An assassination attempt, a sudden change in candidates, and an increasingly polarizing approach to political discourse have all made the 2024 presidential election cycle one for the history books well before Election Day on Nov. 5.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be taught in classrooms this fall.
A national EdWeek Research Center survey of educators this summer found that most teachers are choosing not to address the election in class, with some citing fear of potential parental complaints and of students’ potential inability to hold respectful conversations. Some social studies teachers have also cited concern over how legislation in at least 18 states restricting discussions on race and gender can impact how they talk about a presidential election in which these topics are at the forefront of debates.
Those who teach the College Board’s Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics course, however, see a golden opportunity for teachers to model civil discourse and civic engagement in classrooms. These teachers are also used to adapting to current events in real-time, such as when the College Board removed questions on Roe v. Wade from the AP exam following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the case in 2022.
While the 2024 election cycle won’t make it on the exam this spring, given when AP exams are written, AP U.S. Government and Politics teachers shared their thoughts and advice with Education Week on how and why they are teaching the election this year.
Teachers should cover elections and other current events for civic engagement
“One of the biggest shortcomings in our society today is the lack of civic education and civic understanding by our citizenry. One of the purposes of AP U.S. Government and Politics is to allow students to develop a civic understanding.
“I want my students to be aware of what’s going on and to understand that within the scheme of the Constitution. What issues arise when a candidate decides not to run anymore, and a new candidate is emerging? How does that candidate get the delegates to become the party’s nominee? How does that candidate get onto all the 50 states’ ballots? That type of stuff my students should be aware of because that’s part of the electoral process.”
—Noah Lipman, AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher at Highlands High School in San Antonio, Texas
“I think we can talk about current events without remotely seeming partisan or ideological, but using a media consumption lens. My students are free to have opinions. They’re free to believe in whatever political party they believe in, explore that, and have those conversations. I don’t see it as my place to assert myself in that conversation. My job is to help guide them in their own thinking and see how it evolves and grows and shifts.
“There has to be a place for current events. I think that’s what makes us relevant. My belief is that I’m here in order to support my students as they learn how to become engaged in a democratic society. Is there no greater task in life than to prepare people to be engaged in [a] democratic society? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a laboratory scientist, out on a timber crew, a farmer, or working in big tech, we’re all engaging in a democratic society.
“Current events are absolutely relevant. It’s just how we go about approaching them, and how we have students learn how to talk about them, and then our roles in those conversations. I think that is so important.”
—Shari Conditt, AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher at Woodland High School in Woodland, Wash.
Navigating current events is necessary even within legislative restrictions
“We’re trying to get young people to be actively engaged members of our system, and so to just completely avoid [talking about current events] is doing us all a disservice.
“Yes, there is certainly a tightrope to walk sometimes. And yes, even in a liberal California, we have a pretty strong conservative base in this town, in this community. Really, at the end of the day, we’ll put an issue on the table. Should the government get involved and do something about it, or should the government leave it to us to decide for ourselves? And I don’t care what the issue is. That’s the question that we ask ourselves as we look to elect people in any position.
“I don’t care if we’re talking about taxes or putting in a speed bump or whatever. That’s really what it goes down to: Do you as an individual, think the government should be more or less involved in that issue than they currently are? And when I take the personal politics and take the names off of those things, kids are pretty receptive, and it feels safe.”
—Kevin Jackson, AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher at Petaluma High School in Petaluma, Calif.
“One of the things that I like to do is try to get the students to recognize trends in terms of voting patterns. There’s a really great resource that the University of Florida has called the election [lab]—they have data, and they show models such as the percentage of eligible voters that participated in elections, and they have midterm and presidential elections.
“It’s really interesting where students can see that there seems to be a drop in participation in midterm elections. It’s a great way to introduce, why do you think that is? Obviously, you’re voting for governor, you’re voting maybe for senator [or] House in those midterm elections, but they’re just not quite as exciting as presidential elections. But then it’s a great introduction to a conflict like federalism, where you can say, how often does who the president is make a direct impact on your life? Well, with your governor, your state legislature, if they make a decision, you feel it and those are those midterm elections.
“I really like digging into exit polls. For example, after the 2016 election, I had students who were just shocked at how in the world could Donald Trump win when we broke down the exit polls. Here’s how. And then I had students do it again in 2020. Mostly, my students were online because of COVID-19. I had a student, who had a Trump flag in the background, and he stuck around after class. [He asked], ‘How did Donald Trump lose?’ And I had broken down the exit polls that showed in 2016 Donald Trump won independents, and in 2020 he lost independents, and that’s really where the ball game was.”
—Ryan Werenka, AP U.S. Government teacher at Troy High School in Troy, Mich.
“How do you do this in the current system? I would say, for teachers who are worried or stressed about how you teach this current election, I think that there are a lot of great resources that you can lean upon.
“We’re looking at what seems to be such a different type of election. But there are some historical lessons here. Theodore Roosevelt had an assassination attempt on him when he ran for president in 1912, and so if I were in a district where I felt like I could not talk about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, then I would rely on materials on the 1912 assassination attempts on Theodore Roosevelt to draw that parallel. If I were looking at this shift in the Democratic party that emerged in 2024 and President Joe Biden deciding to step back and not run again in the 11th hour, I would go back and instead look at the 1968 Democratic [National] Convention, also in Chicago, and find resources that are available to tell that story.”
—Shari Conditt
Teachers need to cultivate a classroom culture of civility
"[In a recent class] we directly talked about civil dialogue, and we defined it, and I gave them some definitions. I had them turn to a partner, or my seating arrangement, I have tables of twos or fours, and so I say, ‘Table, for a couple minutes look at these four definitions. Which one resonates most with you? What’s the key phrase? What are the words that come out of that?’ The [students] said approach it from a sense of humility, don’t degrade others.
“We’re going to have small group and large group discussions over the course of the semester, and it’s OK to disagree, but it’s not OK to be disagreeable about it. I tell my kids I’m not here to teach from a partisan lens. I am a registered Independent voter. I’m not a part of a party. But my only bias in this whole class is, I want you to vote. I don’t care who you vote for. You’re voting in your own best interest, so make sure you do it.”
—Kevin Jackson
“We should always be concerned about building a classroom culture around civility. I think there’s a reason why people are talking about civil dialogue and civil discourse. I think there’s a concern that it’s breaking down. I think day two of all my classes this year are about creating norms. We create norms for how we talk with each other.
“What are the conditions that need to be present [to engage in a conversation]? And then secondly, what turns you off and gets you to walk away from a conversation? Those are two very simple questions, but they are exactly the questions that I ask my students.”
—Shari Conditt
