Public Schooling Battle Map

Americans are diverse – ethnically, religiously, ideologically – but all must pay for public schools. The intention is good: to bring people together and foster social harmony. But rather than build bridges, public schooling often forces people into wrenching conflict.

This map aggregates a relatively small, but especially painful, subset of such battles: those pitting educational effectiveness, basic rights, moral values, or individual identities against each other. Think creationism versus evolution, or assigned readings containing racial slurs. The conflicts are often intensely personal, and guarantee if one fundamental value wins, another loses.

The goal may be peace, but the outcome is too often the opposite.

Curriculum

Freedom of Expression

Note: In some areas there are many incidents in close proximity, so zooming in is necessary to see them all. In addition, some battles may fall under more than one conflict type – e.g., religious battles may also involve freedom of expression – but are listed under only one heading. The incidents are drawn from media accounts from 2005 to the present. Some list years earlier than 2005 because the year used on the map is the year the conflict began. Because major media reports are the source for its content, the map likely provides a minimal sense of how widespread such battles are.

Latest Conflicts

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Incidents are continuously being added to the map. Please send any conflicts you might know about, errors you might find, or questions or concerns you might have to nmccluskey@cato.org. Also, discuss education conflicts on Twitter using #WWFSchool.

To dive deeper into why and how public schools foster social conflict, check out our reading list. If you have suggestions for books to add, let us know by emailing the address above.

Curriculum Conflicts over what is taught that are not primarily over religion, specific readings, individual identity, or human origins. Sex education conflicts are often under this heading if they contain major elements outside of specific moral or religious concerns, such as age appropriateness. Also includes disputes over political or philosophical course content.

Freedom of Expression Conflicts over the rights of students, employees, or citizens to speak in or about public schools. Battles often pit freedom of speech against the ability of schools to maintain environments conducive to learning.

Gender Equity Conflicts over treatment of students based on gender. Often disputes over the ability to provide single-sex education, which might produce better learning outcomes for some students, but could lead to unequal treatment by government based on gender.

Human Origins Battles over evolution and creationism. Because they are so widespread, divisive, and long-standing – harkening back to the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial – these conflicts are given their own category. They involve government declaring what is or is not "science," "fact," or "religion."

Moral Values Disputes over "right" or "wrong" behaviors not necessarily tied to religious convictions. Battles sometimes include non-religious disputes over whether schools or parents should be making decisions about such things as student access to birth control, or participation in school activities.

Race/Ethnicity Often battles over who decides where children from different racial or ethnic groups attend school, or which group controls school or district decision-making. Also frequent are conflicts over school mascots.

Reading Material Generally, battles over books assigned or recommended by schools, or present in school libraries, that contain material some parents or citizens find inappropriate. Inherently involves government either censoring or favoring specific speech.

Disputes involving the presence of religion in schools, either through employees, students, or outside groups. Battles typically pit students' and employees' rights to exercise religion free of government interference with the need for public schools to remain conducive to the equal education of all.

Sexuality Often disputes over whether schools are advocating for, or discriminating against, homosexuals. Anti-bullying policies are frequently involved, with some arguing that to ensure equal protection, anti-bullying statutes must explicitly mention sexual orientation, while others argue that doing so gives gay students special protections.