Values in Teaching

Values in Teaching: Resources for Educators in Contentious Times

In May 2025, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, EdEthics partnered with the Democratic Knowledge Project and Project Zero to host a three-day “Create-A-Thon” with the goal of compiling and creating practical and values-driven resources to empower teachers and administrators, particularly those in politically charged environments, to be able to uphold their values, navigate uncertainty, and foster inclusive classrooms and schools.

Following the event, our team has created an online resource hub to help educators have thoughtful discussions about complex decision-making and contentious topics in the classroom.

Values in Teaching is a free set of tools designed to help K–12 educators working in politically charged environments:

lead with integrity and clarity.
navigate uncertainty while staying true to your values.
build inclusive, supportive classrooms and school communities.

Tools Include:

Part 1- Reflect: Defining My Values

This section offers tools to help you clarify your professional values and classroom-ready resources to help students identify their own values as well. Together, these activities can strengthen your sense of purpose and build your confidence.

Part 2- Learn: Navigating Reisk and Context

In this section, you’ll find resources for tracking and understanding the policies at play in your location, current professional recommendations for teacher rights, responsibilities, and political speech, and reflection activities for understanding your political context and determining your personal risk preferences.

Some resources include “Legal Resource Bank for Educators”, policy explainers for educators, a tool to evaluate resources, and a tool to decide what should be treated as controversial in your classroom.

Part 3- Practice: Handing Difficult Conversations

In this section, you’ll find reflection activities, practice exercises, and example language for teachers preparing to engage in challenging conversations with other stakeholders, like families, colleagues, and school and community leaders.

Some activities and exercises include preparing for challenging conversations, microdilemmas, and sentence frames for shared values.

Part 4- Teach: Student-Facing Resources

This section offers practical support for teachers engaging in challenging conversations with students, whether that means preparing in advance for controversial topics that will arise in your curriculum, supporting students in discussing current events, or developing a repertoire of ways to respond to heated moments when they occur.