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Many American students struggle to perform even basic comprehension of text, such as locating information, determining the main idea, or supporting details of a story. Even more students are inadequately prepared to complete more complex tasks, such as critically or analytically interpreting information in text or making reasoned decisions from reading. Although many reasons undergird students’ comprehension challenges, evidence-based instructional approaches can promote students’ comprehension and critical-analytic thinking. Teacher-facilitated, small-group discussions can promote students’ comprehension and critical-analytic thinking about, around, and with both oral and written discourse.

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Classroom discussions are regarded by both practitioners and researchers as an essential pedagogical practice for fostering students' high‐level comprehension of text yet cultivating a dialogic classroom culture conducive to supporting students' productive talk can be a delicate undertaking. In this article, using a series of transcripts from one teacher's classroom, we describe how Quality Talk (QT), a teacher‐facilitated discussion approach, can be implemented in ways that promote a shift from a teacher‐controlled to a student‐centered dialogic classroom culture. First, we overview the QT model with particular attention to the instructional framework and underlying principles of QT. We then describe some challenging dynamics that arise when dialogic classroom culture shifts as well as approaches for balancing these opposing forces to effectively support student learning. Finally, we provide some initial thoughts on next steps in classroom discussion practice and research and the importance of centering equity and inclusion in dialogic classroom culture.