Resources for Educators in an Election Season

Updated February 26, 2024

Any election season provides educators the opportunity to teach students about civics and democracy. The 2024 election season is likely to be contentious and will take place in the context of an increasingly polarized global environment. Teachers and other school leaders may find themselves managing challenging conversations and being called on to model and teach civil discourse. Below, find several related resources. 

Teaching About Elections and Civics

• Facing History: Teaching Resources for the US Election (Facing History)
  Resources (including learning objectives and lesson plans) designed and curated to help middle and high school students explore the role of elections, voting, and civic participation in creating and sustaining a just and healthy democracy

• Tips for Teaching the Election Season (Middle School Grounds)
  Big picture questions and practical tips for educating middle and high school students – and communicating with their families

• Voting and Voices Classroom Resources (Learning for Justice)
  Curated collection of videos, lessons, and student texts for middle school and elementary school students—civics education with a focus on elections and voting

• News for Students and Teacher Resources Grades 6-12 (PBS NewsHour Classroom)
  Lesson plans for grades 6-12 based on current events 

• Election Central (PBS Learning Media)
  Comprehensive e-learning site for adults and young people. 

• Civic library (iCivics)
  Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics offers free curricular resources, digital literacy tools, professional learning materials, and educational video games for middle and high school students. 

• 11 Election Videos for Kids & Teens and 18 Books About Elections (We Are Teachers)

• Democracy Class (Rock the Vote)
  A free, nonpartisan curriculum that educates high school students about the importance and history of voting and pre-registers and registers them to vote. 

• Current Issues Classroom Resources (Close Up Foundation)
  Comprehensive resources available to purchase on several issues, including “Government and Elections.” Ready-to-use lesson plans and teacher guides, videos for high school and middle school.

Practicing Civil Discourse and Communicating About Contentious Issues 

• Civil discourse in the classroom (EdNc)
  This article makes the case (and offers tips) for teaching students the art of civil discourse and effective communication and listening skills. See this definition of civil discourse from the American University Project on Civil Discourse.

• Constructive Conflict: Teaching and Learning Materials (Beyond Intractability)
  Resources for students and adults. This foundational 2019 article defines civility in public and private discourse.

• Resources for Bridging Divides (Living Room Conversations)
  Resources to help you increase understanding, including conversation agreements. 

• High School Resources on Constructive Dialogue (Constructive Dialogue Institute)
  Free resources for individual educators designed to cultivate trust, foster belonging, and facilitate dialogue on challenging topics. 

• Getting to We: Communicating in the Age of Polarization (Independent School magazine)
  This backgrounder on polarization and its impact on schools also has tips (relevant for educators as well as school heads) for how to communicate more effectively in the context of community polarization. 

• NAIS-GEBG Institute on Intercultural Dialogue, July 15–17, 2024, Washington, DC
  This institute will focus on how to use intercultural dialogue to engage your community and further your strategic goals, especially around contested issues or at times of division.

• NAIS-Close Up Civil Discourse Lab, July 10–12, 2024, Washington, DC
  This institute will give independent school educators (and teams of educators) a framework and tools to foster open and authentic dialogue around pressing cultural and political issues.

Understanding Polarization as Educators (Research and Articles) 

• “Polarization Is Affecting the Classroom. Educators Have Some Options” (Education Week)

• “Partnerships with parents are key to solving heightened political polarization in schools,” (The Brookings Institution)

• Teachers', teens' and Americans' views about race, LGBTQ issues being taught in school (Pew Research Center)

• Managing Polarities in School Instructional Culture ASCD
  Also see an interview about polarity thinking for equity and justice in independent schools in Independent School magazine. 

Also see NAIS - Resources for Educators About the Conflict in the Middle East