Helping Schools Engage Students in Discussions of Contested Issues
September 14, 2023
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[I’ve seen a] growing divide…pretty much down political lines [that] is making it hard to manage a school community — more than any other era in my 20 years of administrative experience.”
– Utah Principal1
It is evident to a growing number of Americans that deep polarization and societal divisions have created significant challenges for teachers and school administrators in facilitating meaningful, productive discussions on current and contested issues.
Studies show that many teachers are concerned about potential backlash or accusations of indoctrination, leading them to avoid addressing these important topics in the classroom.
Drawing from more than 50 years of experience building school system capacity and developing high-quality curricular materials, Street Law, Inc. is helping schools tackle this important issue.
Divisions in American Society
“There are allegations that schools are indoctrinating kids, so a lot of the teachers are worried. They feel like if they say anything their jobs might be at stake. A lot of teachers are just very worried about wading into some of these topics, so as a result, they will avoid doing it.”
– Oscar, high school teacher, MD
In 2020, Pew Research laid it out in stark numbers: over 75% of voters did not just differ in their political inclinations—they disagreed fundamentally on core American values.2 What is more troubling is that only a tiny percentage from both major political parties harbored hope for unity post-election.
This polarity is not confined to heated political debates on television and social media. It has trickled down into the hallways of our schools, changing classrooms into arenas of deep-set ideological conflicts.
For educators, the challenge has been twofold. On one hand, they grapple with these issues themselves, navigating their personal beliefs while working to stay impartial in the classroom. On the other, they are tasked with facilitating civil, constructive discussions about contested issues among students who might carry strong, divergent opinions.
A concerning trend is self-censorship among educators. The pressures from parents, school boards, and broader communities can be stifling. The apprehension of criticism has led many teachers to skirt around contentious topics rather than risk confrontation.
“There are allegations that schools are indoctrinating kids, so a lot of the teachers are worried,” said Oscar, a high school teacher from Maryland. “They feel like if they say anything their jobs might be at stake. A lot of teachers are just very worried about wading into some of these topics, so as a result, they will avoid doing it.”
Importance of Talking About Current and Contested Public Issues
“Students often bring their narrow perspectives about contested issues into the classroom. Hopefully, these strategies will increase tolerance for others’ points of view, promote inquiry…, and lead to a deeper understanding of complex issues.”
– Monique Giddens, Curriculum Supervisor, Dorchester County Public Schools, MD
Several studies validate the importance of discussing contemporary issues in schools. One study found that students who had opportunities to discuss and engage with these issues demonstrated a deeper understanding of civic responsibilities and democratic processes.3
Unfortunately, the same study revealed a troubling statistic: over half of the students felt they seldom engaged in these high-quality discussions. This underscores a missed opportunity in our education system.
Engaging with current and contested public issues in the classroom does not mean pushing an agenda. Instead, it is about helping students develop essential civic skills. They learn to weigh evidence, appreciate different perspectives, and navigate conflicts with empathy and reason. These discussions give students the tools to understand, evaluate, and form their own opinions in an informed manner.
Monique Giddens, Curriculum Supervisor at Dorchester County Public Schools in Maryland, emphasizes the importance of tapping into the transformative power of these conversations. She remarks, “Students often bring their narrow perspectives about contested issues into the classroom. Hopefully, these strategies will increase tolerance for others’ points of view, promote inquiry…, and lead to a deeper understanding of complex issues.”
Impact on Students
“Through deliberations, I’ve gained a broader perspective and sometimes even changed my opinions as I learned more.”
– High school student, IN
For over five decades, Street Law, Inc. has been a force in improving the lives of students around the world through civic and law-related education. Last year alone, Street Law programs and curricular materials reached more than 1.4 million young people in eight countries.
Street Law programs do more than teach, they empower. Students are molded into active, informed participants in their communities, ready to advocate for positive change, exercise their rights, and listen to the myriad voices around them.
Central to the success of Street Law’s approach is its emphasis on deliberative discussion methods that help young people build bridges across differences.
According to an evaluation of a Street Law program that prepared teachers to conduct deliberative discussions in their classrooms, 75% of students who engaged with Street Law methods reported that they developed a better understanding of the issues, increased their confidence in expressing political viewpoints, and increased their ability to state their opinions.4
Deliberative discussions do more than just instill knowledge. They also foster an environment where students cultivate vital civic skills, including critical thinking, active listening, and being open to and respecting diverse perspectives.
One Indiana student captured the transformative nature of deliberation: “Through deliberations, I’ve gained a broader perspective and sometimes even changed my opinions as I learned more.”
These discussions push students beyond rote learning. They are encouraged to challenge their own beliefs, adapt when presented with compelling arguments, and deeply engage with their peers. Such experiences are instrumental in preparing students for the complexities of the modern world – enabling them to approach disagreements with empathy and navigate discussions with a balanced, informed perspective.
One educator shared, “The difference is palpable. I don’t have to continually probe with ‘why do you think that?’ It’s heartening to see students spontaneously ask each other, ‘what makes you say that?’ or ‘why do you believe that?’ It’s a clear indication of their growth – they’ve become attentive listeners and understand the depth and diversity of opinions in a classroom.”
Providing State- and District-wide Support
“[The TALCCS program] helps us establish norms on how to tackle tough, difficult, challenging concepts with students who aren’t always very mature or ready. It helps us be role models for them, model these skills, because not all of our students get that from home.”
– High school teacher
The benefits of engaging students in discussions of current and contested issues are clear, but the question remains: How can schools help their teachers develop the confidence, skills, and curriculum needed to conduct these conversations effectively with their students?
