Today, we’re sharing a special live recording of The Disagreement at the Harvard Graduate School of Education*. Our topic: Parents' Rights and K-12 Curriculum. This is our first live recording in a university class, and we are incredibly appreciative of Professor Jim Peyser and his students for having us.This episode was sparked by the judgement in the recent Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor (24-297), which ruled in favor of allowing parents to “opt-out” children from lessons that did not align with their religious beliefs. It was a highly controversial ruling and has the potential to reshape U.S. public education on both national and local levels.*A Note: The Harvard Graduate School of Education recently launched the Dialogue Across Differences initiative, which fosters conversations on a wide range of topics from diverse perspectives. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by our guests today are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of HGSE or Harvard University.The Questions:<ul><li>To what extent should parents be allowed to opt their children out of K-12 school curriculum and courses?</li><li>In a pluralistic society, how should decisions about what should—and should not—be part of school curriculum be made and by whom?</li><li>To what extent is exposing children to views that differ from their religious, cultural, or ideological beliefs an essential component of, or threat to, public education?</li></ul>The GuestsJennifer Berkshire is a writer and co-host of a biweekly podcast on education, policy, and politics, Have You Heard? She teaches a course on the politics of public education at Yale University and, through the Boston College Prison Education Program, is an instructor in a Massachusetts prison. Jennifer is the author of The Education Wars, which examines the impact of the culture wars on the foundation of public education.Naomi Schaefer Riley is a journalist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of several books across a variety of topics, including No Way to Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts, and Racial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives, and Be the Parent, Please. A lot of Naomi’s work focuses on child welfare, child protective services, foster care, and adoption. 
Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

<description>&lt;p&gt;Today, we’re sharing a special live recording of The Disagreement at the Harvard Graduate School of Education*. Our topic: Parents' Rights and K-12 Curriculum. This is our first live recording in a university class, and we are incredibly appreciative of Professor Jim Peyser and his students for having us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode was sparked by the judgement in the recent Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor (24-297), which ruled in favor of allowing parents to “opt-out” children from lessons that did not align with their religious beliefs. It was a highly controversial ruling and has the potential to reshape U.S. public education on both national and local levels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;*A Note: The Harvard Graduate School of Education recently launched the Dialogue Across Differences initiative, which fosters conversations on a wide range of topics from diverse perspectives. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by our guests today are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of HGSE or Harvard University.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;To what extent should parents be allowed to opt their children out of K-12 school curriculum and courses?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In a pluralistic society, how should decisions about what should—and should not—be part of school curriculum be made and by whom?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;To what extent is exposing children to views that differ from their religious, cultural, or ideological beliefs an essential component of, or threat to, public education?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Guests&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jennifer Berkshire is a writer and co-host of a biweekly podcast on education, policy, and politics, &lt;i&gt;Have You Heard?&lt;/i&gt; She teaches a course on the politics of public education at Yale University and, through the Boston College Prison Education Program, is an instructor in a Massachusetts prison. Jennifer is the author of &lt;i&gt;The Education Wars,&lt;/i&gt; which examines the impact of the culture wars on the foundation of public education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Naomi Schaefer Riley is a journalist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of several books across a variety of topics, including &lt;i&gt;No Way to Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts, and Racial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives,&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Be the Parent, Please&lt;/i&gt;. A lot of Naomi’s work focuses on child welfare, child protective services, foster care, and adoption. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Live from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A disagreement on the appropriate span of parent influence on K-12 Curriculum

