Survey Finds Teachers Demand Protection of Students’ Rights; Immigration Fears Continue to Disrupt Classrooms 

New survey of 2,000 public school teachers finds 9 in 10 say the federal government has an obligation to help serve students with the greatest needs, and nearly half report disruptions in student learning from immigration enforcement.

NEW YORK, NY—As Washington fundamentally reconsiders its role in education, new data shows teachers strongly support a federal role in protecting educational opportunity but continue experiencing disruptions from federal actions.

The findings come from Teachers Hold Onto the Promise of Equal Opportunity Amid Disruption, released today by Educators for Excellence (E4E) and drawn from the forthcoming Voices from the Classroom, E4E’s national teacher survey now in its ninth year. 

Nearly 9 out of 10 teachers say the federal government has an obligation to protect students’ rights and direct resources toward students from low-income households, students with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness. Just 8% support disruptions or reductions to the Department of Education, including its Office of Special Education Programs and Office for Civil Rights, and only 11% support closing or reducing the department altogether.

Teachers also say that obligation is being undermined in real time. Among those who serve mostly multilingual learners, 65% report increased student absences and 71% report worsened student mental health as a result of ICE operations or news of those activities. Nearly half of all teachers report the same negative impact on student absences and mental health.

“We’re losing teachers at our school because of ICE. Enrollment dropped by more than 200 kids between the end of last year and the start of this one, in large part because of ICE, and now we’ve had to combine classes and displace teachers just to make the numbers work,” said Misti Kemmer, an elementary school teacher in California.

Teachers also continue to experience pressure over how they can discuss race and history, though some progress has been made in the last year. Direct pressure to limit lessons on race and racism has eased since 2024, but 17% of teachers say they’ve begun limiting those discussions on their own, without ever being told to, a sign the chilling effect persists even as formal directives fade.

When asked how federal dollars should be spent, teachers also continued to uphold the federal government’s responsibility to support public school students. Seventy-nine percent oppose the administration’s new federal tax credit steering money for donations toward private school scholarships, and 58% oppose the use of funds to cover tutoring or learning materials outside the public school system.

“Ninety percent of the nation’s children attend public school, and parents — who fund these systems as taxpayers — have a vested interest in how that money is spent,” said Jeremy McKeen, an English Language Arts high school educator in Massachusetts. “Multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and general education students all need fully funded programs, teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, and counselors. Public schools serve every student regardless of ability to pay, offering services many private schools don’t. That federal funding shouldn’t be threatened, withheld, or redirected elsewhere.”

“Teachers want a federal government that protects students’ rights and stays out of their classrooms,” said Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. “They’re asking Washington to do the job only the federal government can do: protect students who’ve had the least access to opportunity, and step back from decisions that belong to states, districts, and educators. Teachers are telling us, in resounding numbers, exactly where that line falls. Protect students’ rights and fund the students who need it most.”

The full Voices from the Classroom survey report is slated for release later this month. For media inquiries, please reach out to [email protected].