Deliberating across Difference

Dialogue, listening, and compromise are essential elements of living in a democracy. In a highly partisan time, is it possible to reestablish common ground when it comes to how best to educate our children in and for democracy? Authors Brendan Sheran, Ashley Carey, Jack Schneider, Rebecca Woodland, and Kathryn McDermott, who are affiliated with Center for Education Policy (CEP) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, outline a process called deliberative polling. They used this process of bringing citizens together in a structured way to deliver information and allow for questions and discussion in their Civic Summit. The event, in which Massachusetts citizens discussed the pros and cons of an upcoming state ballot measure on high school graduation exams, was an example of how a summit can bring people together to discuss, safety ask questions, and debate education issues.