Can America’s public schools survive the culture wars?
America’s culture wars are taking a toll on our schools and students. Board meetings have become battle zones. Fear, confusion, and mistrust resulting from a wave of new school policies are driving dedicated educators out of the profession – a profession already beset by critical staffing shortages.
To help reverse this trend, Courageous Conversations About Our Schools is dedicated to addressing the complex challenges within today’s educational systems through open and respectful dialogue. Our organization enables educators, parents, students, and policymakers to engage in fruitful, civil conversations about public education so that all students have opportunities to learn. What’s at stake is nothing less than the survival of our public schools and the quality of education our children receive.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Courageous Conversations About Our Schools podcast engages educators, policymakers, and depolarization experts in vital discussions aimed at reducing conflict within educational settings. Each episode explores strategies for fostering understanding and respect across diverse viewpoints, highlighting actionable solutions for building harmonious school environments. The podcast seeks to empower stakeholders to navigate and diminish the cultural and political divides impacting schools today.
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TESTIMONIALS
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“One of the most courageous ways to have conversations is to put curiosity first — ahead of winning, ahead of impressing others, ahead, even, of the need to be right. This podcast puts in the effort, and it shows.”
Monica Guzman, Senior Fellow for Public Practice, Braver Angels
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“Ken Futernick's podcast Courageous Conversations About Schools is just what the times call for – a forum that turns down the heat but sheds lights through thoughtful dialogue on the hot-button issues that threaten to turn schools into ideological battlegrounds. Ken is a skillful moderator who strives for mutual understanding despite disagreements. His podcast could be just as easily titled Insightful and Hopeful Conversations.”
John Fensterwald, Reporter and Editor at EdSource
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"I felt "smarter" after listening to this podcast, and I don't say that everyday..."
Amanda Ripley, Journalist & Author of High Conflict
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“As a participant and frequent listener, I appreciate these conversations because they represent a sincere effort to bring together people with different views on a controversial topic. No sound bites, no raised voices, no assuming of bad intentions. Instead, people volunteer to have a conversation in good faith to share their views and better understand the opinions of others. Ken, the moderator, is an excellent model of what it means to listen to understand, and I'm grateful for his efforts.”
Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach at Parents Defending Education
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“I spoke with Rabbi Dov in episode 11 and thought we would be on two sides of a political spectrum. Instead, I saw in him a human being, wounded just like me. I saw two men trying to protect the people around them with broken tools.”
Willie Carver, 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and Author of Gay Poems for Red States
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“Ken has a special talent for bringing together people with vastly diverse views. His superb moderation skills create an environment for honest, open, and productive conversations on hot topics. My mind has been opened to so many new thoughts and ideas to consider. Each podcast has been highly enlightening for me.”
Mary Thomas-Vallens, Braver Angels Moderator Team Leader
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“Ken has a particular genius for helping us recognize what we might keep hidden these days, namely, that yearning to connect, or re-connect, across all these cultural and political chasms we’ve created. He is a wise friend, a good listener with solid expertise, but then also an authentic partner in the search for something better. In my conversations with him I believe I become my better self."
John Wagner, United Methodist Pastor in Middletown, OH
Meet the Founder & Podcast Host
Follow along with our host, Ken Futernick, as he discusses a broad range of controversial topics with students, educators, parents, and public officials across the country.
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 in Michigan.
The Club has gotten national attention with inscribed shoe donations from the likes of Jane Goodall, Michael Jordan, moon-walking astronaut Chalie Duke, Dolly Parton, and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.