Evaluation Results: The Power of Structured Discussions in Schools
February 13, 2025
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School systems play a crucial role in shaping the next generation into informed, engaged community members. A key component of this responsibility is equipping young people with the skills to engage in respectful, fact-based, and productive discussions on contested, and often contentious, issues.
Achieving this goal demands strong support for educators. Professional development, high-quality instructional materials, and administrator buy-in are critical to ensuring teachers have the tools they need to facilitate meaningful classroom conversations.
Street Law’s Role in Supporting Schools and Teachers
Street Law, Inc. has long been a trusted partner in this effort, working with school districts and state education agencies across the country, including the Arizona Department of Education, the Maryland State Department of Education, and Chicago Public Schools. Through these partnerships, Street Law empowers teachers to create classroom environments where students can explore multiple perspectives and engage in thoughtful, constructive dialogue.
The impact of this work is evident in two recent independent evaluations of Street Law’s Talking About Local Current and Contested Issues in Schools (TALCCS) teacher professional development program and the Deliberative Discussion teaching method. These studies highlight significant benefits for schools, educators, and students. They confirm that when school districts invest in high-quality professional learning rooted in proven instructional strategies, teachers gain confidence and increase the frequency of discussions on current and contested issues. Meanwhile, students develop deeper critical thinking skills, broaden their understanding of complex topics, and foster greater openness to different viewpoints.
The Street Law Approach
At the heart of both TALCCS and the Deliberative Discussion strategy is a shared instructional approach that underpins all of Street Law’s school-based partnerships. Through this approach, Street Law enhances instructional practices and deepens content knowledge for approximately 1,000 educators annually via teacher professional development programs. Additionally, Street Law provides more than 12,000 educators with high-quality curricular materials each year.
Street Law’s approach is built on three key elements:
- Professional Development Rooted in Best Practices: Street Law’s professional development programs are research-based, interactive, and impactful. Designed in alignment with the seven hallmarks of high-quality professional development identified in a 2017 Learning Policy Institute report, these programs provide educators with opportunities to observe, practice, and refine new teaching strategies before applying them in their own classrooms. By incorporating active learning, expert guidance, and sustained engagement, Street Law ensures that teachers are well-equipped to deliver dynamic, student-centered instruction.
- Engaging, Student-Centered Teaching Strategies and Curricular Materials: Street Law’s instructional approach prioritizes interactive, student-driven learning experiences that promote literacy, engagement, critical thinking, and civic empowerment. Moving beyond traditional lectures and rote memorization, the curriculum integrates dynamic instructional methods such as democratic simulations, inquiry-based lessons, structured discussions, and collaborative activities. These strategies encourage students to examine contrasting viewpoints, sharpen analytical skills, and actively participate in their learning—preparing them to become informed, engaged citizens.
- A Commitment to Nonpartisanship: Nonpartisanship is a guiding principle of Street Law’s work. Its curricular materials are rooted in facts, lived experiences, and multiple perspectives, helping students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to engage in civil discourse. By fostering an environment where young people can explore complex issues, consider differing viewpoints, and seek common ground, Street Law prepares the next generation to navigate civic life with thoughtfulness and respect. Teachers from across the political spectrum trust Street Law for professional development and classroom resources that promote balanced, fact-based education.
Evaluating the Impact: TALCCS Teacher Professional Development Program
A recent demonstration of Street Law’s effectiveness is the Talking About Local Current and Contested Issues in Schools (TALCCS) program, which ran from 2021 to 2024. This initiative provided educators with the training, tools, and strategies necessary to guide student discussions on contested public issues.
Through professional development workshops, curricular resources, and other supporting activities, Street Law increased the capacity of school districts and teachers to implement a range of instructional strategies to facilitate civic discussions. These included Deliberations, Simulations of Democratic Processes, Socratic Seminars, and Take a Stand and Tug of War lessons.
The Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) assessed the program’s effectiveness, focusing on educators from 18 school districts, primarily in Maryland. The evaluation revealed several key findings:
- High-Quality Professional Development: Educators lauded the quality, clarity, and applicability of the training sessions and resources. Teachers found the professional development highly effective, actionable, and adaptable to diverse classroom needs.
