Election Programming Highlights Civil Discourse

A presidential election year is an exciting time to be a social studies teacher. Just ask Chuck Taft, 8th grade American studies history teacher at University School of Milwaukee. He teaches students about the electoral college, the United States constitution, primaries, and caucuses every year, but when those elements are played out in real time, with real people, it’s hard not to pay attention.

“I love it when the front page drives my curriculum,” said Taft. “It brings relevance and engagement to our class discussions and activities. Students really get into the election because they can make connections to many of the important issues, and they also are able to understand (and explain) the overall process of electing the president. In addition, we discuss the impact of the down-ballot races, which have huge implications in Congress and locally.”

At USM, elections are a vehicle through which students study, analyze, practice, and understand America’s foundational principles of democracy through age-appropriate programming. It’s also an opportunity to learn how to obtain accurate information, how to recognize reliable resources, how to think critically about complex issues, and how to practice civil discourse—especially seeking to understand viewpoints different than one’s own and disagreeing respectfully.

While students and teachers may discuss political topics, the emphasis is on teaching students how to think critically—not what to think. USM educators intentionally do not promote any specific party or candidate.

Although USM remains politically neutral, the school is not values-neutral, and is unwavering in the commitment to its mission; to its Common Trust values of respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness; and to its guiding principles of community and inclusion.  

Teacher Preparation:

In the last year, many of USM’s faculty and leadership have participated in professional development sessions focused in part on facilitating meaningful, respectful discourse and/or teaching the election. These sessions have included The Discussion Project, Exeter Humanities Institute, Global Education Benchmark Group annual conference, National Council for the Social Studies annual conference, and a training designed by Shawn McCusker for USM's Social Studies and History departments titled “Strategies for Civil Discourse and Dialogues in the Classroom.”

Election Programming:

Students experienced a series of lessons leading up to the election, each with a specific focus and each developmentally tailored with content and activities appropriate for the age of the students participating. One centered on educating students about presidential elections from a civic and historical perspective. The others were focused on teaching the skills of civil discourse (referred to as “healthy conversations” for the school’s youngest learners) so that students had practice applying those skills to conversations about issues of importance, including the presidential election.

The lessons spanned a broad range of content and delivery methods in the weeks leading up to the election. Examples include:

• Preschool and Lower School students participated in a mock election on Nov. 5 to vote for their favorite out-of-uniform day: sports day or comfy day. Each class visited a polling station, checked in with their USM voting ID, received an official ballot, cast their vote, and deposited it in the voting machine. Students even received an “I voted” sticker. “This hands-on activity aims to provide students with a memorable experience that mirrors the in-person voting process seen on election days, helping them to understand the value and impact of participating in their community,” said Michael Tauscher, head of Preschool and Lower School. 
• Middle School students participated in an assembly led by Assistant Head of School Amy Hand to learn about civil discourse and engage in respectful conversations that build understanding and mutual respect. Students practiced this first by ranking a set of snack foods from most to least favorite, discussing their choice in small groups, and then talking about how it felt to share opinions with classmates or to disagree. They then moved on to a higher-stakes conversation in which they were presented with a set of political issues and were asked to rank them according to how they felt the next president should prioritize them, again sharing their opinions and rationale with a small group and listening to others. 
• Students in Chuck Taft’s American history class took a deep dive into this country’s electoral college, which was covered in a news story for Wisconsin Public Radio. Taft also led an assembly to the entire Middle School about the electoral college.
• Members of the Student Diversity Leadership Committee held a discussion event, open to Upper School students, about how propaganda shapes public opinions and influences voter behavior, especially in social media. “I think adults sometimes underestimate how much social media and politics affect teenagers, even though they can't vote,” said Zara Vaseem ’26. Added Bethany Martin ’26, “I think it's important to give people in our school community an opportunity to talk about this stuff in a good environment, because the conversations will happen regardless. It's important that we have places and spaces for healthy dialogue.” 
• Prior to and after the election, students in all divisions received reminders about the school’s ongoing commitment to civil discourse and the importance of relating to one another according to the values of the school’s Common Trust.
• On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Middle School and Upper School students will be offered optional spaces in which to gather if they wish to process the election outcome with peers. Those spaces will be supervised by USM employees, who will provide neutral facilitation, and will occur at times that do not conflict with class (Community Time for Middle School and Flex for Upper School). 
• On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Preschool and Lower School students’ morning meetings will focus on understanding, in developmentally appropriate ways, what is known about the election outcome at that point; that meeting will also feature reminders of the principles of “healthy conversations” (the phrase used with our younger students as an alternative to “civil discourse”).

Goals of USM's Election Programming:

• To teach students how to engage in healthy conversations about important and potentially difficult topics, such as the election.
• To provide opportunities and spaces for dialogue in our classrooms where everyone feels part of the community.
• To increase student engagement and knowledge of how elections work in our country, and the importance of our civic duty of voting.

USM is committed to cultivating learners, leaders, and citizens through academic and co-curricular programming. National presidential elections are an exciting time to practice those ideals, to observe this country’s democracy in action, and to see the vision of America’s founding fathers play out in real time, nearly 250 years later. Disagreements, although sometimes uncomfortable, are also a great opportunity to show how the values of the school’s Common Trust—respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness—can guide all members of the school community.