Crossing Divides: How Schools Can Help Close America's Perception Gaps (Ep. 45)

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 realize, but media, social platforms, and political systems often incentivize division.

For Landon and Deegan, learning about perception gaps has changed their approach to conversations, making them more willing to listen to different perspectives and question information they find on social media. The episode explores how schools can use a lesson plan from More Like US to help students recognize these gaps and improve civil discourse. "I think the perception gap lesson really taught me that I need to take what other people say more seriously. I can't just go into something thinking that I'm always going to be right. I need to listen to what other people think," Landon said.

This semester, More Like US is working with Georgetown University's Civic Education Research Lab to test the effectiveness of the lesson plan. The lesson plan (linked below) includes both a pre-survey and a post-survey that More Like US encourages teachers to give to their students. 

Guests also discuss recommendations made by Daryl Davis, a Black musician and previous guest on this show, who had the courage to interact with members of the Ku Klux Klan, some of whom had never spoken to a Black person. Davis believes the best way to reduce dangerous misperceptions about others, the kind that can lead to hate, is for schools to enable students to interact with people outside of their affinity groups. Landon and Deegan were enthusiastic about programs like Mismatch, developed by the organization All Sides, which enables students across the country to learn about one another and to interact around controversial issues. 

The conversation highlights how reducing perception gaps through better listening and understanding can help bridge political divides and foster more productive conversations in schools and beyond.

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