- Broad Implementation of Teaching Strategies: Most participating districts adopted at least three of the five TALCCS strategies. Additionally, 75% of educators reported either increasing or maintaining the frequency of instruction on current and contested issues.
- Increased Teacher Confidence: Over 90% of participants expressed confidence in implementing TALCCS strategies, noting their effectiveness in promoting student critical thinking and civic engagement.
- Positive Student Outcomes: Teachers observed improvements in student engagement, critical thinking, and the ability to understand diverse perspectives. Simulations and Socratic Seminars, in particular, helped students engage in respectful discussions and grapple with complex civic issues. Classroom observations confirmed the positive impact of these strategies on students’ readiness to participate in meaningful discussions.
While the evaluation highlighted many successes, it also identified opportunities for improvement, such as adapting strategies for middle school students, broadening curricular topics to make them relevant to more social studies courses, and providing scaffolding for students who need more support with reading and discussion skills. These insights underscore that need for continued investment in refining and expanding effective instructional strategies.
Evaluating the Impact: Deliberative Discussions
A separate evaluation by researchers from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and North Carolina State University examined the impact of Street Law’s Deliberative Discussion model. This strategy equips teachers to guide students through respectful and productive conversations on politically sensitive topics. The findings provide compelling evidence that this approach enhances student engagement, strengthens democratic attitudes, and mitigates polarization in classrooms.
The study, which included 15 teachers and 432 middle and high school students from politically diverse schools in Maryland and Illinois, revealed:
- Exposure to Diverse Perspectives in a Respectful Environment: Students overwhelmingly felt respected (70-81%) and encountered diverse viewpoints, with 50% reporting exposure to perspectives they had not considered before.
- Increased Willingness to Participate: The structured nature of Deliberations encouraged engagement, with 60% of students appreciating the format and 30% reporting higher participation than usual. Hesitation to speak was low, affecting only 12-14% of high school students and 9-10% of middle school students.
- Enhanced Understanding and Confidence: 65% of students reported improved topic comprehension, and 68% felt confident in forming and expressing opinions. Middle school students showed particularly strong growth, with 80% reporting greater understanding.
- Encouragement of Critical Thinking Without Polarization: Unlike debates and unstructured discussions that often deepen ideological divides, Deliberations fostered nuanced perspectives. For example, conservative-leaning students showed reduced opposition to drug legalization, while liberal-leaning students demonstrated increased support for treating juvenile offenders as adults. These shifts reflected critical thinking rather than ideological conformity.
- Higher Engagement Compared to Control Activities: Students found Deliberations more engaging (64% approval) than the control activity (52%). They also rated Deliberations as more effective in helping them form confident opinions (69% vs. 50%).
- Greater Belief in Political Influence: High school students experienced a 14% increase in their belief that people like them can influence politics, suggesting that Deliberations foster a greater sense of civic agency. Middle school students showed similar, albeit less pronounced, trends. However, students’ belief in their personal efficacy remained largely unchanged, likely due to their ineligibility to vote and limited real-world political engagement opportunities.
These findings underscore the effectiveness of Deliberative Discussions in reducing polarization, promoting respectful dialogue, and building student confidence to engage in civic discourse.
Conclusion: Strengthening Civic Learning for the Future
Evaluations of Street Law’s programs reaffirm the essential role of high-quality professional development and research-backed instructional strategies in preparing students for civic engagement. By equipping their educators with tools to foster meaningful classroom discussions, schools can build the next generation’s ability to think critically, engage respectfully with different perspectives, and contribute thoughtfully to their communities.
Sustained investment in these programs is not just beneficial—it is imperative. As schools strive to fulfill their mission of preparing students for civic life, supporting educators with proven discussion strategies ensures that classrooms become vibrant spaces for democratic learning. The evidence is clear: when teachers are empowered, students thrive, and the foundation of a more informed, engaged society is strengthened for the future.
