Teachers across U.S. avoid current election-cycle events in their civics classes

November 5, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NATIONWIDE — CIVICS TEACHERS ACROSS THE U.S. HAVE OPTED TO OMIT CURRENT EVENTS, even in an election year that has seen unprecedented developments, reports the Wall Street Journal’s Sara Randazzo. NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan highlighted this story, in which civics teachers have chosen to skip the usual mock elections for fear of offending parents on either side of the political divide. During a year that has seen the nomination of the first Black woman for president and a former president convicted of felony charges, teachers are treading careful ground, particularly in the 18 states that have regulated how schools can teach subjects related to discrimination, race and gender, an Education Week tally showed. Teachers say those policies have made them unsure about presenting election-related lessons that touch on these issues.

Some teachers in districts that heavily favor an opposing candidate also have had to temper their students’ remarks. Some school districts also enjoin teachers from sharing their own political leanings. One Los Angeles teacher who defines himself as a moderate Republican has instead chosen a broader approach: presenting a range of perspectives on issues such as immigration and abortion.

Civics curricula have changed over the past eight decades when schools focused on teaching children to become good citizens, Louise Dubé, the chief executive of iCivics, pointed out in the WSJ article. The subject was deprioritized in many districts, which instead began emphasizing college-preparatory academics.

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