People in conversation

Impact Snapshot: Park County School District, Cody, WY

The Essential Partners training really opened up my eyes about seeking to understand, not seeking to convince or to persuade… it has changed the way I teach controversial issues.

Mitch Espeland, Social Studies Teacher

Cody, WY

For several years, Essential Partners has collaborated with educators, students, school leaders, and parents at Park County School District in Cody, WY. This video highlights one educator, Social Studies teacher Mitch Espeland, who has applied EP's dialogic framework in his own classroom to foster conversations about tough issues, as well as the impact that EP's training has had on one student.



“Since the training my freshman year, I incorporate civility into my life every day,” says Park County High senior Ida Tallen. “The training made it a natural habit. Working with Essential Partners, I really learned the importance of listening to others and understanding what they're saying before you respond.”

EP has developed effective approaches for classroom learning as well as school- and district-wide culture change. If you're interested in learning more about how to bring dialogue to your context, here are a few next steps:

A writer, translator, and editor, Daniel Pritchard serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications for Essential Partners.