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2021 Sphere Summit

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.

Sphere Summit 2021 Dates

June 27, 2021 July 1, 2021
Schedule and Information
July 25, 2021 July 29, 2021
Schedule and Information

Featured Speakers Include:

  • Ryan Bourne, R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute
  • Caleb O. Brown, Host of the Cato Daily Podcast, Cato Institute
  • Roger Brooks, President and CEO, Facing History and Ourselves
  • Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute
  • Jane Coaston, Host of “The Argument”, New York Times
  • Jonathan Cohn, Senior National Correspondent, HuffPost
  • Rep. Lou Correa (D‑CA)
  • Joseph Croker, Upper School English and Media Arts Teacher, Harpeth Hall
  • Kalei Delovio, Graduate, Met School
  • Emily Ekins, Vice President and Director of Polling, Cato Institute
  • Matthew Feeney, Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute
  • Wendy Feliz, Founding Director, Center for Inclusion and Belonging, American Immigration Council
  • Caroline Fredrickson, Distinguished Visitor from Practice, Georgetown Law; and Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice
  • Daniel Garza, President, The LIBRE Initiative
  • Peter Goettler, President and CEO, Cato Institute
  • Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, Stern School of Business, New York University; and Cofounder, Heterodox Academy
  • Samantha Hedges, K‑12 Program Manager, Heterodox Academy
  • Christopher Janson, Marketing and Communications Manager, Bill of Rights Institute
  • Rep. Young Kim, (R‑CA)
  • Sean Kinnard, Psychology and AP World History Teacher, Yorktown High School
  • Arnold Kling, Senior Affiliated Scholar, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
  • Michael A. Lewis, Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, CUNY
  • Robert Litan, Non‐​resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; and Partner, Korein, Tillery
  • Irshad Manji; Director of Moral Courage, Let Grow
  • Silva Mathema, Associate Director for Policy, Center for American Progress
  • Rep. Peter Meijer (R‑MI)
  • Yascha Mounk, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University, and Founder, Persuasion
  • Bonnie Moses, Upper School Social Science Teacher, Harpeth Hall
  • Clark Neily, Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute
  • Alex Nowrasteh, Director of Immigration Studies and Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute
  • Patrice Onwuka, Director, Center for Economic Opportunity, Independent Women’s Forum
  • Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network
  • Kavita Patel, M.D., Nonresident Fellow, Brookings Institution
  • Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor, National Review; and Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
  • Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
  • Rashawn Ray, David M. Rubenstein, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
  • Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO, National Constitution Center
  • John Samples, Vice President, Cato Institute
  • Ilya Shapiro, Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
  • Carrie Sheffield, Senior Fellow, Independent Women’s Forum
  • Nadine Strossen, Former President, ACLU; John Marshall Harlan II, Professor of Law, New York Law School
  • Erin Swanson, Director of Innovation, Edgecombe County Public Schools
  • Amy Swearer, Legal Fellow, Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation
  • Michael D. Tanner, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
  • David Trigaux, Program Director, Washington Urban Debate League
  • Somil Trivedi, Senior Staff Attorney, Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union
  • Marian L. Tupy, Editor of Human​Progress​.org; and Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute
  • Jeffrey Vanderslice, Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute
  • Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
  • Ilan Wurman, Associate Professor, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University
  • Kelly Young, President, Education Reimagined


Professional Development Workshops Offered By:

  • Aspen Institute’s Better Arguments Project
  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
  • iCivics
  • National Constitution Center
  • Stossel in the Classroom
  • Words & Numbers