Since spring 2021, some teachers have entered a new policy environment as states passed policies limiting instruction related to such topics as race, gender, or sexual orientation. In this report, the authors present findings from a survey administered to teachers across the United States to examine teachers' reports of their instruction about social and political topics in class.

Instruction About Social and Political Topics in K–12 Public Schools

Findings from the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey

Ashley Woo, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Sabrina Lee

ResearchPublished Mar 13, 2025

Teachers' instruction is influenced by a multitude of factors, such as state standards, curriculum materials, student needs, world events, and district or school policies. Since spring 2021, some teachers have had to consider a new factor: state policies that limit instruction about social and political topics, such as those related to race, gender, or sexual orientation.

In this report, the authors present findings from a survey administered in January and February 2024 to teachers across the United States. The survey asked teachers about their instruction on social and political topics, including those that are and are not subject to state restrictions. The authors explore teachers' responses by school grade level, subject taught, and state policy context.

Key Findings

  • Among the ten social and political topics the survey asked about, teachers most frequently taught about social and emotional learning (SEL) (90 percent), stories or histories about people of color (80 percent), and racial inequality (69 percent). Teachers least commonly taught about gun control or gun rights (30 percent) and pro-life or pro-choice positions (16 percent).
  • When teachers did address social and political topics in class, they mostly did so infrequently (with the exception of SEL).
  • Secondary school teachers — especially those teaching social studies or English language arts — were more likely than elementary teachers or teachers of other subjects to address most of the ten topics.
  • Teachers in states with restrictions were less likely to address SEL and gender- and sexual orientation–related topics than their counterparts in states without restrictions, even after controlling for other potential explanatory factors.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: National Education Association
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 12
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1108-14
  • Document Number: RR-A1108-14

Citation

RAND Style Manual

Woo, Ashley, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Elizabeth D. Steiner, and Sabrina Lee, Instruction About Social and Political Topics in K–12 Public Schools: Findings from the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey, RAND Corporation, RR-A1108-14, 2025. As of April 30, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-14.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Woo, Ashley, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Elizabeth D. Steiner, and Sabrina Lee, Instruction About Social and Political Topics in K–12 Public Schools: Findings from the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-14.html.
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The research described in this report was funded by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers and conducted by RAND Education and Labor.

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