The Impact of the 2016 Presidential Election on Our Nation’s Schools

In the first days after the 2016 presidential election, Learning for Justice, then Teaching Tolerance, administered an online survey to K–12 educators from across the country. Over 10,000 teachers, counselors, administrators and others who work in schools have responded. The survey data indicate that the results of the election are having a profoundly negative impact on schools and students. Ninety percent of educators report that school climate has been negatively affected, and most of them believe it will have a long-lasting impact. A full 80 percent describe heightened anxiety and concern on the part of students worried about the impact of the election on themselves and their families.

This report offers a synthesis of our survey results and recommendations for how to meet the post-election challenges participants described.