In this article, the authors review the theoretical and social science literature that supports the pedagogical practice of engaging students in discussions and deliberations about controversial political issues. They first outline the theoretical underpinnings of deliberative democracy and explain how it has appeared in the field of education for the past 25 years. They supplement this section with a discussion of how they understand high-quality classroom discussion of controversial political issues, and they provide a case study from their research to illustrate what this looks like in practice. They then present a brief analysis of the political science literature on political polarization and its effects on discussion and political participation in order to show that the aims of deliberative democracy are both challenged by, and perhaps the solution to, a highly polarized and nasty political climate. In the final section, they offer recommendations for how teachers might change their approach to classroom discussion when they are teaching during a time of intense political polarization. (Contains 9 notes.)