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Getting Students Talking Through Civil Discourse in Today’s Classrooms
Monday, September 29, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Presented by Stephanie Powell, English as a New Language Teacher/ENL Department Chair, Suffern Central School District (NY); Latia White, Ed.D., Director of Inclusive Innovation Research, Digital Promise; and Kristian Lenderman, Ed.D., Project Director, Education R&D Initiatives, Digital Promise
Sponsored by Digital Promise
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
In today’s climate, helping students engage in thoughtful dialogue is more critical than ever. Join this edWebinar to explore four new modules—co-designed by teachers and students with Digital Promise—that foster civil discourse through Socratic Circles in both classrooms and communities.
Viewers:
- Learn practical strategies to structure meaningful student dialogue
- See how civil discourse supports academic skills, critical thinking, and civic reasoning across ALL subjects
- Hear examples from educators who are already integrating these practices
- Get details on how to join the pilot program (the first 40 teachers who sign up will receive incentives!)
Come away with tools and ideas to help your students build the confidence and competence to speak and listen with respect on the issues they care most about. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Stephanie Powell has dedicated 19 years to teaching English as a New Language (ENL) in New York working with K-12 students. Her experience includes classroom teaching, instructional coaching, and higher education, where she currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. Stephanie is known for her innovative approaches to instruction, designing lessons that actively engage students, and encouraging authentic communication. She believes language is best learned through interaction and creates opportunities for students to practice speaking in meaningful, real-world contexts. In addition to her classroom work, Stephanie has supported fellow educators as a coach, helping them implement effective strategies for multilingual learners. With a strong commitment to equity and access, she strives to empower students to use their voices confidently—both in English and in their communities’ languages—so they can succeed academically and thrive beyond the classroom.
Dr. Latia White is the Director of Inclusive Innovation Research at Digital Promise. She has over 20 years of experience as an educator, instructional coach, and researcher, specializing in special education, culturally responsive teaching, and organizational leadership. Dr. White’s commitment to supporting historically marginalized students shines through her work in creating culturally responsive curricula and educational programs aimed at enhancing students’ academic and social-emotional growth. She has supported school administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers in creating culturally responsive and sustaining learning environments and curricula to meet historically marginalized students’ academic and socio-emotional needs.
Her research focuses on inclusive research practices that center youth and communities, teacher and collective efficacy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. At Digital Promise, Dr. White collaborates with students, parents, teachers, and community members to jointly investigate challenges and co-create equity-centered solutions while working to understand the conditions necessary for the long-term sustainability of these solutions.
Kristian Lenderman, Ed.D., is a Project Director at Digital Promise overseeing a variety of student-centered, education R&D projects focused on student pathways. She has worked at the classroom, district, and state levels in implementing evidence-based strategies to support students and teachers in succeeding in the classroom and beyond. Dr. Lenderman brings a rich background in educational innovation, collaborative research, and systems design to her work across the field. She currently lives in Washington, DC, but will always claim Texas as her home.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Inclusive Innovation to Transform Education community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Digital Promise’s Center for Inclusive Innovation reimagines education research and development (R&D) by resourcing the creative ingenuity of communities working in partnership with school districts to create equitable powerful learning opportunities for students furthest from opportunity. The foundation for Inclusive Innovation is anchored in a set of core tenets that embody an equity-centered approach to research and development. The tenets define how we deliberately support teams in co-constructing an inclusive R&D culture that enables equitable leadership and contribution.
