Teachers: How do you plan to teach during the 2024 presidential election?

Dear teachers,

This year will likely be an important chapter in our history. The United States is facing its first presidential election since 2020, which culminated in the first non-peaceful transfer of power since the Civil War. In November, American citizens will cast their votes again, and the two main candidates are the same as four years ago.

Wars in Ukraine and Gaza have caused worsening humanitarian crises and threatened broader regional conflicts. January was the eighth month in a row with the warmest average temperatures for that time of year. And if the latest presidential election is any indication, the aftermath of this election could be as eventful as the vote itself.

In schools across America, the 2024 presidential election will become increasingly common in hallway conversations, lunch table debates and teacher-led lessons – planned and unplanned. You all have the important job of teaching history as it is being made. In short: the times we live in are remarkable.

As the presidential election cycle heats up, The New York Times’ Headway team and… Chalk stroke wants to hear from you. What do your students think about these elections? How do you plan to learn it? What questions do you have?

Let us know in the short questionnaire below and we will get back to you. (We are especially interested in learning from teachers of current high school juniors and seniors, but please don’t let that stop you from filling out our form. We want to hear from other types of teachers too!)

Do you have students we should talk to? We also have a questionnaire that we share directly with high school students. Do you know current juniors and seniors who would like to participate in this project? Share this questionnaire here.

The Headway initiative is funded by grants from the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors serving as fiscal sponsor. The Woodcock Foundation is a funder of Headway’s public square. Funders have no control over the selection, focus of stories or the editorial process and do not review stories prior to publication. The Times retains full editorial control of the Headway initiative.