Iowa Poll: Nearly 2 in 3 Iowans say their public schools share their family's values

4 minute read

Samantha Hernandez Katie Akin
Des Moines Register
  • More Democrats than Republicans say public schools align with their values
  • Iowans split by party on family control over what’s taught in public schools

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A majority of Iowans say their family’s values align with those of their public school district, but fewer say families have the right amount of control over what’s taught in the classroom, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll. 

Iowa Republicans, led by Gov. Kim Reynolds, have rallied around the issue of “parental control” to pass major legislation.  

Reynolds signed into law her priority proposal to use taxpayer funding to pay up to $7,600 annually for Iowa students to attend private school. 

In addition, Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to restrict instruction on LGBTQ topics, require parental consent for kids to check out controversial books and notify the family about any student who comes out as transgender at school. 

Those policies, Republicans say, will give parents more oversight into what’s happening in Iowa schools — and help them send their kids to private school if public schools don’t align with their family’s values. 

The new Iowa Poll shows 65% of Iowa adults think public schools in their district align with their family’s values, 21% do not and 14% aren’t sure. 

Perceived alignment is even higher among poll respondents with children who attend public schools: 72% believe public schools in their district align with their values, while 22% do not. 

Iowans are more evenly divided on the issue of parental control in schools, however. 

A plurality of Iowans, 43%, say they feel families have the right amount of control over what subject matter is taught in Iowa’s public schools.  

The remainder is divided by more than 3-to-1 between those who say families have too little control (38%) and those who say families have too much control (12%). 

The poll of 805 Iowa adults was conducted March 5-8 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.  

Poll respondent Lori Janke, 49, is among those who feel families have adequate control over what students are learning in school.  

Two of her four children are in high school in the Davenport Community School District, and she sits on Iowa’s Special Education Advisory Panel.  

“The idea that parents don't have control or a say or know what their kids are learning, they do,” said Janke, a Democrat who works as a medical support assistant, “… You can go to the school board; you have that right to voice your public comments.” 

More Democrats than Republicans say public schools align with their values 

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say their values align with local public schools — 81% to 62%. Sixty-one percent of independents feel their public schools align with their beliefs. 

Nancy Strub, a 79-year-old poll respondent from Eagle Grove, said she’s concerned about the values of children who aren’t respectful or who use drugs. But she trusts the school district. 

“I think the teachers and administration definitely reflect my values,” said Strub, a Democrat and a pastoral minister. “I think there is a lot of parentage that does not, so children are coming to school without those values.” 

Gerry Schossow, a 44-year-old poll respondent from Fort Dodge, said local public schools don’t match his values. He worries they aren’t teaching enough life skills to kids, such as cursive or how to budget. 

“They don't care what the parents want their children to learn,” Schossow said. “They just have a curriculum that the school board approves, and that's what they teach.” 

Schossow, a political independent and a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has children attending school out of state and a daughter who will be entering kindergarten in Iowa soon, as well as nieces and nephews who attend schools in Iowa. 

The findings on aligned values were similar no matter where poll participants lived. 

Sixty percent of city dwellers, 62% of suburbanites, 70% of town dwellers and 69% of rural Iowans say they believe their public schools are aligned with their values. 

Parents, teachers, and students learn their lockers and find information about their classrooms before the first day of school at Perkins Elementary Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022 in Des Moines.

Iowans split by party on family control over what’s taught in public schools

Most Republican respondents, 52%, say families have too little control in schools, as do 55% of evangelicals. 

Among independents, 42% say families have the right amount of control of subject matter taught in schools, while 41% said they have too little and 11% say too much. 

Schossow says he has oversight of his children’s Facebook accounts and which video games they’re allowed to play — and he wants the same kind of oversight for what they’re learning in school. 

“I can set those limits at home,” Schossow said. “Why can't I set those limits at school? Why can't I set those limits on the playground?” 

Democrats are more likely to approve of the current balance, with 65% responding that the amount of family control over schools is just right. 

FAQs:How is the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted? We answer your top questions.

Strub believes the Eagle Grove district is already doing enough to accommodate families. 

“I think in this school district, parents are welcomed, encouraged to talk to the teachers and the administration and express their views,” Strub said. “I think that the administration goes out of their way to try to accommodate the child's need, according to the parents.” 

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com or at 410-340-3440. Follow her on Twitter at@katie_akin. 

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 orsvhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter. 

About the Iowa Poll  

The Iowa Poll, conducted March 5-8, 2023, for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 805 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Dynata. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age, sex and congressional district to reflect the general population based on recent American Community Survey estimates.   

Questions based on the sample of 805 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.   

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.

Iowa Poll methodology