Live from Harvard: Parents' Rights and K-12 Curriculum

Today, we’re continuing our How to Disagree series with an episode called How to Disagree On Gaza and Zohran Mamdani.A reminder: these episodes feature coaching sessions and real-life disagreements. Our goal is to equip everyone with the skills (and some inspiration) to more productively disagree.Please note: this session was recorded live, on Substack, this summer. And as you know, quite a lot has changed since then…But with the NYC mayoral election today, we thought this was the right time to share this conversation.In this episode, journalist, podcast host and author Anya Kamenetz meets with the New York Times best-selling conflict guru, Amanda Ripley. Anya was struggling with discussing not only the war in Gaza, but also how the war, and divergent information sources, were complicating discussions with a close friend over Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy in the New York City mayor’s race.The session features in-depth coaching from Amanda on the concepts of “looping” an opposing argument and identifying the “understory,” tools we can all use to keep our disagreements healthy. And if you’re listening from NYC, perhaps they can specifically help in conversations unfolding in your own life.The Questions:How do we discuss politics with friends and family who are not only reading different news sources, but who have internalized beliefs different to our own?How do you listen tactically and how can you encourage those in your life to do the same?How can you identify the understory for yourself and your counterpart in a disagreement?The GuestsAnya Kamenetz is a journalist and the author of The Gold Hour on Substack. Her work primarily focuses on the intersection of children, well-being, education, and climate change. She covered education for many years, including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her last book was The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now.Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, a Washington Post contributing columnist, and the co-founder of Good Conflict, a media and training company that helps people reimagine conflict. She has written three award-winning, nonfiction books about three very different subjects: High Conflict, The Smartest Kids in the World, and The Unthinkable
Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

<description>&lt;p&gt;Today, we’re continuing our &lt;strong&gt;How to Disagree&lt;/strong&gt; series with an episode called &lt;i&gt;How to Disagree On Gaza and Zohran Mamdani.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A reminder: these episodes feature coaching sessions and real-life disagreements. Our goal is to equip everyone with the skills (and some inspiration) to more productively disagree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please note:&lt;/strong&gt; this session was recorded live, on Substack, this summer. And as you know, quite a lot has changed since then…But with the NYC mayoral election today, we thought this was the right time to share this conversation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, journalist, podcast host and author Anya Kamenetz meets with the New York Times best-selling conflict guru, Amanda Ripley. Anya was struggling with discussing not only the war in Gaza, but also how the war, and divergent information sources, were complicating discussions with a close friend over Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy in the New York City mayor’s race.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The session features in-depth coaching from Amanda on the concepts of “looping” an opposing argument and identifying the “understory,” tools we can all use to keep our disagreements healthy. And if you’re listening from NYC, perhaps they can specifically help in conversations unfolding in your own life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do we discuss politics with friends and family who are not only reading different news sources, but who have internalized beliefs different to our own?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How do you listen tactically and how can you encourage those in your life to do the same?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can you identify the understory for yourself and your counterpart in a disagreement?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Guests&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anya Kamenetz is a journalist and the author of The Gold Hour on Substack. Her work primarily focuses on the intersection of children, well-being, education, and climate change. She covered education for many years, including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast &lt;i&gt;Life Kit: Parenting&lt;/i&gt;. Her last book was &lt;i&gt;The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, a Washington Post contributing columnist, and the co-founder of Good Conflict, a media and training company that helps people reimagine conflict. She has written three award-winning, nonfiction books about three very different subjects: High Conflict, The Smartest Kids in the World, and The Unthinkable&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Recorded over the summer. Coaching on an interpersonal disagreement on the Gaza war and Zohran Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race

How to Disagree About Gaza and Zohran Mamdani

Today, we’re doing the second episode in our new series: How to Disagree.A reminder: these episodes feature coaching sessions and real-life disagreements. Our goal is to equip everyone with the skills (and some inspiration) to more productively disagree. On to the episode…You know that feeling when you walk into a room and realize someone’s talking about you? Imagine that on steroids: you tune into a Substack Live to learn your friend is talking about your disagreement in front of an audience! That’s exactly the set up for today’s episode, a follow-up to How to Disagree about Gender with a Close Friend (Part I). In Part II, we get to hear from Larissa Phillips’ friend, “Jane,” and see them bring Bob Bordone’s coaching to life as they navigate their disagreement and a new chapter in their friendship.The Questions:<ul><li>Is it possible to remain close friends after growing apart ideologically?</li><li>How can you remain curious when you strongly disagree?</li><li>Are there some topics we should avoid entirely as friends? Is gender one of them? And how did it get this way?</li></ul>The GuestsLarissa Phillips is a columnist for The Free Press whose work focuses on finding community and fostering relationships as a Democrat living in the rural Hudson Valley. She is also the Director and Founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, teaching basic literacy to adults. Christina Thyssen is a writer, story coach, and professor of writing and literature at the University at Albany. She is the co-founder of Hudson Valley Story Workshops and runs a story slam in Catskill, NY. Christina also teaches writing and storytelling to prisoners. A special thank you to Larissa and Christina for going on this journey with us. It took a tremendous amount of courage. And if you haven’t already, check out Larissa’s <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/politics-almost-ruined-our-friendship-culture-free-speech">excellent article</a> on her experience with us in The Free Press.
Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

