Preparing today’s students to ease tomorrow’s political polarization
The Challenge
Polarization has scarred the country and complicated our daily lives. Many of us feel estranged from those across the political or ideological divide. It’s tough to make progress toward solving our shared challenges.
The Solution
Today’s students deserve to learn the skills they will need to reach across the divide. This learning begins with the adults in their lives, who must themselves discover how to model bridge-building behavior.
"Amazing communication skills, deep knowledge of how to engage a specific audience." (Attendee, RPCS Presentation)
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"Thank you for a really thoughtful, thorough, thought-provoking workshop." Attendee, ISACS Workshop
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"Amazing! My favorite speaker ever, and I'm 65 years old!" Attendee, Thayer Academy Presentation
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"Kent, I love your energy-- excellent job!!" Attendee, Berwick Academy Presentation
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"Amazing! My favorite speaker ever, and I'm 65 years old!" Attendee, Thayer Academy Presentation
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"Really engaging. Felt you presented clearly and without bias."
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"Kent, I love your energy-- excellent job!!" Attendee, Berwick Academy Presentation
〰️
"Thank you for a really thoughtful, thorough, thought-provoking workshop." Attendee, ISACS Workshop
〰️
"Amazing communication skills, deep knowledge of how to engage a specific audience." (Attendee, RPCS Presentation) 〰️ "Thank you for a really thoughtful, thorough, thought-provoking workshop." Attendee, ISACS Workshop 〰️ "Amazing! My favorite speaker ever, and I'm 65 years old!" Attendee, Thayer Academy Presentation 〰️ "Kent, I love your energy-- excellent job!!" Attendee, Berwick Academy Presentation 〰️ "Amazing! My favorite speaker ever, and I'm 65 years old!" Attendee, Thayer Academy Presentation 〰️ "Really engaging. Felt you presented clearly and without bias." 〰️ "Kent, I love your energy-- excellent job!!" Attendee, Berwick Academy Presentation 〰️ "Thank you for a really thoughtful, thorough, thought-provoking workshop." Attendee, ISACS Workshop 〰️
Teaching tip for the week of March 24, 2025:
Student leadership training—new for 2025
Check in.
If we ask students to do challenging things— to engage in discourse about controversial topics and/or to engage across lines of disagreement, we need to see how that experience lands with them. One way is to check in via exit tickets at the end of class. See the link below for examples that specifically relate to difficult classroom conversations (this page will ask for your email in order to download the resource)..
Course material
Faculty reading
“An outstanding contribution to the field— one of the best education books of the year.”
