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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.

The Sphere Summit is a full scholarship summer program for grades 5–12 educators and administrators.

The Sphere Summit features presentations by leading policymakers, scholars, and academics, who discuss key public policy issues facing our nation today. The Summit also features professional development workshops conducted by leaders in civic education.

The Sphere Summit aims to restore a spirit of civil, constructive, and respectful discourse and engagement and to return facts, analysis, and research to primacy as the vehicles for discussion and debate.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE SPHERE SUMMIT INCLUDE:

Civic Culture: Explore and address the current state of public discourse, partisanship, and tribalism in America.
Foundations: Discuss shared values essential to a restoration of civic culture.
Applications: Demonstrate and share tools and approaches for the classroom on current public policy issues from diverse viewpoints. Other topics will include the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.
Understanding Each Other: Examine political philosophies—progressive, libertarian, and conservative—and engage with leading scholars and educators on how to communicate effectively with, and understand the viewpoints of, audiences with diverse perspectives. Adherents of the various political philosophies will explain the ways in which those philosophies are often misunderstood.
Policy Discussions: Analyze key policy issues from diverse perspectives with an emphasis on shared values and common objectives, guided by scholars from leading public policy organizations and academic institutions.

For information and to learn more about Sphere, please contact Allan Carey, director of Sphere Education Initiatives, at acarey@cato.org.

Sphere: Teaching Civic Culture Together

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