Elections

Learn more about how federal, state, and local elections affect schools
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Social Studies Teaching the 2024 Election: Learning Opportunity or Landmine?
As the presidential campaign heats up and school starts soon, social studies teachers weigh in on whether and how to cover it in class.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 25, 2024
4 min read
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the American Federation of Teachers at their annual conference in Houston on July 25, 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the American Federation of Teachers at their annual conference in Houston on July 25, 2024.
Annie Mulligan for Education Week
Federal Video Book Bans and Gun Control: 3 Minutes From Kamala Harris’ Speech to Teachers
Kamala Harris shares her vision for the future of education, and the country.
Jaclyn Borowski, July 25, 2024
2:51
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the American Federation of Teachers at their annual conference in Houston on July 25, 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the American Federation of Teachers at their convention in Houston on July 25, 2024. Harris spoke to the nation's second largest teachers' union just days after President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid and the vice president appeared to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.
Annie Mulligan for Education Week
Federal Kamala Harris Rallies Teachers: 'God Knows We Don't Pay You Enough'
Harris called for student loan forgiveness and union member protections in her speech at the American Federation of Teachers' convention.
Libby Stanford, July 25, 2024
4 min read
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. annual convention during the 71st biennial Boule at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The #WinWithBlackWomen network says more than 40,000 Black women joined a Zoom call to support Harris on Sunday, July 21, hours after Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris, and that the meeting was streamed to another 50,000 via other platforms.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. annual convention during the 71st biennial Boule at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The National Education Association will support Vice President Kamala Harris as she begins her bid for the White House.
LM Otero/AP
Teaching Profession The Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Endorses Kamala Harris for President
The National Education Association's endorsement follows that of the American Federation of Teachers.
Brooke Schultz, July 24, 2024
2 min read
Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for President as the presumptive Democratic candidate during an event at West Allis Central High School, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis.
Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns during an event at West Allis Central High School in West Allis, Wis., on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Harris will speak at the American Federation of Teachers convention on Thursday, July 25.
Kayla Wolf/AP
Federal One of Kamala Harris' First Campaign Speeches Will Be to Teachers
Vice President Kamala Harris will speak to the nation's second-largest teachers' union at its convention in Houston.
Libby Stanford, July 23, 2024
1 min read
A view of the White House is seen in Washington, Sunday, July 21, 2024.
A view of the White House on Sunday, July 21, 2024.
Susan Walsh/AP
Teaching Opinion Strategies for Teaching the 2024 Election (Hold on to Your Hat)
Even before entering into the content, craft agreements with students on the boundaries of what's up—and what's not up—for debate.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 22, 2024
9 min read
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Houston on July 22, 2024.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at the organization's biennial conference in Houston on July 22, 2024. She called on union members to support Vice President Kamala Harris the day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign.
via AFT Livestream
Federal AFT's Randi Weingarten on Kamala Harris: 'She Has a Record of Fighting for Us'
The union head's call to support Kamala Harris is one sign of Democratic support coalescing around the vice president.
Alyson Klein, July 22, 2024
5 min read
President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference July 11, 2024, on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference July 11, 2024, on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington. He announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement for the Democratic nomination.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Biden Drops Out of Race and Endorses Kamala Harris to Lead the Democratic Ticket
The president's endorsement of Harris makes the vice president the most likely nominee for the Democrats.
The Associated Press, July 21, 2024
3 min read
Vice President Kamala Harris embraces President Joe Biden after a speech on healthcare in Raleigh, N.C., March. 26, 2024. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.
Vice President Kamala Harris embraces President Joe Biden after a speech on health care in Raleigh, N.C., on March 26, 2024. Biden on Sunday announced he wouldn't run for reelection and endorsed Harris as his replacement.
Matt Kelley/AP
Federal What We Know About Kamala Harris’ Education Record
Harris is the frontrunner for the top of the ticket. A look at her record on K-12, along with those of other Democratic contenders.
Libby Stanford, July 21, 2024
8 min read
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump on July 15 announced the first-term Ohio senator as his running mate.
Jeff Dean/AP
Federal Trump's VP Pick: What We Know About JD Vance's Record on Education
Two days after a gunman tried to assassinate him, former President Donald Trump announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
Libby Stanford, July 15, 2024
4 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa.
Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after being struck by gunfire at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. The day after the attempted assasination of the Republican nominee for president, Trump arrived in Milwaukee ahead of the start of the Republican National Convention and President Joe Biden gave a prime-time address, saying "politics must never be a literal battlefied. God forbid, a killing field."
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal In Wake of Trump Assassination Attempt, Biden Calls for Unity and Investigation Gets Underway
President Biden condemns violence, the FBI searches for a motive, and Trump heads to RNC.
The Associated Press, July 14, 2024
3 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal Project 2025 and the GOP Platform: What Each Says About K-12 in a 2nd Trump Term
A side-by-side look at what the two policy documents say on key education topics.
Libby Stanford, July 12, 2024
1 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal What the 2024 GOP Platform Says About K-12 and What It Would Mean If Trump Wins
We break down what the GOP's 2024 policy platform says about education.
Libby Stanford, July 10, 2024
7 min read
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Democrats are using the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 agenda to show what could happen in a Trump presidency while the former president distances himself from it.
George Walker IV/AP
Federal Project 2025: What It Is and What It Means for K-12 If Trump Wins
The comprehensive policy agenda proposes eliminating the U.S. Department of Education under a conservative president.
Libby Stanford, July 8, 2024
4 min read