June 27, 2021 – July 1, 2021
3 PM – 10:45AM EDT
Conference
Sphere Summit: Teaching Civic Culture Together
The Cato Institute and the Sphere Education Initiative are excited to announce the return of Sphere Summit for the Summer of 2021! Sphere Summit, a full‐scholarship professional development program for grades 5–12 educators, will be offered both June 27–July 1 and July 25–July 29. The Summits will offer a hybrid experience, which will allow for both in‐person and online attendance.
A note about applications and acceptance: due to the ongoing pandemic, all applicants accepted to Sphere Summit will initially be offered admission to the online program. If COVID-19 restrictions are lifted in Washington, DC, and around the country, we will offer a number of educators the opportunity to attend the Summit in person. Please indicate on your application which Summit you would prefer to attend and if you would prefer to attend the Summit in person.
Program Schedule
Click on the date below to view the schedule for that day.
(*) denotes for in-person attendees.
Sunday • June 27 • 1:00 – 9:00 PM EDT
| 3:00 – 6:00 PM | *Registration |
| 6:00 – 6:30 PM | *Welcome Reception |
| 6:30 – 7:00 PM | Welcome and Opening Remarks Peter Goettler, President and CEO, Cato Institute |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM | Dinner Program: The Future of Democracy
Yascha Mounk, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University; and Founder, Persuasion |
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM | *Dinner |
Monday • June 28 • 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM EDT
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM |
*Breakfast and Networking
|
| 9:00 – 11:45 AM |
*Optional DC Excursions with Cato Staff |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM |
*Lunch |
| 12:30 – 1:00 PM |
Welcome and Networking Breakouts (online attendees) |
| CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATION | |
| 1:00 – 1:45 PM |
Divided Politics, Divided Nation Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, Brookings Institution |
| POLICY DISCUSSIONS | |
| 1:45 – 2:30 PM |
Is Free Speech Being Chilled in the Classroom–and Beyond? Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution Nadine Strossen, Former President, American Civil Liberties Union; and John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School |
| 2:30 – 3:00 PM |
Break |
| APPLICATION WORKSHOP | |
| 3:00 – 3:45 PM |
Resolved: Debate Can Revolutionize Education and Help Save Our Democracy Robert Litan, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; and Partner, Korein, Tillery David Trigaux, Program Director, Washington Urban Debate League Moderated by Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution |
| UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 PM |
The National Constitution Center’s “Constitution Drafting Project” Caroline Fredrickson, Distinguished Visitor from Practice, Georgetown Law; and Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO, National Constitution Center Ilya Shapiro, Vice President and Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute Ilan Wurman, Associate Professor, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University |
| 5:00 – 6:30 PM |
Break |
| 6:30 – 7:00 PM |
*Reception |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM |
A Conversation with Jonathan Haidt Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, Stern School of Business, New York University; and Cofounder, Heterodox Academy Moderated by Emily Ekins, Vice President and Director of Polling, Cato Institute |
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM |
*Dinner |
Tuesday • June 29 • 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM EDT
| 8:00 – 8:45 AM |
*Breakfast and Networking
|
| 8:45 – 11:45 AM |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS |
| Lunch Program: POLICY DISCUSSION | |
| 12:15 – 1:00 PM |
Economics in One Virus Ryan Bourne, R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute |
| 1:00 – 1:15 PM |
Break |
| CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATION | |
| 1:15 – 2:15 PM | What is Civil Society? Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network |
| 2:15 – 3:15 PM | Humanprogress.org and Sphere Resources for Your Classroom Sean Kinnard, Psychology and AP World History Teacher, Yorktown High School Marian L. Tupy, Editor, HumanProgress.org; Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute |
| 3:15 – 3:45 PM |
Break |
| POLICY DISCUSSIONS | |
| 3:45 – 4:45 PM |
Has Immigration Weakened or Strengthened the United States? Wendy Feliz, Founding Director, Center for Inclusion and Belonging, American Immigration Council Daniel Garza, President, The LIBRE Initiative Alex Nowrasteh, Director of Immigration Studies and the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute |
| 4:45 – 5:45 PM |
Putting “Justice” Back in Our Criminal Justice System Clark Neily, Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute Rashawn Ray, David M. Rubenstein, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution Somil Trivedi, Senior Staff Attorney, Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union |
| 5:45 – 6:30 PM |
Break |
| 6:30 – 7:00 PM |
*Reception |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM | A Conversation with Irshad Manji Irshad Manji , Director of Moral Courage, Let Grow |
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM |
*Dinner |
Wednesday • June 30 • 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM EDT
| 8:00 – 8:45 AM |
*Breakfast and Networking
|
| 8:45 – 11:45 AM |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM |
Lunch and Networking |
| APPLICATION WORKSHOP | |
| 1:00 – 1:30 PM | Harpeth Hall: Starting the Center for Civic Engagement Joseph Croker, Upper School English and Media Arts Teacher, Harpeth Hall Bonnie Moses, Upper School Social Science Teacher, Harpeth Hall |
| POLICY DISCUSSIONS | |
| 1:30 – 2:15 PM |
Challenges and Opportunities in the Future of Education Kalei Delovio, Graduate, Met School Erin Swanson, Director of Innovation, Edgecombe County Public Schools Kelly Young, President, Education Reimagined |
| 2:15 – 3:15 PM |
Poverty and Inequality: Sources and Solutions Michael A. Lewis, Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, CUNY Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor, National Review; and Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Michael D. Tanner, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute |
| 3:15 – 3:45 PM | Break |
| 3:45 – 4:30 PM |
The Healthcare Divide Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute Kavita Patel, M.D., Nonresident Fellow, Brookings Institution |
| 4:30 – 5:30 PM |
Social Media, Free Speech, and Tech Policy Matthew Feeney, Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute John Samples, Vice President, Cato Institute Carrie Sheffield, Senior Fellow, Independent Women’s Forum |
| 5:30 – 6:30 PM |
Break (in-person attendees) Sphere on the Road and Closing Remarks (online attendees) |
| 6:30 – 7:30 PM |
A Conversation with Members of Congress Rep. Meijer (R‑MI) |
| 7:30 – 9:00 PM |
*Dinner |
Thursday • July 1 • 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM EDT
| 8:00 – 10:00 AM |
*Brunch
|
| 9:00 – 10:00 AM |
*Sphere in the Classroom and on the Road |
| 10:00 – 10:45 AM | *Closing Remarks Peter Goettler, President and CEO, Cato Institute |