BOULDER, CO (November 6, 2025)—Progress toward equality in the United States has always faced backlash—sometimes overt and violent, other times embedded deep within institutions. Today, amid growing economic uncertainty, politicians are again weaponizing fear and resentment to erase history, suppress discussions of “controversial topics,” and roll back initiatives designed to further equity in education.

These attacks are not isolated. They are coordinated and financially supported by powerful networks, including organizations such as Moms for Liberty and Heritage Action that seek to implement right-wing education policies at every level, from local school boards and libraries to the federal government.

In response, a coalition of educational researchers, litigators, legislative advocates, educators, union leaders, and community organizers came together as members of the Freedom to Learn Collective. In a policy memo released today by NEPC, What We Need to Know Now to Respond to Right-Wing Attacks on Public Schools: A Research Agenda, the coalition outlines the research-based knowledge needed for understanding and countering extremist movements threatening public education.

The authors call for sustained, rigorous research that (a) examines the ideologies and grievances fueling right-wing organizing; (b) documents its real-world impacts on students, educators, and communities; and (c) identifies effective strategies for resistance. They include concrete examples for each category. These recommendations, they emphasize, are not final prescriptions but starting points for ongoing inquiry. By advancing this research, scholars can help advocates, educators, and communities defend public schools, counter extremist narratives, and strengthen the collective movement for educational justice.

Find What We Need to Know Now to Respond to Right-Wing Attacks on Public Schools: A Research Agenda, by the Freedom to Learn Collective, at:
https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/right-wing