The 2024 elections in the United States, and particularly the contest for the presidency, have all the hallmarks that characterized public reactions to the Middle East war during the last school year. As with the war in the Middle East, polarized opinions on the presidential election can put educators in the uncomfortable position of being criticized by multiple sides as “not doing enough” to represent a particular point of view in their schools.
Under these circumstances, it would be easy to try to avoid the topic of politics and the 2024 election altogether. That strategy might or might not mute criticism, but in any case, it is not fair to students who need a trusted and safe place to interpret and reflect on what they are seeing and hearing.
Supporting Student Well-Being During Election Season
I would suggest instead that schools stake out a higher ground rooted in their educational mission.
First and foremost, schools should preserve for students a sense of safety and security, both physical and emotional, while harsh rhetoric swirls around them. Beyond that, teaching about what goes on during election season and how campaigns contribute to the strength of democracy is a vital part of the school’s educational mission.
To accomplish this, educators must help students develop a strong fact base on the issues and personalities being discussed. They must help students place those facts in an ethical framework. And they must support students in applying their critical thinking skills to evaluating campaign statements, candidates, and platforms.
This approach might not mute criticism, either. But it will give educators an opportunity to reframe criticism into a discussion of what it means to educate future citizens.
“Teaching about what goes on during election season and how campaigns contribute to the strength of democracy is a vital part of the school’s educational mission.”
— Tom Rochon, ERB President
Gauging Student Perceptions of Political Discourse at School
In reflecting on these challenges, ERB has created a series of survey questions intended to gauge student perceptions of how the political discourse surrounding the 2024 U.S. election has been handled within their school. These questions address school success with respect to the fact base, the ethical framework, and the ability to critically analyze information in order to develop an informed perspective.
There are also statements about the tenor of discussions within the school—discussions that should be rooted in mutual respect and that should enable every student to state their views without being made to feel uncomfortable.
Here are our statements, each designed to be answered on a 1-5 scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”.
2024 Election Mission-Aligned Module Statements
- I am able to develop my own views on the election.
- I can get reliable information about the parties and candidates when I want it.
- I understand why harsh criticisms may be part of political campaigns in a healthy democracy.
- I am comfortable talking about the election in my school.
- There are balanced discussions of political topics at my school.
We offer these statements for educators to use or adapt as they see fit. Taken collectively, they provide teachers and administrators with valuable information on the school’s success in helping students navigate this complex and sensitive topic.
If school leaders would like external support in administering these questions and compiling the data, ERB can help. These questions can be added to our Check-In Survey, with the results available in ERB’s data portal, 360 Access. The Check-In Survey is a 15-question, 10-minute online survey of a student’s emotional well-being, academic engagement, and perceptions of belonging in the school community. It is designed for students in Grades 3-8 and can be administered at any time and as often as a school wishes during a school year (for a single fee).
A school can also add questions to the Check-In Survey on any mission-related topic of its choice. If enough member schools use the above statements on the 2024 U.S. election cycle, we will aggregate the results to prepare a research paper documenting school success in addressing this subject.
Winston Churchill is the person usually credited with having said, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all others that have been tried.” A student’s first exposure to the way American democracy works during an election campaign can be a confusing and even shocking experience, with frequent and seemingly casual violations of generally-accepted norms of interpersonal conduct.
Rather than ignoring this fact, schools can help students understand and navigate what they are seeing and hearing. Assessing student perceptions of the school’s success in doing so can help teachers and administrators effectively direct their efforts—and provide a yardstick for responding to critics.
Learn more about how the ERB Check-In Survey helps independent schools take a pulse on student perceptions of their emotional well-being, academic engagement, and fairness and belonging in the school community. Plus, you can explore our other Check-In Survey Module offerings.
About the Author
Thomas R. Rochon became president of ERB in 2017. He has held faculty appointments at Princeton University and Claremont Graduate University, a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, and a year as Fulbright Scholar in Japan. Administratively, Tom has served as dean and provost at Claremont Graduate University, as provost at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, and as president of Ithaca College in New York. During the 1980s and 1990s, he was a regular speaker on European political trends for foreign service officers in the U.S. Department of State. Within the world of educational assessment, Tom has served as executive director of the GRE testing program at the Educational Testing Service.
