If right-wing lawmakers really cared about what they call “parents’ rights,” they would not be spreading misinformation to pit parents against teachers. They would be listening to what parents really want instead of stoking racial and social divisions to drain resources from public schools.

In contrast, President Joe Biden has made historic investments in the education system in ways that truly value parent voices. Take Biden’s support for community schools, for example. These schools work with families, students and their surrounding communities to not only improve student academic performance but also solve problems beyond the classroom and campus walls. Since 2020, the Biden administration has increased federal funding for community schools five-fold.

A recent report by In the Public Interest found that schools across the country are using the community school model, which is helping students by expanding the idea of what a school can be responsible for and how it can care for its students.

For example, just outside of Tampa, Florida, Gibsonton Elementary School learned from families that many students felt unsafe walking to and from school. The school organized to have the county government install new streetlights and sidewalks near campus to increase student safety, immediately boosting attendance. Between 2017 and 2023, Gibsonton jumped from a “D”-rated school to nearly a “B” on the state’s annual academic report card.

At Hoover Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, school staff visit every family at home, connect families with mental health providers and amplify parent voices. School administrators have also listened to suggestions from students, many of whom are newcomers from countries in Africa, to include more culturally diverse meals in the school’s food pantry, add more diverse books to the library and incorporate more after-school programs. Changes like these have contributed to higher math test scores and fewer office referrals for disruptive behavior.

In New Jersey, which is experiencing a growing teacher shortage, the Mahatma K. Gandhi School in Jersey City was able to retain 95% of its teachers for the 2022–2023 school year. Teachers said that once the school began supporting students and families with housing, energy bills and even immigration issues, they could concentrate on learning in the classroom. This allowed them to focus on meeting their students’ academic needs, which increased job satisfaction and reduced stress.

Los Angeles’ Felicitas & Gonzalo Mendez High School collaborated with its socioeconomically disadvantaged students to reform its school safety strategy, resulting in zero student expulsions for over a decade and contributing to a boost in graduation and college-going rates.

These schools are making all students and families a priority and showing how listening to families, students and teachers makes public schools stronger and more effective.

Meanwhile, right-wing leaders have called educators “groomers” and “ pink-haired communists.” Former President Donald Trump said one of his first acts as president, should he win in November, would be to close the U.S. Department of Education. A number of states have passed laws in recent years aimed at restricting truthful, inclusive and age-appropriate curriculum. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a controversial set of conservative policy proposals, proposes passing a federal parents’ bill of rights.

That’s not what the vast majority of parents actually want. Parents want schools to make sure their children learn what they need to be successful, keep them safe from gun violence and protect their mental health. A 2022 poll by National Public Radio found that 76% of parents said their child’s school already does a good job of keeping them informed about the curriculum, including on potentially controversial topics.

It’s time to call a spade a spade. Right-wing leaders are trying to divide and distract us from what students really need: public schools that work with families, educators and surrounding communities to make sure students are in the best position to learn. Community schools are a promising step in that direction, and they need more — not less — investment.

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Jeremy Mohler is a mental health counselor and writing fellow at In the Public Interest, a national organization that studies public goods and services. This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.

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