when Tim Waltz His rise, announced earlier this month as Kamala Harris’ running mate, has helped boost the idea of educators running for public office.
Walz served several terms in Congress before becoming Minnesota’s governor in 2018 and is a former high school social studies teacher and football coach. Cherish those identitiesIn January 2025, depending on the election results, he may move to Washington, DC, to become Vice President of the United States.
While Walz has been getting a lot of attention in this election, many other educators are running for office this year, many for the first time.
In many ways, he says, politics is a natural progression for educators, teacher candidates and political scientists.
This summer, EdSurge interviewed five people running for office – three teachers, one superintendent and one early childhood education advocate – to learn about their motivations for running and what skills and experiences they have that would make them successful in public office if elected in November.
Once a civil servant, always a civil servant
Many former educators are now running for public office, including at the federal level, including Washington state Senator Patty Murray, a former kindergarten teacher, and Connecticut Representative Jahana Hayes, a former high school history and political science teacher.
The step from public school teacher to public office is an intuitive one for many people, said Kelly Siegel Stecher, a senior fellow at Tufts University. Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Participation.
“They’re already public servants,” Siegel-Steckler noted, “so they have a lot of insight and experience about how to navigate some of the challenges that come with large public agencies and government-run processes.”
Jonathan Collins, an assistant professor of political science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, added that people who prioritize public service and volunteerism are more likely to join civic and political organizations.
“It’s engagement in these networks that gets people campaigning,” Collins said. “Think about teachers and teachers unions and what teachers do every day. Probably the greatest service is to teach every day.”
Chad King Wilson Sr. He teaches alternative education and social studies in Montgomery County Public Schools in Md. He is running for a seat on the Frederick County Board of Education this November.
Wilson said teachers understand that their role in relation to students, families and the community carries a certain amount of power and with it comes a certain amount of responsibility.
“In today’s politics, the decisions that elected officials make impact our lives — sometimes small impacts, sometimes big impacts,” he says. “Educators have a sense of service and a duty of care in everything they do, and that helps when you run for any elected office, because you’re already serving. You’re a public servant.” [asking]”‘How can I cheer you up? How can I get you where you need to be?'”
Education is inherently political — even more so today.
Amid a pandemic that has led to division and extended school closures, and the increasing politicization of education, from book bans to debates about gender identity to legislation about what can be taught and discussed in the classroom, many teachers feel under fire.
“Teachers have been under intense scrutiny in recent years, and that makes them fierce advocates,” says Siegel-Steckler of Tufts University. “When they feel called to justify themselves and when they feel called to defend their values, they are more likely to want to make significant changes.”
Columbia’s Collins adds that there are several things that must be in place to run for office, the most important being energy, given access to resources and connections.
“It’s fair to say that no profession has had more reason to be passionate about the last few years than teachers,” he says. “Teachers have shown for some time that they’re fed up, and when people are fed up, they tend to see politics as the next step.”
This could be a trigger for some teachers to run away, especially if they feel that the conversations being had and decisions being made about them and their students don’t reflect reality.
Many candidates pointed out that their state school boards and state legislatures lack representation of people with knowledge and understanding of today’s schools.
“There are few people [in office] “They know this because they’re still in front of students, they’re still working in schools, they’re still experiencing it every day,” Wilson said. “That’s what pushed me over the edge and said, ‘I have to step up.'”
Sarah Marzilli An elementary art teacher who was running for a seat on the Volusia County, Fla., school board but was recently defeated in a primary election, feels the school board needs representation from current educators given the pace of change in today’s schools, from social media and cell phone use to growing mental health challenges.
“We need to have people on the front lines, so to speak, not on the sidelines,” Marzilli said.
Sarah Elizabeth CottrellThe longtime Spanish teacher and substitute teacher running for Kentucky state legislature said many lawmakers are lawyers and sometimes have unrealistic expectations about how quickly change can happen in education.
“When people talk about education, they talk as if they can just snap their fingers and get something done,” Cottrell said. “As teachers, we know how long it takes. We know more about the initiatives that look good on paper but don’t actually make a difference. … We’re results-oriented.”
While watching a recent committee hearing on the growing number of English language learners in Kentucky schools, Cottrell was astounded by committee members’ ignorance of basic education standards. “I wanted to jump through the screen,” she recalled. “Nobody knew what they were talking about. … They weren’t even asking the right questions.”
Susie Hederen Hederen currently serves as Superintendent of the Townsend Public Schools District in Montana and is running to become Montana’s next Superintendent of Public Schools. Hederen has worked in school districts of various sizes in Montana as a teacher, principal and superintendent.
“I experience it every day,” Hederen said, “I know what our challenges are. I know what our school leaders need and how the state can support leaders and teachers. I work with students and families every day and I have a really good sense of what’s going on right now in education in Montana.”
A wealth of transferable skills
Many noted that educators tend to have a set of skills that make them well suited to serve in public office.
First, teachers are often able to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences: students, families, administrators, etc. Teachers can communicate well one-on-one as well as with large groups.
Teachers are also skilled decision-makers.
“They make a lot of tough decisions every day,” Siegel-Steckler said, “and when they’re alone in a classroom with 20 to 30 students, they have to be able to make the right decision on the spot.”
Educators tend to be good listeners. They are trusted members of their communities. They can get along well with people of different personalities and opinions. They have some experience with public speaking. And they tend to be disciplined. These are all qualities that emerged during the interviews.
Educators are typically empathetic, Collins said, a quality that’s lacking in modern politics.
“To be an effective teacher, you have to be able to empathize with your students,” he says. “Rather than judging them based on preconceived ideas, you have to understand the humanity and dignity of each student and how to help them reach their full potential.”
Educators at the table
Two candidates running for state legislature: Kentucky’s Cottrell and Safiyah Jackson The North Carolina natives said the electoral system is rigged against people like them.
“If you’re a teacher and your friends are teachers, or if you’re a Black woman and your friends are Black, it’s going to be very difficult to get funding,” said Jackson, who is also the chief strategy officer for the North Carolina Partnership for Children and an early childhood advocate. “If you’re a lawyer and your friends are lawyers, that’s a big mistake. It’s a system that’s really designed to produce results.”
Cottrell said running a campaign and winning takes a lot of time, money and connections — things that aren’t realistic for a full-time, wage-earning employee.
“I wish more teachers could run for office and be empowered to do so, but with the workload that teachers have, it’s really difficult,” said Cottrell, who is not currently teaching full time.
As a result, she said, the delegation doesn’t include many people “who are on the ground working and getting their hands dirty.”
Cottrell understands that not all educators can or want to run for office, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be involved in the political process in some way. They might consider alternatives like asking to testify before committees or offering to work with their representatives on education bills.
“The more teachers are involved in this process, the better the relationship between the state legislature and the schools will be,” Cottrell said. “That can only be good for kids.”
