How Do Teachers Select What Political and Social Topics to Address in the Classroom

Over the past few years, many across the country have been subjected to state laws and restrictions on teaching social and political topics. Even many teachers who work in states with no formal restrictions feel compelled to self-censor in their classroom.

How have state restrictions - and the current political climate -affected what topics teachers address in the classroom? Which topics are they choosing to stay away from? And what influences their decisions? A new survey by the RAND Corporation provides some answers.

Since 2021, 20 states have passed laws to keep "controversial" topics, such as race-related and LGBTQ+ issues, out of K-12 classrooms-muzzling the very educators meant to be teaching future generations how to be free thinkers. Passed by right-wing lawmakers, many of these state laws are vaguely worded, leaving many educators unsure about what is and is not prohibited.

The RAND survey, funded in part by the National Education Association, asked teachers how often they were addressing a set of ten different social and political topics during the 2023-2024 school year. Some of the topics are explicitly prohibited by state restrictions, others are not.

RAND found that teachers in states with restrictions were less likely than their counterparts in states without restrictions to address topics related to race, gender, and sexual orientation. RAND also notes that teachers are teaching about social and political topics that align with U.S. adults' preferences, even in states with no restrictions.

The RAND survey asked teachers if they addressed the following ten topics: (1) racial inequality, (2) stories or histories about people of color, (3) election integrity, 4) climate change, (5) gun control or gun rights, (6) pro-life or pro-choice positions, (7) stories or about people who identify as LGBTQ+, (8) gender identity and expression, (9) social-emotional learning (SEL), and (10) religion.

Topics that are explicitly covered in state restrictions include racial inequality, stories or histories about people of color, stories or histories about people who identify as LGBTQ+, and gender identity and expression.

The survey found that 90 percent of teachers say they taught about SEL, 80 percent addressed stories or histories about people of color, and 69 percent taught about racial inequality.

The two least commonly addressed topics were pro-life or pro-choice positions (16%) and gun control or gun rights (30%).

, with the exception of SEL, more than half of teachers addressing these topics do so infrequently. For example, 80 percent of teachers addressed stories or histories of people of color during the 2023-2024 school year, but only 18 percent do so once per week or more.