Are Schools Indoctrinating Kids? Students Say No, Lehigh University Research Shows

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BETHLEHEM, PA — In the ongoing debate about the role of politics in American public education, a new study by J. Cameron Anglum of the Lehigh University College of Education offers a revealing look at the gap between what adults believe and what students experience. According to Anglum’s research, U.S. adults are significantly more likely than high school students to think that public schools exhibit a political bias or actively promote a particular ideology. This disconnect is not just an interesting statistical quirk—it has real consequences for how we talk about education policy and what we expect from our schools.

The study, published by the Brookings Institution with co-author Anita Manion of the University of Missouri-St. Louis surveyed both adults and high school students about their perceptions of political leanings in public schools. The results are striking. While a substantial portion of adults see schools as politically slanted, most students do not share this view. The research found that adults were about twice as likely as students to say that public schools lean toward one political party or ideology. This suggests that the loudest concerns about indoctrination come from adults, perspectives that may not reflect the lived experiences of the young people sitting in classrooms.

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Anglum, an assistant professor in Lehigh’s Educational Leadership Program, notes that one possible explanation is that adults are influenced by the broader political climate and media coverage, which often frames schools as battlegrounds in America’s culture wars.

“Stories about controversial curriculum changes, book bans, or heated school board meetings can give the impression that schools are hotbeds of political activity. But for most students, daily classroom life does not center on political partisanship. Students are more likely to remember math tests, group projects, and cafeteria lunches than any overt political messaging,” explains Anglum.

This disconnect is significant because it influences public attitudes and, ultimately, informs policy decisions.

“Suppose adults believe that schools are pushing a particular agenda. If so, they may support measures like increased oversight, curriculum restrictions, or even school choice policies designed to ‘protect’ students from perceived bias. But if these fears are not grounded in the reality of students’ experiences, such policies risk solving a problem that may not exist on the scale imagined,” says Anglum.

Anglum’s research also points out that perceptions of bias are not uniform. Adults’ views vary by political affiliation, with Republicans more likely than Democrats to believe that public schools lean left. Yet, regardless of party, adults are generally more suspicious of schools’ political neutrality than students themselves. This suggests that the debate over indoctrination may be more about adult anxieties than about what is happening in classrooms.

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“It’s important to remember that schools are not perfect. There may be isolated cases where teachers or administrators cross the line into advocacy. But the data from this study should give us pause before making sweeping claims about systemic bias. If students–the people who spend the most time in schools—are not reporting widespread indoctrination, perhaps we should listen to their voices more closely,” says Anglum.

The findings also raise questions about the role of trust in public institutions. When adults are quick to assume the worst about schools, it reflects a broader erosion of confidence in the systems that serve our communities. He adds that rebuilding trust will require honest conversations, transparency, and a willingness to distinguish between anecdotal evidence and empirical data.

The article, Perceptions of US public schools’ political leanings and the federal role in education, appears in Brookings and is found here https://www.brookings.edu/articles/perceptions-of-us-public-schools-political-leanings-and-the-federal-role-in-education/

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Anglum researches education and public policy, with a focus on educator labor markets, school funding, and contemporary public opinion in P-12 public education.

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