Politics are increasingly shaping the experiences of students and teachers, the learning environment and classroom conversations. Students and teachers may hold different perspectives on how politics has shaped the way they feel.
Recent political trends have increased polarization in schools, causing stress, burnout and safety concerns for teachers discussing sensitive topics. Since assuming office in January 2025, the second administration of President Donald Trump has taken steps to diminish the local government’s role in public education, threatening districts in an attempt to control local instructions, according to Deirdre Schifeling from aclu.org. Federal law prohibits the federal government from controlling a public school’s curriculum or text materials. These decisions are left to states and districts. Still, the Trump administration has made multiple attempts to control how public schools discuss diversity, inclusion and gender identity, according to Jared Bass and Mishka Espey from American Progress.
Certain students feel that they cannot openly express their political views because they are afraid of being judged by their classmates. When discussing political parties, they stay quiet to avoid conflict because they are concerned about negative reactions. “Usually I tell my classmates that I’m purple because I agree and disagree with ideas from both political sides because I don’t want to upset people if I choose a side, but I would like teachers to incorporate recent politics into lessons because I feel like class would become more interesting and we could hear different ideas. In my view it’s important to put recent politics into lessons because it gives students a better understanding of what’s happening in the world today,” freshman Marie Tevosyan said.
The curriculum is an area where political views come into play. As societal norms change, education policies and curriculum must adapt to reflect these changes. For example, the government put restrictions on the AP Psychology curriculum because of topics like Gender identity and sexual orientation, which created conflict with College Board standards. This means that a foundational high school course was effectively made illegal in certain jurisdictions due to state LGBTQ content restrictions, according to Collegeboard.
However, teachers at this school encourage students to express their perspectives openly and take part in discussions that cover a variety of opinions. “The current political environment hasn’t really affected my teaching style in Honors US History, but in AP Government, students may criticize or express disapproval to other students when we go into topics about how the government can violate the Constitution. I do believe though that it’s important to see the connection between what we learn about the past and what’s happening in the present. I also think it’s great for students to be really able to connect to what we learn in the Constitution or the news,” AP Government and Honors US History teacher Sophie Erlich said.
Senior Beatrix Verrija said she prefers to express her political views around people who share similar opinions or beliefs. She also believes that individuals should stay informed and educated on what’s happening in the world today. “I think if a peer or teacher had different views than me, I would definitely see a little bit differently in them, but I wouldn’t let it impact our relationship that much. I honestly think some people are clueless about what’s going on in the world right now. Even though some politics in the world doesn’t impact you directly, for example the Iran war or Ukraine war, it’s still incredibly important to understand because it prepares teens to hold leaders accountable, build informed opinions and have empathy for others. In my opinion the best thing to do in life is be aware of what’s happening because it helps make decisions that shape society,” Verrija said.
