By Catherine Henderson
Medill Reports

From the perspective of a civics classroom in Chicago, the 2020 presidential election changed the game. And students are paying particularly close attention to national politics.

This election has forced teachers across the city to reframe their approach to civics education. Students are living in a polarized political climate in the middle of a pandemic that cuts them off from each other.

Over the past couple of years, Illinois has pushed to improve civics education across the state, making it a requirement in middle and high school. CPS has gone further, with a department that creates curriculum and discussion guides for teachers across the city.

Catherine Henderson covers education at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at @caity_henderson.