Courageous Conversations About Our Schools

In this episode of “Courageous Conversations about our Schools,” host Ken Futernick talks with educator and interpreter Shelby Rideout about a simple, in-the-moment strategy for handling kid conflicts without defaulting to “Knock it off,” “Go to your room,” or forced apologies. Instead of sending kids away to “work it out” without tools, Shelby guides them to pause, lower the emotional temperature...

What if just 6 hours could transform how students see each other—and themselves? In this powerful episode, we take you inside Breaking Down the Walls , a high school workshop where simple conversations evolve into moments of deep vulnerability, empathy, and connection. At a Northern California high school, students move from awkward introductions to sharing personal stories of loneliness, bullying...

In this episode, Ken Futernick sits down with Mike Walsh—widely known across California education circles as a master human connector —to explore how schools can build trust, strengthen relationships, and create communities where both adults and students truly belong. Drawing on decades of experience as a school board leader, facilitator, and student advocate, Walsh shares how meaningful change do...

When the pandemic struck Reading, Pennsylvania, its school system was already under enormous strain. The Reading School District—the poorest in the state—served 16,000 students, many of whom faced daunting barriers long before COVID arrived. Hundreds were homeless. Thousands stopped showing up to class. Teachers and principals were stretched thin. Community trust was low. And after years of missed...

In Part 1, we heard how Reading, Pennsylvania, began to turn outward—listening to families, students, and educators to rethink what their school system could be. In Part 2, we see what happened when a new mindset and civic culture shifted from data gathering and healthy conversation to concrete action. Host Ken Futernick and Rich Harwood , founder of the Harwood Institute , return to trace three m...

What would make someone leave a thirty–year career on Wall Street to help heal America’s divides? In this episode of Courageous Conversations About Our Schools , host Ken Futernick talks with Adam Mizel , former investment banker turned bridge-builder, who co-founded US United to strengthen communities and classrooms through empathy, respect, and dialogue. When George Floyd was killed, Adam found...

In a live, online discussion we co-hosted with Braver Angels on September 4th, 2025, eight panelists discussed whether Ethnic Studies should be required for high school graduation, whether such a course should even be offered at all, or whether the content is likely to do more harm than good.  Nearly 200 audience members from across the country listened in and posed questions as panelists shared t...

Should high school students be required to take an Ethnic Studies course? Should such a course even be offered at all, or is the content likely to do more harm than good? These were the questions that a diverse group of panelists discussed in a live, online “fishbowl” discussion we co-hosted with Braver Angels on September 4th, 2025. Nearly 200 audience members from across the country listened in...

In this timely conversation, attorney Leo Tucker shares his expertise on preparing schools and communities for immigration enforcement actions that could separate children from their families. As executive director of Aid (Aiding Survivors of Trafficking and Child Abuse), Tucker has developed a comprehensive, free guide called "Preparing for ICE Raids" that helps schools create rapid res...

In this episode, host Ken Futernick speaks with James Coan, founder of More Like US , along with high school students Landon and Deegan, about perception gaps in American society. James explains how perception gaps are the exaggerated negative views we hold about people with different political beliefs. Research shows Americans across the political spectrum are actually more similar than they real...

In this Courageous Conversation, host Ken Futernick and Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman , a professor of History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, delve into the heated debates surrounding American schooling. They explore the historical roots of compulsory education , analyze the recent Supreme Court ruling (Mahmoud v. Taylor) on opt-outs for LGBTQ+-friendly texts, and discuss the rise of unr...

In this episode, host Ken Futernick sits down with Bruce Wasser, a former history teacher whose life story is as inspiring as his teaching career. Bruce shares his poignant journey from being a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War to becoming a beloved educator who had a profound impact on his students. Listen as Bruce recounts the pivotal moments that shaped his life, including the influ...

This story starts with a bag of shoes that helped a school community heal after the tragic deaths of two students. That story blossomed into a unique project called the “Shoe Club” that fosters empathy and breaks barriers in a Michigan middle school. The founder of the club and guest on this episode is Matt Hamilton, a 2025 Horace Mann and NEA Award-winning teacher from East Jordan Public Schools...

How many of us would have the courage to have a conversation with someone who hates us? My guest, Daryl Davis, has done just that, not once, but for decades, with members of the Ku Kluz Klan and other hate groups, and many have renounced their ideology after getting to know him. A Black musician, Davis shares his unbelievable story driven by one powerful question: "How can you hate me when yo...

This episode is part of our series on our sister podcast, Teacher Stories , on what schools can do to help save our democracy. Guests include Dr. Marvin W. Berkowitz, McDonnell Professor of Character Education at the Center for Character Education and Citizenship at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, and Dr. Kashina Bell, Deputy Superintendent for the School District of University City in St...

American democracy cannot survive without well-functioning schools that enable students to become good citizens and that teach them to appreciate what it means to live under a system whose only boss are the people themselves. That’s the claim my guest Brook Manville makes in his new book, The Civic Bargain – How Democracies Survive .   In this wide-ranging conversation about civic education, Manvi...

Curiosity has been a common theme in this podcast. Conflict experts like my guests Amanda Ripley , Monica Guzman , and Peter Coleman say being curious and less judgmental is often a better way out of toxic conflict than making stronger arguments or presenting more facts. And, as we heard from our recent guest, Tim Shriver , it’s a much better alternative than treating one’s adversaries with contem...

In our previous episode (Ep. 36) , Tim Shriver America’s widening political and social divides are, surprisingly, not due to our differences. “We’ve always had differences,” he says, “Contempt is the problem.” Shriver explains why treating others with dignity is more likely to produce the results we want and why contempt usually does the opposite.  He and his colleagues created the Dignity Index t...

Tim Shriver is a member of the Kennedy family, Chairman of Special Olympics International, co-founder of UNITE, and a former teacher. In this wide-ranging conversation with host Ken Futernick, Shriver describes a tool he co-created called the Dignity Index, and he describes how educators are using it to address our widening political and social divides. “We built it because there's an issue i...

School mission statements across the county commonly included language about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. DEI training for educators was also common. But that’s changed in recent years as school culture wars erupted around the books students have access to: how students learn about history, race, and gender identity, and anything that smacks of “woke” ideology.  DEI, as perceived by its advoc...

One would think that schools are the perfect place for students to learn about elections. What better opportunity to use the critical thinking skills they’ve learned in making sense of what the candidates are saying and to distinguish credible information from what they often encounter on social and mainstream media? These skills would certainly serve them well after the election when there are su...

This episode will interest anyone interested in what it takes to successfully lead a politically diverse school board (or any such organization) in these highly polarized times. My guest, Dr. Katy Anthes, did just that as Colorado’s Commissioner of Education from 2016 to 2023 by building trust, getting leaders to agree on norms about how they would disagree, and developing a common vision of educa...

Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a school shooter? Or, why someone chooses to kill innocent people? My guest, Aaron Stark, was ready to commit mass murder but decided, at the last minute, not to follow through with his plan. He also chose not to kill himself. In this episode, you’ll hear Aaron’s harrowing story of abuse, neglect, and trauma, and you’ll find out what it took to prevent yet a...

One day after interviewing clinical psychologist Hayley Watson for Part 1 of this two-part series about the need for better mental health support in schools, Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia walked onto campus with a military-style rifle and killed two other students and two math teachers. He also injured at least 8 others before he was taken into custod...

Immediately following the fatal shooting of two students and two math teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia, the predictable debate over gun laws ensued. Less prominent were calls for another remedy for school gun violence that can have an immediate impact and, surprisingly, is not politically polarizing: mental health support.  Colt Gray, the 14-year-old shooter had been “begging for help...