Why Mattering Matters: a Conversation with Dr. Sarah Bennison

Why Mattering Matters: a Conversation with Dr. Sarah Bennison

Dr. Sarah Bennison is the co-founder and CEO of the Mattering Movement, an organization focused on combating the pandemic of loneliness and despair—that is, a widespread mattering deficit—that’s harming today’s youth. What follows is a conversation between Sarah and R.E.A.L. Founder Liza Garonzik. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Liza: Welcome, Sarah, we’re…

Understanding and Redirecting Disagreements: An Interview with Dr. Ruth Braunstein

Understanding and Redirecting Disagreements: An Interview with Dr. Ruth Braunstein

Dr. Ruth Braunstein is the founder of The Meanings of Democracy Lab at the University of Connecticut. The lab engages students and partners in collaborative research and discussion about the contested moral and cultural foundations of American democratic life. What follows is a conversation between Ruth and R.E.A.L. Director of Program Emily Gromoll. The interview…

5 Takeaways from Fall 2023 R.E.A.L. Cycle 1 Data

5 Takeaways from Fall 2023 R.E.A.L. Cycle 1 Data

Over 2,000 students in grades 6-11 responded to the student survey we sent following the first R.E.A.L.® cycle of the 2023-2024 school year. The results were fascinating! While we saw some expected areas of growth – we usually see students master “Excerpting” early, and we did once again! – we also noticed some surprising patterns…

Introducing Our 2023 Annual Report

Introducing Our 2023 Annual Report

Remember Computer Labs? When I was growing up, schools had Computer Labs: structured programs where students learned future-focused skills like typing and eye-mouse coordination (yes, that was a thing). Today’s schools don’t need Computer Labs, but at R.E.A.L.® we believe they need Conversation Labs: programs that explicitly teach discussion skills to kids growing up and…

Gen Z Thoughts on Technology & Mental Health

Gen Z Thoughts on Technology & Mental Health

We talk – often – about the negative ramifications today’s teens face of living in a screen-bound world. We postulate about the impact of ever-increasing screen time and ever-improving technology on teens’ mental health, their attention spans, and their conversation skills. We theorize about kids’ “addictions” to their phones, to social media, to screens.  As…

Why Teacher Intelligence Will Always Trump AI: A Conversation with Sarah Hanawald
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Why Teacher Intelligence Will Always Trump AI: A Conversation with Sarah Hanawald

Sarah Hanawald is the Senior Director of the Association for Academic Leaders at One Schoolhouse, a partner in innovation to independent schools around the world. What follows is a conversation between Sarah and R.E.A.L.® Founder Liza Garonzik. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Liza: Sarah, thanks for being with us today. We are…

Interview with Rob Barnett: Modern Classrooms

Interview with Rob Barnett: Modern Classrooms

Rob Barnett is the co-founder of Modern Classrooms Project, a teacher-created, research-backed instructional model that helps teachers respond to every student’s individual needs. What follows is a conversation between Rob and R.E.A.L. Discussion founder Liza Garonzik, which has been lightly edited for clarity.  Liza: Rob, we’re so excited to be speaking with you today. Tell…

Want to Teach Civil Discourse? Break it Down into Civility, Discourse, and Civics

Want to Teach Civil Discourse? Break it Down into Civility, Discourse, and Civics

As we head into 2024, “Civil Discourse” is a buzzword – and for good reason. The next Presidential election cycle looms large. Many campuses are still recovering from the hydra-headed ways politics ravaged their communities in 2020.  The most strategic school leaders I know are taking a proactive approach, asking: How can we use ’23-24…