<description>&lt;p&gt;Today, we’re doing the second episode in our new series: How to Disagree.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A reminder: these episodes feature coaching sessions and real-life disagreements. Our goal is to equip everyone with the skills (and some inspiration) to more productively disagree. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On to the episode…You know that feeling when you walk into a room and realize someone’s talking about you? Imagine that on steroids: you tune into a Substack Live to learn your friend is talking about your disagreement in front of an audience! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That’s exactly the set up for today’s episode, a follow-up to How to Disagree about Gender with a Close Friend (Part I). In Part II, we get to hear from Larissa Phillips’ friend, “Jane,” and see them bring Bob Bordone’s coaching to life as they navigate their disagreement and a new chapter in their friendship.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Is it possible to remain close friends after growing apart ideologically?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How can you remain curious when you strongly disagree?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are there some topics we should avoid entirely as friends? Is gender one of them? And how did it get this way?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Guests&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Larissa Phillips is a columnist for The Free Press whose work focuses on finding community and fostering relationships as a Democrat living in the rural Hudson Valley. She is also the Director and Founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, teaching basic literacy to adults. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Christina Thyssen is a writer, story coach, and professor of writing and literature at the University at Albany. She is the co-founder of Hudson Valley Story Workshops and runs a story slam in Catskill, NY. Christina also teaches writing and storytelling to prisoners. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A special thank you to Larissa and Christina for going on this journey with us. It took a tremendous amount of courage. And if you haven’t already, check out Larissa’s &lt;a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/politics-almost-ruined-our-friendship-culture-free-speech"&gt;excellent article&lt;/a&gt; on her experience with us in The Free Press.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How to disagree with a close friend about gender (Part II). With Larissa Phillips

How to Disagree About Gender with a Close Friend (Part II)

Today, we’re introducing the first episode in a new series: How to Disagree. As we expand our work to model and enable productive disagreement across lines of difference, we are trying something new with “How To Disagree.” Instead of bringing together experts to have a productive disagreement on social or political issues, we’re delving into interpersonal disagreements.Episodes will feature coaching sessions with an individual struggling with a real-life disagreement (with a friend, family member or colleague) working with a world-class conflict resolution expert. Through these sessions, our guests will learn how to approach their particular rift, as well as more general skills and tools on how to more productively disagree. The first in this series is How to Disagree About Gender with a Close Friend, featuring Larissa Phillips. We actually recorded this session with Larissa live on Substack, and are very excited to share a produced version with you. Also, check out Larissa’s <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/politics-almost-ruined-our-friendship-culture-free-speech">excellent article</a> on her experience with us in The Free Press.The Questions:<ul><li>How do we discuss politics with our friends when we don’t see eye to eye?</li><li>How do we engage one another without trying to persuade?</li><li>How do we prepare for disagreements on hot button topics like gender?</li></ul>The GuestsLarissa Phillips is a columnist for The Free Press whose work focuses on finding community and fostering relationships as a Democrat living in the rural Hudson Valley. She is also the Director and Founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, teaching basic literacy to adults. Bob Bordone is a senior fellow at Harvard Law School who has spent the last 25 years teaching negotiation and conflict resolution. He teaches negotiation to individuals and teams with a particular interest in addressing the United States’ polarized climate. Bob recently wrote a book with a neuroscientist called Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.
Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

