ve Been Here Before.” Education Week, 26 Aug. 2024, www.edweek.org/leadership/schools-are-now-political-battlegrounds-weve-been-here-before/2024/08.

Peetz, Caitlynn. “School Boards Are a Political Battleground, but Many Races Still Go Uncontested.” Education Week, 19 Oct. 2023, www.edweek.org/leadership/school-boards-are-a-political-battleground-but-many-races-still-go-uncontested/2023/10.

“Pressian (South Korea): Prof. Copeland Explains How Schools Became a Political Battleground | School of Social Work.” Bu.edu, 1 Dec. 2021, www.bu.edu/ssw/pressian-south-korea-prof-copeland-explains-how-schools-became-political-battleground/. Accessed 11 July 2025.

Ritterband, Vicki. “Local Schools as Political Battlefields.” Tufts Now, 21 Mar. 2022, now.tufts.edu/2022/03/21/local-schools-political-battlefields. Accessed 11 July 2025.

Seibold, Loren. “When Schools Are Political Battlefields.” Atoday.org, 2 Mar. 2023, atoday.org/why-schools-are-becoming-political-battlefields/. Accessed 11 July 2025.

Smith, Allan. “Schools Become Political “Battlefield” in Culture Wars Trump Cultivated.” NBC News, 7 Sept. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/schools-become-political-battlefield-culture-wars-trump-cultivated-n1278257.

Smith, Cory. “Classrooms Are Hot Political Battleground, but That’s Nothing New.” KEYE, 20 Sept. 2022, cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/classrooms-are-hot-political-battleground-but-thats-nothing-new-woke-lgbtq-rights-oklahoma-american-schools-crt-critical-race-theory-transgender-bathrooms-in-schools-elections. Accessed 11 July 2025.

Somaskanda, Sumi. “Why Education Has Become a Political Battlefield in America – DW – 06/04/2022.” Dw.com, 4 June 2022, www.dw.com/en/why-education-has-become-a-political-battlefield-in-america/a-62017306.

Tresvant, Tierra. “Critical Race Theory in Education: A Political Battleground with Teachers as the Casualties .” Mcnair Scholars Research Journal, 2023, commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1196&context=mcnair.

Walker, Tim. “The Culture War’s Impact on Public Schools | NEA.” Www.nea.org, 17 Feb. 2023, www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/culture-wars-impact-public-schools.