Free Speech and Inclusion: How College Students Are Navigating Shifting Speech Norms
Download the new report

For Administrators

Our tools can be implemented across an entire school or district to elevate student voice, foster belonging, and prepare students to thrive in a rapidly changing society.

image

Prepare Students for a Complex World

With technology's rapid evolution, the future is increasingly unpredictable. Students need the skills to consider and deliberate about challenging issues and work effectively in diverse settings. Today's students are hungry for this learning.

According to a 2021 Morning Consult survey, 95% of teens think it's important for schools to teach them skills to become independent thinkers and 93% of teens believe schools should prepare them to interact with others. Our evidence-based educational tools and strategies are designed to do just that.

image

Our Solutions

image
Online Learning

Our evidence-based online learning program equips students with the mindset and skill set for constructive dialogue.

image
Live Trainings

We offer professional development for teachers to gain skills to facilitate constructive dialogue.

image
Analytics

Our robust analytics provide you with insights into your school or district culture and enable you to track progress over time.

Online Learning

Our evidence-based online learning program, Perspectives, explores the inner workings of the mind and the psychological roots of our ideological differences.

The program provides students with insights to better understand themselves and others, and it equips them with skills to engage in constructive dialogue across differences. Each 30-minute lesson is adaptive, tailoring itself to meet students where they are.

image

In this lesson, students:

  • Learn about the two systems in our minds: automatic and controlled thinking.

  • Discover common cognitive biases that affect our reasoning, and how this leads people to interpret the same information differently.

  • Gain a practical technique to challenge their cognitive biases and gain more control over their thinking.

In this lesson, students:

  • Explore the underlying psychology behind our moral values and beliefs.

  • Examine how morality develops and why it differs across cultures and individuals.

  • Reflect on their core values, how their values influence the issues they care about, and what life experiences influenced their values and beliefs.

In this lesson, students: 

  • Explore the differences between a growth and fixed mindset.

  • Discover the value of intellectual humility: the ability to recognize the limits of our knowledge.

  • Gain a set of practical techniques to move away from binary thinking towards nuance and complexity.

In this lesson, students:

  • Explore five benefits of engaging with diverse perspectives.

  • Hone their skills to determine "when to draw the line" on engaging across differences.

In this lesson, students:

  • Discover misperceptions they have about people who are different from them.

  • Learn and practice five specific techniques for engaging constructively across differences.

In this lesson, students:

  • Examine the role of contempt in our culture and the danger it poses to society.

  • Gain techniques to "break the cycle of contempt."

  • Uncover what leads conversations to be especially toxic in online settings and how they can overcome these challenges.

In this lesson, students: 

  • Learn and practice key skills from cognitive behavioral therapy to gain more control of their emotions in the heat of difficult conversations.

In this lesson, learners:

  • Gain a set of practical skills to navigate difficult conversations effectively, including setting an intentional goal for conversations, active listening, non-judgmental questioning, moral reframing, and identifying common ground.

  • Learn how to "troubleshoot" difficult conversations when they start to go awry.

Professional Development

Our professional development for high school teachers provides practical strategies to foster and facilitate constructive dialogue in the classroom. These interactive workshops offer educators hands-on experience with essential practices, routines, and skills designed to elevate student voice, promote inclusion & belonging, and prepare students for democratic citizenship.

image

Analytics

Our robust analytics reports can help you diagnose challenges in your school or district climate and track improvement over time. We work with you to tailor our assessments to capture the metrics you care most about, whether it's inclusion & belonging, student voice, or civic engagement.

image

Easy Implementation

Our tools can be implemented in a variety of ways across your school or district.

  • image
    Civics/Social Studies

    Incorporate our tools into civics and social studies courses to equip students with the skills to discuss complex historical and contemporary issues.

  • image
    Student Advisory

    Easily adapt our tools to a school or district's advisory program. Our modular approach gives advisory leaders flexibility to meet the needs of a range of curricula and initiatives.

  • image
    Professional Development

    We partner with school and district leaders to equip teachers with practical teaching strategies to foster and facilitate constructive dialogue with one another and within their classrooms.

Measurable Impact

Our research-backed solutions have a track record of creating meaningful impact across classrooms.

870+
Institutions
56%
of Learners Improved Communication Across Differences
65%
of Educations Recommend

What People Are Saying

Even though my students still have a lot of disagreements with each other, I have already noticed that they have been able to have constructive discussions with each other, and they are respectful in their disagreement!"

High School Social Studies TeacherNewport High School

I've used the [Perspectives program] for the last four years with my 11th grade high school students. Not only do they appreciate the break from our traditional curriculum, but they really appreciate how [Perspectives] helps them to be more aware of their own beliefs and biases, to actively seek out diverse opinions, as well as how to best engage in disagreements."

High School US History TeacherOak Park Independent School

Even as a strong proponent of public schools, I recognize that they often fail at teaching critical thinking skills in a way that students can apply outside of specific subject areas. The [Perspectives] platform fills in this gap quite well. The [Perspectives] platform, used properly, should be a high-school graduation requirement."

High School English TeacherBelleville West High School

Interested in Learning More?

Contact us to learn more about bringing the Constructive Dialogue Institute's evidence-based resources to your campus.

image

Follow Our Work

Sign up for our newsletter to get regular updates on our research, product releases, and the science & practice of constructive dialogue.

Privacy Notice

This site uses cookies. Please click accept to continue, or visit our Privacy Policy to learn more.