ABSTRACT
In public high schools across the country young people deal with issues of discrimination and bullying that are often the result of intolerance and misunderstandings across social identities. Progressive educators who advocate for critical multicultural and critical pedagogical approaches have proposed that young people need to have educational experiences in which they learn to think critically and take action toward social justice in order to create schools that are safe and supportive for all students. This study suggests that intergroup dialogue is a promising model of engaging young people in this form of critical education. It describes an intergroup dialogue program currently operating at four high schools and presents some of the successes and challenges of doing dialogue work in public high school settings.
