By Laurel White
A new special issue of the journal Democracy & Education was co-edited by two School of Education faculty members.
The special issue focuses on educational responses to the effects of political polarization. Jeremy Stoddard and Diana Hess, both professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, were among the issue’s five co-editors.

In the issue’s introduction, the co-editors argue the effects of polarization on classrooms are numerous — and increasing.
“Many of these impacts have ratcheted up in the United States since the start of President Trump’s second term just a short few months ago, as executive orders, budget cuts, and new legislation further restrict schools and teachers, while also highlighting partisan differences about educational aims and content,” they wrote.
The special issue grew out of a gathering of multidisciplinary scholars from across the country at UW–Madison last summer. The research convening, funded by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Gibb Fund for Democracy Education, aimed to examine what is known about polarization, its impact on education, and potential interventions to counter the effects of polarization in the classroom. Projects from the special issue were also highlighted in an invited Presidential Session at this year’s AERA annual conference in Denver.
In the special issue, five feature articles and five responses to those articles explore subjects ranging from using political simulations to build understanding to the roles of emotion and identity in classroom discussion.
The special issue of Democracy & Education, “Educational Responses to the Effects of Polarization,” is available for free as an open access issue online.