Enter “Talking About Local Current and Contested Issues in Schools” (a.k.a. TALCCS): a current Street Law, Inc. initiative with the ambitious and important goal of preparing elementary, middle, and high school teachers from all 24 Maryland school districts to facilitate deliberative discussions in their schools and communities. Through a phased approach, TALCCS is building teacher capacity across the state in a sustainable way. Participating teachers are not only honing their skills in conducting successful discussions in their own classrooms, but they are sharing their learnings with colleagues through local professional development opportunities and curricular materials development.
Participating teachers are already reaping the benefits. “[The TALCCS program] helps us establish norms on how to tackle tough, difficult, challenging concepts with students who aren’t always very mature or ready,” said one educator. “It helps us be role models for them, model these skills, because not all of our students get that from home. And it allows us to feel safe doing so in our classroom – many teachers avoid these topics because they’re afraid of what will happen and the loss of control they’ll have, and where the conversation might turn.”
TALCCS joins a rich history of Street Law programming aimed at bolstering the efforts of schools to conduct these important conversations among students. Street Law has partnered with Chicago Public Schools, the state of Arizona, and others to prepare and equip teachers to engage their students in productive conversations across differences.
Interactive Strategies and Structured Curricular Materials
“They loved the Take a Stand … because they get to put up the sticky notes, and they get to talk about what they’re doing. They like that those strategies actually get them up and moving around.”
– High school teacher
At the core of all Street Law programs are interactive teaching strategies and high-quality curricular materials.
When working with teachers to bring structured discussions of current and contested issues into their classrooms, Street Law promotes four key teaching strategies:
- Deliberations: Structured discussions informed by a common reading that presents multiple perspectives and encourages students to collaborate with peers, weigh evidence, support their decisions with facts, and seek common ground.
- Simulations of Democratic Processes: Role-playing activities, such as moot courts and legislative simulations are immersive experiences that allow students to understand a scenario from different perspectives while applying civic knowledge, practicing critical thinking skills, and gaining a practical understanding of how government works.
- Take a Stand: An activity that asks students to explore and share personal views on an issue, listen to peers’ opinions, and reweigh their own.
- Socratic Seminars: Structured discussions that center on a deep understanding of a text and that promote critical thinking and collaboration among students.
Street Law is skilled at both building teachers’ abilities to develop their own curricular materials and developing curricular materials that specifically address local topics of interest. For example, when partnering with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Street Law worked with district teachers to help develop Deliberations exploring both sides of Illinois’ rent control ban. Teachers also created materials on student cell phone searches, looking at CPS’s own Student Code of Conduct, among other sources.
Scott Burhman, social studies content specialist for Washington County, Maryland, hears great things from teachers using Street Law materials and strategies in their classrooms. Scott reports that “[the] teaching materials Street Law provides are clear and easy to implement [and] students can approach the different discussion protocols with ease. In particular, the deliberation strategy is especially effective at enabling the student to see two sides of an issue and then see the other side all before offering their own opinions.”
One teacher praised Street Law materials for their ability to provide a structured environment for students to have their voices heard: “[Students] want to be heard just like anybody else does. It gives a good framework for them to be able to have their opinions, have their ideas, and then be able to communicate them effectively without stepping on people’s toes.”
Another applauded the physical aspect of these strategies, which can be especially helpful when working with younger students: “They loved the Take a Stand … because they get to put up the sticky notes, and they get to talk about what they’re doing. They like that those strategies actually get them up and moving around.”
Many Street Law-developed resources are available widely to educators through its Resource Library. This rich source of classroom-ready materials offers dozens of resources to guide students through structured discussions of current and contested issues.
Conclusion
“We can no longer afford a mindset of debating to win…we need to build a mindset of deliberating to collaborate if we are to sustain our democracy, and it starts with one discussion, one young person, one school, one community at a time.”
– Ashok Regmi, Street Law CEO
Deliberative discussion is an essential civic skill and key to building an informed public. It is also central to bridging the alarming political and ideological divides in America that show little sign of shrinking.
Street Law is making positive, systems-level change by helping schools invest in building their teachers’ confidence and abilities to engage students in deliberative discussions on current and contested issues.
Through partnerships with state departments of education, school districts, school administrators, and teachers, Street Law is breaking down barriers that contribute to teachers’ hesitancy to bring sometimes controversial but important topics into their classrooms.
Equipping teachers means more opportunities exist for students to reap the benefits of these discussions. Students build critical thinking and active listening skills. They are more confident and able to express their viewpoints and opinions, and they are more willing to listen and respect those whose opinions differ from their own.
“We can no longer afford a mindset of debating to win…we need to build a mindset of deliberating to collaborate if we are to sustain our democracy,” said Street Law CEO Ashok Regmi. “And it starts with one discussion, one young person, one school, one community at a time.”
- John Rogers and Joseph Kahne, “Educating for a Diverse Democracy, “ November 2022, https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/files/diverse-democracy-report. ↩︎
- “Voters’ Reflections on the 2020 Election,” Pew Research Center, January 15, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/01/15/voters-reflections-on-the-2020-election/. ↩︎
- “NAEP Report Card: Civics, Highlights from the 2018 Assessment, The Nation’s Report Card, https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/civics/2018/. ↩︎
- Patricia G. Avery, “The Deliberating in a Democracy (DID) Project: Impact on U.S. Students and Teachers,” December 2015, https://streetlaw.org/wp-content/media/2022/05/2015-did-us-impact-evaluation-summary.pdf. ↩︎
