Wisconsin teachers find ways to interest young students in elections

The presidential campaign is taking on a growing role in Wisconsin classrooms this fall, as teachers find ways to interest young students in elections while leading older students through potentially divisive discussions of issues such as abortion, the Iraq war and immigration.
“We want kids to talk about it better than adults do, actually,” said Diana Hess, an associate education professor at UW-Madison who organized a recent workshop attended by more than 180 classroom and student teachers from 30 school districts.