Unity Statement on the Purpose of Public Education
We, the undersigned, affirm the fundamental mission of public education: to prepare young people to be informed, capable, and productive members of society. Parents, educators, community members and leaders, candidates, public officeholders, and organizations can share this commitment while contributing through their different roles. Every student deserves strong foundational skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking—skills essential for life, work, and citizenship.
We believe that classrooms should advance academic growth, intellectual curiosity, and the pursuit of knowledge. Curricula and instruction should be accurate, age-appropriate, and grounded in evidence. Every student deserves equal dignity and educational opportunity. We reject discrimination and lessons that assign a student's worth, guilt, or potential on the basis of race, sex, ethnic background, or another immutable characteristic. Students should be encouraged to examine evidence, ask questions, and form reasoned judgments.
We reject educational frameworks that reduce people to fixed categories of oppressor and oppressed. Teaching should help students understand complex human experiences without defining their futures by grievance or victimhood. We affirm equality of opportunity, individual liberty, personal agency, and responsibility. Recognizing injustice and barriers to opportunity is compatible with helping every student develop the knowledge, confidence, and initiative to shape their future.
We believe the role of teachers is to educate, not to indoctrinate. Students should not be compelled to affirm or disavow a personally held worldview, religious doctrine, or political opinion. This commitment does not excuse students from regular classroom assignments or prevent the study and discussion of political ideas. Instruction should serve the academic mission rather than recruit students to an educator's political cause. Within our respective roles, we will support transparent review and appropriate accountability when instruction falls short of these principles, while respecting students' rights and educators' professional responsibilities.
Public education plays a critical role in sustaining our constitutional democracy. Schools should equip students with civic knowledge, historical understanding, and ethical reasoning to engage thoughtfully in public life. Students benefit from learning about the struggles and contributions of different groups, including honest study of racism and other social injustices. Difficult questions belong in an education guided by facts, intellectual integrity, and open inquiry. Teaching about an idea is not the same as requiring a student to endorse it.
Our unity lies in supporting high academic standards, intellectual curiosity, personal growth, and civic virtues that prepare students for a free and dynamic society. We value the contributions of the Western tradition to constitutional government and individual liberty, alongside the study of other traditions and the full complexity of our history. In our respective capacities, we commit to advancing classrooms that unite, empower, and inspire all students to achieve their full potential.