This year’s special report is focused on helping you build bridges in your classroom, school, and district at a moment when Americans’ disparate, deeply held perspectives have made many of us wary of attempting to dialogue—or even taking steps toward a conversation.
As much as polarization can be political, what we discuss here is not: This project is not about ideology or divisive concepts. Rather, it explores what contributes to our desire to run toward—or away from conflict and how we can work together to overcome these deep-seated tendencies. A nationally representative survey sheds light on educators’ mindsets in the current climate.
We hope your takeaways will bring a better understanding of what contributes to polarization, how it might have an impact on the field, and, most importantly, what you can do about it. Ultimately, we believe learning how to join forces will pay dividends for instruction.
Please connect with us on social media by using #K12BigIdeas or by emailing bigideas@educationweek.org.
