During each federal election cycle, students in Pat Sprinkle’s U.S. history and government classes are assigned a political race to observe. The high schoolers research candidates, make a prediction about the results, write a reflection examining what they’ve learned and teach the rest of their class about the race in which they’ve established expertise.
This isn’t part of the required curriculum at the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, but Sprinkle says it’s important to give students an opportunity to think critically about campaign strategies, the role of money in politics and current events. All of the races his students watch are competitive and out of state, to ensure they learn about the “diversity and depth” of the country, he says.
“We’re teaching this as a way to evaluate our institutions and to think mindfully and critically about campaigns as a linkage institution to the American people,” Sprinkle adds.
With the Nov. 3 midterms days away, teachers such as Sprinkle are treating the election as a live civics lab at a time when many young people feel shut out of their government. Educators say their approaches — teaching how the system works rather than whom to support, favoring respectful exchange of views and grounding elections in the history of voting rights — build critical thinking without pushing students toward a party or candidate.
“Young people are eager to participate and optimistic about their political power, while simultaneously feeling like institutions are failing to include them,” a survey from UNICEF USA and The Harris Poll notes.
More than half of the 14- to 22-year-olds polled believe their opinion doesn’t matter to elected officials. Despite that, intended participation in state elections among eligible young voters rose 15 percentage points, from 47% in 2024 to 62% in 2026.
Sprinkle, who has been teaching for 18 years, says one of his most important jobs is helping eligible students register to vote. That push for civic participation is much needed, data suggests. Under 30% of 18-year-olds are typically registered for midterm elections and under 50% for presidential elections, according to The Civics Center.
Teaching Why We Vote
High school civics education is linked to improved voter engagement and doesn’t lead to partisanship or sway students toward particular candidates, according to Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Groups such as iCivics, the Center for Civic Education and the Southern Poverty Law Center offer free civics curricula for teachers across grade levels. iCivics, for example, has a lesson on how the midterm election serves as a “referendum on the presidency” and describes “how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches.” Common Sense Media provides news literacy lessons to help students understand election media, including political ads.
In Shauna Cihacek’s eighth-grade American history classes in Council Bluffs, Iowa, students participate in a statewide mock election, the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, during presidential and midterm election years. This year, in lieu of analyzing videos submitted by candidates, she created a presentation with their position on issues — without including their political party affiliations.
“[Students] were like, ‘Well, are they Democrat or Republican?’ and I said, ‘No, we’re not doing that. We’re going to learn about the candidates,’” Cihacek says.
The exercise is intended to prepare students for voting when they turn 18. Based on student feedback, she plans to set up her classroom to look like a polling site next election cycle, to provide the most realistic “voting” experience she can.
Election season is the ideal time to highlight the importance of civics education, says Deslin Chapman, deputy director for content and curriculum at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice.
“We’re talking about the values of democracy, we’re talking about what democracy means,” Chapman adds. “Teaching that history and the history of voting rights is crucial so that it’s understood not just at an election time but within the context of being part and participating in our democracy, in our society.”
Establishing a Foundation
For elementary school students, Chapman recommends focusing on the history of democracy and why we vote, rather than on specific elections. Establishing an early foundation in civics education allows for teaching more complex topics in middle and high school.
“They need to understand the environment, the ecosystem of how our government works,” she explains.
Kaylea Dominguez, a science and social studies teacher at Kitley Intermediate School in Indianapolis, teaches her fifth-graders about upcoming elections, their purpose and how to be informed voters. She also runs an election for class president, to provide a glimpse into the process.
“I think it’s important to advocate for civics education at the elementary level because kids can understand much more than you think they can,” she says. “And if they get the basic understanding of democracy, then as they grow older, they’re deepening their knowledge. So by the time they’re graduating high school, they’re fully prepared to be active, educated and engaged citizens of our country.”
Dominguez’s curriculum also includes instruction on the Constitution, democracy and the structure of the U.S. government. She says when students are open about their families’ political opinions, she focuses on keeping the conversations respectful.
“I just create a safe space in the classroom and as long as everybody is being kind to each other, everybody is more than welcome to share what they have to say,” Dominguez says. “Of course, I always maintain a neutral stance and I guide them to be empathetic and kind humans.”
Dialogue Over Debate
For middle and high school students, dialogue focused on supporting different perspectives should take priority over debate, which can quickly turn confrontational, says SPLC’s Chapman. By teaching students how to research and exchange views constructively, educators can keep classroom discussions from becoming polarizing and help students learn to bridge partisan divides.
At their core, the “what” and “how” of elections and voting rights are nonpartisan, Chapman says. “You’re teaching critical thinking skills. You’re teaching how to analyze and understand the system that we live in so you can make those decisions for yourself.”
When teaching civics and elections, teachers should remain mindful that students have a broad range of viewpoints and backgrounds, says the San Diego County Office of Education. Design instruction with “clear educational aims,” and remain in proactive contact with parents and administrators.
Kevin McCleish, a social science teacher at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, frames politics as a contest for power. For example, he teaches that historically, the U.S. president’s party typically loses congressional power during midterm elections. With that, he can contextualize the push for redistricting. This approach also helps him teach Democratic and Republican stances, such as support for or opposition to mail-in voting, in a nonpartisan manner.
“We need to give kids the practice to discuss controversial ideas in a respectful and insightful way,” McCleish says.
What Civics Education Does — and Doesn’t — Do
In 2022, eighth graders’ civics scores declined for the first time on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The two-point drop since 2018 left scores not significantly different from 1998, when civics was first assessed. But a larger percentage of students scored below the “NAEP Basic” metric compared with 2018.
Higher-scoring students are “more confident in their ability to explain why it is important to pay attention to and participate in the political process,” the 2022 NAEP report said. The exam will next be administered in 2028.
With his students, McCleish teaches about voting as just one of many forms of political advocacy. For example, he tells students about the opportunity to volunteer in their county clerk’s office as election judges, who ensure polling places run smoothly, and he teaches about lawsuits and protests as powerful political tools.
“When I’m teaching, I always, as much as possible, try to apply it to what is happening in their current social and political environments,” he says. Recently, McCleish has turned to Texas and California as examples of redistricting.
“The ability to incorporate current events to illustrate the concepts is really useful,” he says. “And I think that as educators, if we can’t actually make the material applicable to students’ lives, then we should really question why we’re teaching it in the first place.”
