Elections

Learn more about how federal, state, and local elections affect schools
N.C. State Superintendent democratic candidate Mo Green speaks during a debate with fellow candidate Michele Morrow at the Heart Institute at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 24, 2024.
Mo Green, the Democratic candidate for schools chief in North Carolina, speaks during a debate with GOP candidate Michele Morrow at the Heart Institute at East Carolina University in Greenville on Sept. 24. Green defeated Morrow.
Scott Davis/The Daily Reflector via AP
States Democrat Defeats a State Schools Chief Candidate Who Called for Public Executions
A candidate's past calls for Democrats' executions thrust one of this year's four state superintendent races into the national spotlight.
Alyson Klein, November 6, 2024
3 min read
Noah Lipman's AP US Government and Politics students watch election results during a class election watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Noah Lipman's AP US Government and Politics students watch election results during a class election watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Social Studies Video What Happened as a Government Class Watched Election Returns Live
This teacher takes his AP government class to an election watch party each cycle. What that looked like this year.
2:49
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he walks with former first lady Melania Trump at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump waves as he walks with former first lady Melania Trump at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. He has pledged to abolish the Department of Education and expand private school choice when he returns to the White House.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal What's at Stake for Schools as Trump Returns to the White House
The former president has pledged major changes to education policy, but much of his agenda for schools is a political longshot.
Alyson Klein, November 6, 2024
4 min read
Noah Lipman's AP US Government and Politics students watch election results during a class election watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Students in Noah Lipman's AP U.S. Government and Politics class watch election results during a watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Social Studies Watching the Election Results Live With Mr. Lipman's AP Government Class
Students from Highlands High School in Texas came together as scholars and first-time voters to witness election results together.
Ileana Najarro, November 6, 2024
6 min read
Arapahoe Charter School seniors Alissah C'Hair, Kenya Rhodes, Dontae Antelope, Esperanza Sittingeagle, Zona Roskowske, and Kieden Birdshead stand for a group photo after casting their votes on Nov. 5, 2024, in Arapahoe, Wy.
Arapahoe Charter School seniors Alissah C'Hair, Kenya Rhodes, Dontae Antelope, Esperanza Sittingeagle, Zona Roskowske, and Kieden Birdshead stand for a group photo after casting their votes on Nov. 5, 2024, in Arapahoe, Wy.
Carl Cote for Education Week
Social Studies 'If We Don’t Vote, Nothing Is Going to Change': First-Time Voters Report Back
Students at this Wyoming high school share their experience of voting for the first time.
Olina Banerji, November 5, 2024
6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Post-Election Advice for the Classroom From a Teacher
What educators can say to their students or families if they express concerns or anxiety about election-related classroom discussions.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 4, 2024
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Opinion What's Really at Stake for Education in This Election?
What a Harris or Trump presidential victory might mean for federal education policy, according to Rick Hess.
Rick Hess, November 4, 2024
5 min read
Illustration of a paper airplane made from a newspaper.
DigitalVision Vectors
Student Well-Being & Movement Student Journalists Want to Cover Politics. Not Everyone Agrees They Should
Student journalists are grappling with controversial topics—a lesson in democracy that's becoming increasingly at risk for pushback.
Brooke Schultz, November 1, 2024
7 min read
Pencil drawing a checkmark in a box. U.S.A. ballot measures voting in elections.
DigitalVision Vectors
States 5 Ways You Didn't Know the Election Will Affect K-12 Schools
Voters will weigh ballot items that affect funding for electric school buses, tax revenue for state education budgets, and more.
Mark Lieberman, October 31, 2024
8 min read
EdTech Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Teaching assistant Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Linda Coan O'Kresik for Education Week
Social Studies Inside the Class Where Students Talk About Abortion, Trump v. Harris, and More
A Maine high school has piloted a new class called Election Year, where students dive deep into campaign politics.
Olina Banerji, October 29, 2024
8 min read
Viewers gather to watch a debate between Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Angry Elephant Bar and Grill, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in San Antonio.
Viewers gather to watch a debate between Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Angry Elephant Bar and Grill, Sept. 10, 2024, in San Antonio. Researchers say students are more reluctant to talk politics this election cycle.
Eric Gay/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Students Don't Want to Talk About Politics, Either
The election is occurring at a time when many schools are discouraged from having tough conversations in class.
Brooke Schultz, October 28, 2024
6 min read
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Julio Cortez/AP
Federal From Our Research Center How Educators Say They'll Vote in the 2024 Election
Educators' feelings on Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vary by age and the communities where they work.
Libby Stanford, October 21, 2024
4 min read
The elephant in the classroom.
iStock/Getty Images
Teaching Opinion Struggling to Discuss the Election in Class? These 5 Steps Can Help
For many teachers, political anxiety is the elephant in the classroom. The science of emotional intelligence can offer clarity.
Marc A. Brackett & Robin S. Stern, October 18, 2024
5 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris participate during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris participate in an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Why Trump and Harris Have Barely Talked About Schools This Election
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump haven't outlined many plans for K-12 schools, reflecting what's been the norm in recent contests for the White House.
Libby Stanford, October 17, 2024
6 min read