Elections

Learn more about how federal, state, and local elections affect schools

Explainer

Education Debates You'll Likely Hear About in the Election, Explained
Brush up on key education policy issues that could show up in national, state, and local races.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. She alluded to proposals to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education during her acceptance speech.
Gabrielle Lurie/AP
Federal Video WATCH: 5 Key Education Moments From the Democratic National Convention
Calls to end gun violence, Tim Walz's background as a teacher, and Project 2025 all made for key K-12 moments at the 2024 convention.
Libby Stanford, August 23, 2024
7 min read
Closeup photograph of election vote buttons with text that says Education
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession The Education Issue Americans Agree on That's Not Good News for Teaching
Americans from all sides think that teacher recruitment and retention is a big issue, but they don't want their kids becoming teachers.
Arianna Prothero, August 21, 2024
6 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Former President Donald Trump speaks about crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, Mich., on Aug. 20, 2024. Trump will speak for the second time at the annual summit of Moms for Liberty, the conservative parents' rights organization announced.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Trump Will Return to Moms for Liberty Summit as Keynote Speaker
At the group's 2023 meeting, the former president pledged to eliminate the Education Department and have parents elect principals.
Libby Stanford, August 21, 2024
3 min read
School nurses Heidi Bakke, left, and Molly Cavey walk a student to their office while working at Wilson Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2019, in Janesville, Wis.
School nurses Heidi Bakke, left, and Molly Cavey walk a student to their office while working at Wilson Elementary School on Sept. 12, 2019, in Janesville, Wis.
Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP
School & District Management Collection Essential Reading for Educators: Back-to-School 2024 Edition
Key reads on big topics for the 2024-25 school year.
August 21, 2024
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hugs President Biden during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hugs President Biden during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. Democrats approved a party platform Monday whose education priorities include universal pre-K and a reduced emphasis on standardized testing.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Federal Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Education? Inside the 2024 Democratic Platform
The 2024 platform calls for universal prekindergarten, expanded career and technical education, and fully funding IDEA.
Libby Stanford, August 20, 2024
7 min read
The staff organization for the National Education Association strike on Friday, July 5, outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The work stoppage, expected to continue through Sunday, effectively halts the representative assembly, which brings together more than 6,000 delegates from across the country to vote on the union’s priorities and budget for the upcoming year. Staff members accuse NEA management of unfair labor practices, including denying holiday pay as the staff works over the Fourth of July to run the annual representative assembly.
The staff organization for the National Education Association strike on Friday, July 5, outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. NEA management announced it has reached a tentative agreement with its staff to end a lockout that has continued more than a month.
Brooke Schultz/Education Week
Teaching Profession NEA Reaches Tentative Agreement With Staff Union After Monthlong Lockout
The largest teachers' union and its staff appear to have reached a detente.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 16, 2024
3 min read
Vote here sidewalk sign pointing to open doors of a building.
Canva
Federal From Our Research Center Why Most Teachers Won’t Be Talking About the Election in Their Classrooms
Most educators also said their districts won't hold voter registration drives for students this school year, according to a new survey.
Libby Stanford, August 14, 2024
7 min read
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrives at a campaign rally Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wis.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrives at a campaign rally Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wis.
Julia Nikhinson/AP
Federal The School Where Tim Walz Taught Suddenly Finds Itself in the National Spotlight
It has to navigate excitement for one of its own with political neutrality and ensuring the school is still a place focused on learning.
8 min read
Gov. Tim Walz pauses before delivering his third State of the State address Sunday, March 28, 2021 from his old classroom at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minn.
Gov. Tim Walz pauses before delivering his third State of the State address Sunday, March 28, 2021 from his old classroom at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minn.
Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP
Federal Video Educators From Tim Walz’s Old School React to Having Him on the Ballot
The superintendent and a principal from Tim Walz's former school district weigh in on his selection, and what it means for their town.
3:16
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, along with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and first lady Gwen Walz, read "The Day You Began" by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López, to a group of kindergarteners at Adams Spanish Immersion Elementary, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, along with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and first lady Gwen Walz, read to a group of kindergarteners in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 17, 2023.
Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP
Federal Opinion A Teacher in the White House: What Harris-Walz Could Mean for Education
It’s no surprise that vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz is so good at explaining things: He's a former social studies teacher.
Phelton Moss, August 6, 2024
3 min read
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens as Maryland speaks to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at the White House in Washington.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at the White House in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen the Minnesota governor as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Tim Walz, a Former Teacher, Is Kamala Harris' Running Mate
Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach, for the No. 2 slot on the Democratic ticket.
Libby Stanford, August 6, 2024
4 min read
United States flag pencil drawing an up arrow over a road. Success direction planning symbol as a pencil drawing an upward 3D illustration arrow from a straight road as a symbol for the growing American public education and civic engagement.
iStock/Getty
Federal Opinion How to Get Ahead of a Trump Education Agenda
An attorney at the Center for Law and Education proposes three K-12 ideas to recommit to the promise of public education.
Chris Yarrell, August 2, 2024
5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Don't Ignore Polarization in Classroom Election Discussions
Down-ballot races, not just the presidential one, offer robust learning opportunities from math to maps.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 2, 2024
7 min read
Attendees wait to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris at the American Federation of Teachers conference in Houston on July 25, 2024.
Attendees wait to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Houston on July 25, 2024.
Annie Mulligan for Education Week
Teaching Profession AFT's Assembly Featured Kamala Harris, Debates on the Israel-Hamas War, and More
The gathering of the nation's second-largest teachers' union in Houston came at a pivotal time in the election cycle.
Libby Stanford, July 30, 2024
6 min read