Narrowed Paths?: Teacher Perceptions of How Presidential Elections Fit into Their Curriculum

• In Event: And some will speak...

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how k12 teachers experienced teaching about the 2024 Presidential election. Through interviews of teachers from a highly contested region of a battleground state, 20 educators discussed their approaches to and in some cases, avoidance of formal lessons or answering questions about the recent Presidential election in their classrooms. While some of the educators lamented a shift from how they previously approached teaching national elections, others relayed a need for more emphasis on either democratic principles or critical thinking. Their decisions about teaching the 2024 election offer insights into the explicit, implicit and even null curriculum students are exposed to regarding regular democratic practices in US society.

Author

• Erin A. Bronstein, University of Michigan - Dearborn