<description>&lt;p&gt;Today, we’re introducing the first episode in a new series: How to Disagree. As we expand our work to model and enable productive disagreement across lines of difference, we are trying something new with “How To Disagree.” Instead of bringing together experts to have a productive disagreement on social or political issues, we’re delving into interpersonal disagreements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Episodes will feature coaching sessions with an individual struggling with a real-life disagreement (with a friend, family member or colleague) working with a world-class conflict resolution expert. Through these sessions, our guests will learn how to approach their particular rift, as well as more general skills and tools on how to more productively disagree. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first in this series is How to Disagree About Gender with a Close Friend, featuring Larissa Phillips. We actually recorded this session with Larissa live on Substack, and are very excited to share a produced version with you. Also, check out Larissa’s &lt;a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/politics-almost-ruined-our-friendship-culture-free-speech"&gt;excellent article&lt;/a&gt; on her experience with us in The Free Press.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Questions:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How do we discuss politics with our friends when we don’t see eye to eye?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How do we engage one another without trying to persuade?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How do we prepare for disagreements on hot button topics like gender?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Guests&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Larissa Phillips is a columnist for The Free Press whose work focuses on finding community and fostering relationships as a Democrat living in the rural Hudson Valley. She is also the Director and Founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, teaching basic literacy to adults. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bob Bordone is a senior fellow at Harvard Law School who has spent the last 25 years teaching negotiation and conflict resolution. He teaches negotiation to individuals and teams with a particular interest in addressing the United States’ polarized climate. Bob recently wrote a book with a neuroscientist called Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How to disagree with a close friend about gender (part 1). With Larissa Phillips and Bob Bordone.

How To Disagree About Gender with a Close Friend (Part I)

Recently, First Lady Melania Trump convened the second White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Education. There is simultaneously an incredible amount of excitement around AI in schools and just beneath it, a sort of terror about its potential impacts and all we do not know. We wanted to take a macro approach and examine the current state of AI in education, its promise, the fears, and what the near future may look like.The Questions:<ul><li>Is AI in the classroom a force for good?</li><li>Can we still produce critical thinkers in an AI-driven classroom?</li><li>Will AI just be another ed tech flash in the pan?</li></ul>To have this conversation, we brought together two leading eduction experts with nuanced, divergent views on the roles technology, and AI specifically, should play for teachers and students.Eric Westendorf is a former principal who founded the ed tech company LearnZillion, and now is the co-CEO of Coursemojo, which is using AI to enhance in-class learning by supporting teachers in providing the right support for every student.Justin Reich is an Associate Professor in Comparative Media Studies and Director at MIT Teaching Systems Lab, and is the author of a new book, Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education.Two notes on terms. Our guests mention NAEP: the National Assessment of Education Progress. There's also discussion of the Alpha School: a network of US private schools that combines AI-driven adaptive software for core academics with in-person adult “Guides” who act as mentors. It operates in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California. According to Alpha School, their combination of technology and mastery based learning allows children learn core subjects in just two hours daily.
Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

<description>&lt;p&gt;Recently, First Lady Melania Trump convened the second White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Education. There is simultaneously an incredible amount of excitement around AI in schools and just beneath it, a sort of terror about its potential impacts and all we do not know. We wanted to take a macro approach and examine the current state of AI in education, its promise, the fears, and what the near future may look like.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Questions:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Is AI in the classroom a force for good?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Can we still produce critical thinkers in an AI-driven classroom?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Will AI just be another ed tech flash in the pan?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;To have this conversation, we brought together two leading eduction experts with nuanced, divergent views on the roles technology, and AI specifically, should play for teachers and students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eric Westendorf is a former principal who founded the ed tech company LearnZillion, and now is the co-CEO of Coursemojo, which is using AI to enhance in-class learning by supporting teachers in providing the right support for every student.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Justin Reich is an Associate Professor in Comparative Media Studies and Director at MIT Teaching Systems Lab, and is the author of a new book, &lt;i&gt;Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Educatio&lt;/i&gt;n.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Two notes on terms. Our guests mention NAEP: the National Assessment of Education Progress. There's also discussion of the Alpha School: a network of US private schools that combines AI-driven adaptive software for core academics with in-person adult “Guides” who act as mentors. It operates in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California. According to Alpha School, their combination of technology and mastery based learning allows children learn core subjects in just two hours daily.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Today, we’re diving into one of our favorite disagreement topics, AI in Education, and to the extent to which it can be a force for good in our classrooms.

AI in Education: A Force for Good?

Two experts. One contentious topic. A different kind of conversation. Hosted by Alex Grodd.

The Disagreement

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