澳门跑狗论坛

School & District Management Download

Navigating Tense Conversations at Work: A Guide for Educators (Downloadable)

By Olina Banerji 鈥 October 02, 2024 3 min read
Polar opposite hands hold u a triangular flag. Teamwork, resolution, truce.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Tragic shootings. Culture wars. Threats of violence. Closures resulting from debunked, racist allegations against Haitian immigrants in Ohio. A lot has happened in schools in the run-up to a contentious and hotly debated national election.

But this year isn鈥檛 unique. Schools have, historically, been a public space where polarizing issues have played out. In recent years though, these debates have become more high-pitched and polarizing with real-life consequences鈥攕ometimes even costing teachers and school leaders their jobs.

In a nationally representative survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center this summer, a quarter of teachers and school leaders polled said that politics, political ideologies, and/or politicians have contributed most to the polarization they鈥檝e faced in their district or schools. Nineteen percent said the top contributor was social media.

See also

A scholar look up at a wave that is about to overtake them
Eva V谩zquez for 澳门跑狗论坛

Educators are also hesitant to bring up politically sensitive topics in class, even if these topics relate directly to a social studies lesson. In response, they鈥檝e adjusted or changed their instructional approach, the same survey found: Thirty-five percent of teachers reported that they skipped an entire topic or subtopic because it would spark complaints from students, parents, or their superiors, while 23 percent said they had skipped a potentially 鈥渃ontroversial鈥 topic. Nineteen percent felt compelled to bring up diverse perspectives on a topic, even if they felt the topic didn鈥檛 need that treatment.

Teaching within these tight parameters can be exhausting鈥攁nd could lead to quicker teacher burnout, which is already a significant problem. School leaders need to step in, and find ways to tackle the looming threat of polarizing conflict.

鈥淭he 21st-century superpower is facilitation. It鈥檚 not charisma-led leadership,鈥 said Martin Carcasson, a liberal arts professor and the founder and director of the Center for Public Deliberation at the Colorado State University. Carcasson coaches school and district leaders to broach, and facilitate, difficult conversations within their district offices, with parents, and with the larger school community.

Conflicts within a school community over divisive issues like reading instruction, gun control, or the rights of transgender students can often mimic what鈥檚 happening in the political sphere, where the two-party system often reduces every debate to a political zero-sum game: Do everything in your power to make your opponent鈥檚 ideas fail.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a cynical view of the system,鈥 Carcasson said in an interview with 澳门跑狗论坛 this summer.

Breaking the cynicism is hard. There鈥檚 a way to do it

School leaders, as facilitators, can turn a confrontational debate on its head. In some cases, when leaders can anticipate conflict, they can be proactive about diffusing it.

Not all conflicts can be avoided, though. For these times, it鈥檚 important for school leaders to build their facilitation muscles. Carcasson, in his own coaching, has relied on a guided map that can help leaders get in鈥攁nd out鈥攐f a polarizing debate with a solution that works for every participant. It鈥檚 called the Groan Zone.

The 鈥済roan zone鈥 framework for decision-making was popularized in 1996 by Sam Kaner, an organization development expert. It has three distinct stages:

  1. divergent thinking or collecting data,
  2. the Groan Zone, or the main debate, and
  3. convergent thinking, or coming to a resolution.

In each part of this process, the leader, as a facilitator, will need a different skillset. We鈥檝e adapted this facilitation guide for educators to use in heated conversations with each other, parents, or even students during a class discussion on a controversial or polarizing topic.

    Related Tags:

    Vanessa Solis, Associate Design Director contributed to this article.

    Events

    Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond鈥
    Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
    Sponsor
    School & District Management Webinar
    Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
    Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
    Content provided by 
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
    Sponsor
    Science Webinar
    Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM鈥檚 Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
    Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
    Content provided by 

    EdWeek Top School Jobs

    Teacher Jobs
    Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
    Principal Jobs
    Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
    Administrator Jobs
    Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
    Support Staff Jobs
    Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

    Read Next

    School & District Management Principals Polled: Where School Leaders Stand on 10 Big Issues
    A look at how principals responded to questions on Halloween costumes, snow days, teacher morale, and more.
    4 min read
    Illustration of speech/thought bubbles.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    School & District Management Opinion You鈥檙e the Principal, and Your Teachers Hate a New District Policy. What Now?
    This school leader committed to being a bridge between his district and school staff this year. Here鈥檚 what he learned.
    Ian Knox
    4 min read
    A district liaison bridging the gap between 2 sides.
    Vanessa Solis/澳门跑狗论坛 via Canva
    School & District Management The 4 District Leaders Who Could Be the Next Superintendent of the Year
    Four district leaders are finalists for the national honor. They've emphasized CTE, student safety, financial sustainability, and more.
    4 min read
    Clockwise from upper left: Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent of the Peoria Public School District 150; Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of Jefferson County Schools; Debbie Jones, superintendent of the Bentonville School District; David Moore, superintendent of the School District of Indian River County.
    Clockwise from upper left: Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent of the Peoria school district in Illinois; Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of Jefferson County schools in Alabama; Debbie Jones, superintendent of the Bentonville, Ark., school district; and David Moore, superintendent in Indian River County, Fla. The four have been named finalists for national Superintendent of the Year. AASA will announce the winner in March 2025.
    Courtesy of AASA, the School Superintendent's Association
    School & District Management 3 Tips for Districts to Maximize FEMA Funding After a Natural Disaster
    District leaders who have been through natural disasters stress the need for thorough documentation, even if it seems excessive.
    5 min read
    Close up of FEMA paperwork
    iStock/Getty