How can we build stronger collaboration, trust, and shared commitment across K-16 education? One path our panelists take is to listen more carefully to the hopes and frustrations of educators at all levels. We attended the December 2026 conference of the National Council for the Social Studies where we asked K-12 educators a set of direct and straightforward questions:

-What do you want college faculty to know more clearly about the work you do in your classrooms?

-What should college faculty understand about the students who sit in your classes?

-What do post-secondary faculty need to recognize about the district and state requirements that set the parameters of your work?

In this roundtable discussion, panelists will provide brief reports on the teachers' responses to our questions. But we will also review the approaches teachers suggested to help clear up sources of confusion and misperception among educators. In other words, our purpose is not only to identify misconceptions but also to develop strategies and map out potential actions. The panelists' reports will take up only one-third of the session. In the remaining hour, we will invite the audience of K-12 and college educators to share their own reflections on our report and discuss how we can better bridge the divides that often separate our teaching community.