Teachers and Students Aren’t Discussing Election Politics. That’s a problem for ALL Americans.

One would think schools are the perfect place for students to learn about elections. What better opportunity to use their critical thinking skills to make sense of what the candidates are saying, to distinguish credible information from what they often encounter on social and mainstream media? These skills would certainly serve them well after the election when there are sure to be protests, claims, and counterclaims about election fraud and tampering.

However, a recent EdWeek survey found that many teachers wouldn’t be discussing the 2024 presidential election with their students. For some, it was because the election was not part of their curriculum, but others cited concerns about parent complaints and fear that students could not discuss the election respectfully.

With just 11 days before the election, we just published a new episode on this subject with a politically diverse panel: Teachers Are Afraid to Talk About the 2024 Election. I decided to share my thoughts on this subject after reflecting on what I learned from this conversation and some that I have had with previous guests.

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Bringing Politics into the Classroom: A Conversation with Dr. Diana Hess

Last April, we posted an interview I had conducted with Dr. Diana Hess, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Wisconsin, a nationally recognized expert on civic education, and co-author of the book, Politics in the Classroom. Hess said, “I think the job that we have as teachers is to help students understand the political environment in which they live. What are the important current events? What, more importantly, are the important controversial issues? I don't think that we can really have a democracy that's going to be sustained without that.”

What’s the solution? What would allow teachers to discuss elections and controversial topics with support from parents? What would allow students to have respectful conversations? Not by hoping the widespread political and cultural polarization that has infected our schools will simply pass in good time. Not by wishing that parents would mind their own business and let the professionals do their jobs. And, it certainly won’t help to ignore or, worse, become cynical about the negative sentiments toward public education and teachers themselves.

Hard and exasperating as this plea might be—especially for teachers who have enough on their plates, I believe they must do more than ever to engage with parents. It has to go well beyond the comfortable rituals of back-to-school night, open house, and parent conferences. They need to understand what their students are learning and why it’s important. They need to be reminded that the goal is to develop knowledge, thinking skills, and a desire to treat others with kindness and respect. What’s especially important in these polarized times is that teachers must listen to parents and be sensitive to their fears and doubts, even when they appear unfounded. In short, educators must take the lead in re-establishing trust with parents and students. Here’s an example of how this can work.

How One Teacher Navigated the 2020 Post-Election Storm

Tracy Barnett is a middle school history teacher in Fremont, a conservative-leaning community in northern California. A few years ago, I conducted an interview with Tracy, Corey Brown, her principal, and Jennifer Hauver, a university professor who writes about civic-mindedness in schools. After the 2020 election, Tracy was able to discuss claims about a stolen election with her students without pushback from students or parents. “There was absolutely no evidence of anything untoward with the election,” Tracy said. “We're going with what the facts show us…I'm not going to say that the student is wrong. I'm going to say this is what the evidence is, and the evidence does not align with your belief system.”

Brown, Tracy’s principal, has supported Tracy’s honest approach to history and current events because, he says, she deals with facts and evidence and does not promote her own opinions. Just as importantly, he says, Tracy takes time to build trusting relationships with and among her students. “One of the things that I see Tracy do and the new teachers that come in under her, is lots of group work. The discussion that happens becomes even less of a fearful thing because the kids care very deeply about how they're perceived by their peers. A student might be coming in from their silo at home where they're constantly being fed only one news channel, or their parents are saying the election was stolen. They've never really heard other views. When they're in their small group at school, and they're hearing other kids talk about the issue, they're going to be more open to listening to those different perspectives.”

Brown believes transparency with parents is key. He says parents had plenty of time during the pandemic when classes were taught online to watch Tracy and her colleagues teaching their children. Now that classes are taught in person, he invites parents to visit their classrooms, especially if they have concerns. I suspect that Tracy and other social studies colleagues at her school in Fremont have been talking about the 2024 election and will continue doing so during its aftermath because of the support from their principal. “I want the teachers to know that they're supported. They would never have to meet with a parent on their own. They could always request my presence to be there,” he said.

The Path Forward

Taking time to build trust, to invite parents to view classroom instruction, and to treat students respectfully even when their thinking does not align with facts allows teachers like Tracy Barnett to teach history and current events honestly and factually. It allows students to hear and discuss diverse perspectives with their classmates and to value evidence when forming opinions. This does not eliminate the possibility that a parent might still question a teacher’s motives, but if it happens, the parent will know they will be heard. And the teacher will know their principal has their back.