How does the U.S. Presidential Administration influence what takes place in your classroom?

While many countries of the world are not as fortunate as we are with regards to the level of education we offer our children, we have set up the education system as a right rather than a privilege. Going to school should not be affected by the whims of any politician or political administration. The majority of teachers agree with this statement and find that the U.S. Presidential administration has little if any influence on what takes place in the classroom. However, although a majority of teachers voted this way, it did not even make the 50% mark.

Over 50% voted that the administration had a moderate to high level of influence, and there were only a handful of percentage points between those two categories. Certainly, we are not in the situation where civil unrest disrupts day to day classroom learning or even attendance as occurs in some third world countries. Our standard of living is such that children are not missing school en masse to help with crop plantings or harvest. What kind of influence does the administration have over what takes place in teachers' classrooms?

The most obvious answer is funding. Whatever administration or political party is currently in power does affect the level of funding set aside for education. Sometimes this effect is cyclical. For example, if the current government has promised to deliver a balanced budget or address the national deficit, then funding cuts may occur. However, right before or after an election when politicians are doing their best to either get elected to live up to campaign promises the purse strings loosen up a bit.

The day to day operational procedures in the classroom probably don't change that much no matter who's running the country. Except for providing fodder for current events that's the way it should be. However, funding cutbacks or extra funding certainly does have an impact on how effectively teachers can perform their jobs. From the purchasing of textbooks to fields trips that provide extracurricular educational opportunities, ultimately money does come into the educational equation.

If every politician knew the direct effect they had on classrooms across the country perhaps increased educational funding would become a top priority, instead of being looked at as a way to decrease the national debt.