Voters Revolting Against Woke Education

We can find some of the reasons for last week’s conservative victories in the Virginia governor’s race and in school-board elections across the country in the recent uprisings over “woke” education policies. Such policies range from mask mandates in schools, to the lowering of admission standards at Thomas Jefferson High School (a top-ranked magnet school in Virginia), to the use of curricula infused with critical race theory to indoctrinate students and teachers across the country.

What is called “affirmative action” by its supporters in the education establishment and “racial quotas” by its opponents also plays a role in this broader voter revolt. That was seen most clearly last year when 57 percent of California’s liberal electorate rejected Proposition 16, an attempt to repeal the state’s constitutional prohibition against preferential treatment based on race.

About the Author

John Fund

John Fund is National Review’s national-affairs reporter.

Featured Tags

We can find some of the reasons for last week’s conservative victories in the Virginia governor’s race and in school-board elections across the country in the recent uprisings over “woke” education policies. Such policies range from mask mandates in schools, to the lowering of admission standards at Thomas Jefferson High School (a top-ranked magnet school in Virginia), to the use of curricula infused with critical race theory to indoctrinate students and teachers across the country.

What is called “affirmative action” by its supporters in the education establishment and “racial quotas” by its opponents also plays a role in this broader voter revolt. That was seen most clearly last year when 57 percent of California’s liberal electorate rejected Proposition 16, an attempt to repeal the state’s constitutional prohibition against preferential treatment based on race.