Teachers Hold Onto the Promise of Equal Opportunity Amid Disruption

How Federal Policy is Showing Up in Classrooms in 2026

As Washington fundamentally reconsiders its role in education, teachers are calling on the federal government to do its part to deliver on America’s promise of educational opportunity for every student.

Voices from the Classroom, Educators for Excellence’s (E4E) national teacher survey of more than 2,000 public school teachers, suggests that teachers do not want federal policymakers running their classrooms. But they do want federal policy to help fulfill responsibilities that states and districts cannot fulfill alone. Instead of immigration raids, budget cuts, and private school vouchers, teachers say the federal government should protect students’ rights and direct resources toward students with the greatest needs. What follows, in teachers’ own words and data, is a clear portrait of where they invite federal action and where they draw the line.

Eager to make your voice heard? Contact your members of Congress today and ask them to read our brief, listen to teachers, and fully fund public schools — and keep the federal government’s role in protecting students’ rights and directing resources to the kids who need it most.

Our full 2026 Voices from the Classroom report drops soon, packed with new data we collected directly from more than 2,000 teachers on what’s happening in classrooms nationwide.