David J. Bier is the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. He is an expert on legal immigration, border security, and interior enforcement. Bier’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and many other print and online publications. In addition, the US Supreme Court and multiple federal appeals courts have cited his research and writing. Bier has testified before committees in the US House of Representatives and Senate on several occasions. From 2013 to 2015, Bier drafted immigration legislation as a senior policy adviser for Rep. Raúl Labrador (R‑PR), who was, at that time, a member of (and later the chairman of) the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Sphere Summit
2024 Sphere Summit
The Foundations of Civic Culture
Sphere Summit, a full‐scholarship professional development program for grades 5–12 educators, returns as a fully in‐person experience in Washington, DC.
Event Details
Dates and Times
Location
Cato Institute 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001Program
Sunday, July 14
Registration
Welcome Reception
Welcome Remarks
Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Dinner
Keynote Address
Daryl Davis
Musician and Race Relations Expert
Afterglow
Monday, July 15
Breakfast
CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATIONS
Is Free Speech Being Chilled in the Classroom — and Beyond?
Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
Nadine Strossen
John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita at NYU Law School
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break
Application Workshop
Bringing Civic Culture to Your Classroom
Scott Alford
Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Elyse Alter, Content Development Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
John Snoad, Senior Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Lunch
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
Criminal Justice Reform
Ryan Hall
Education Coordinator, Eastern State Penitentiary
Clark Neily
Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute
Kerry Sautner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Eastern State Penitentiary
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Criminal Justice Reform Application Workshops
Break
FOUNDATIONS OF CIVIC CULTURE
Key Supreme Court Cases in History
Sheryll Cashin
Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Civil Rights, and Social Justice, Georgetown Law
Walter Olson
Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Moderated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
Free Time
Reception
Dinner
Dinner Program
Jameel Jaffer
Executive Director, Knight Institute
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Afterglow
Tuesday, July 16
CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATIONS
Breakfast and Teacher Panels
Staci Garber
Amanda Perschall
Paul Tessaro
Free Morning in Washington DC
Résumé Workshop
POLICY WORKSHOP
Immigration
David Bier
Director, Immigration Studies, Cato Institute
Simon Hankinson
Senior Research Fellow, Border Security and Immigration, Heritage Foundation
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
APPLICATION WORKSHOPS
Teaching Difficult Topics: Immigration
POLICY SESSIONS
Session A: Human Progress
Marian Tupy
Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and ProsperityModerated by Elyse Alter, Content Development Manager, Sphere Education InitiativesSession B: Health Care
Michael F. Cannon
Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute
Andrea Ducas, Vice President of Health Policy, Center for American ProgressModerated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
Break and Transition to Hotel
APPLICATIONS WORKSHOPS
- Retro Report
- Foundation for Economic Education
- National Constitution Center
- Incubate Debate
Free Time
Travel to Offsite Venue
Reception
Dinner
Dinner Program
Jeffrey Rosen
President, National Constitution Center
Shuttle Back to Hotel
Wednesday, July 17
Breakfast
UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER
Members of Congress
The Health of Our Democracy
Gene Healy
Senior Vice President for Policy, Cato Institute
Darrell M. West
Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation and Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies, Brookings Institution
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Sphere on the Road
John Snoad
Senior Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break and Transition to Hotel
APPLICATION WORKSHOPS
- Bill of Rights Institute
- iCivics
- Facing History and Ourselves
- Sphere Education Initiatives
Lunch
POLICY SESSIONS
-
Session A: AI & Education
Jennifer Huddleston
Technology and Policy Research Fellow, Cato Institute
Nicol Turner Lee
Director, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution
Mark Meador
Partner, Kressin Meador and Visiting Fellow in Technology, Heritage Foundation
Moderated by Sallie James
Director of Development, Cato Institute -
Session B: Environmental Policy
Manann Donoghue
Senior Research Associate, Brookings Metro
Travis Fisher
Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies, Cato InstituteModerated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
-
Session A: Housing and Poverty Alleviation
M. Nolan Gray
Research Director, California YIMBY
Howard Husock
Senior Fellow, Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise InstituteModerated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute -
Session B: Understanding Communism
Ken Pope
Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Marina DavidovichModerated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break
Undivide Us: Film Screening and Conversation
Kristi Kendall
Director
Ben Klutsey
Executive Director, Mercatus Center
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Free Evening in Washington DC
Thursday, July 18
Brunch
POLICY WORKSHOP
Eric Gomez
Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Sphere Content
Elyse Alter
Content Development Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Kobi Nelson
Content Development Specialist for Sphere Education Initiatives
Closing Remarks
Certificate and Stipend Distribution
About
The application site is now closed for the Sphere Summit taking place July 14–18.
The Sphere Summit is a full scholarship summer program for grades 5–12 educators and administrators. Summit is open to teachers of all subject areas and disciplines.
The Sphere Summit features presentations by leading policymakers, scholars, and academics, who discuss key public policy issues facing our nation today. Topics covered include free speech, the health of our democracy, criminal justice reform, approaches to diversity in education, the economy, and many others. The Summit also features professional development workshops conducted by leaders in civic education on how to bring these ideas into your classroom.
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.
Program
Sunday, July 14
Registration
Welcome Reception
Welcome Remarks
Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Dinner
Keynote Address
Daryl Davis
Musician and Race Relations Expert
Afterglow
Monday, July 15
Breakfast
CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATIONS
Is Free Speech Being Chilled in the Classroom — and Beyond?
Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
Nadine Strossen
John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita at NYU Law School
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break
Application Workshop
Bringing Civic Culture to Your Classroom
Scott Alford
Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Elyse Alter, Content Development Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
John Snoad, Senior Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Lunch
POLICY DISCUSSIONS
Criminal Justice Reform
Ryan Hall
Education Coordinator, Eastern State Penitentiary
Clark Neily
Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute
Kerry Sautner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Eastern State Penitentiary
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Criminal Justice Reform Application Workshops
Break
FOUNDATIONS OF CIVIC CULTURE
Key Supreme Court Cases in History
Sheryll Cashin
Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Civil Rights, and Social Justice, Georgetown Law
Walter Olson
Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Moderated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
Free Time
Reception
Dinner
Dinner Program
Jameel Jaffer
Executive Director, Knight Institute
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Afterglow
Tuesday, July 16
CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATIONS
Breakfast and Teacher Panels
Staci Garber
Amanda Perschall
Paul Tessaro
Free Morning in Washington DC
Résumé Workshop
POLICY WORKSHOP
Immigration
David Bier
Director, Immigration Studies, Cato Institute
Simon Hankinson
Senior Research Fellow, Border Security and Immigration, Heritage Foundation
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
APPLICATION WORKSHOPS
Teaching Difficult Topics: Immigration
POLICY SESSIONS
Session A: Human Progress
Marian Tupy
Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and ProsperityModerated by Elyse Alter, Content Development Manager, Sphere Education InitiativesSession B: Health Care
Michael F. Cannon
Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato InstituteAndrea Ducas, Vice President of Health Policy, Center for American ProgressModerated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
Break and Transition to Hotel
APPLICATIONS WORKSHOPS
- Retro Report
- Foundation for Economic Education
- National Constitution Center
- Incubate Debate
Free Time
Travel to Offsite Venue
Reception
Dinner
Dinner Program
Jeffrey Rosen
President, National Constitution Center
Shuttle Back to Hotel
Wednesday, July 17
Breakfast
UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER
Members of Congress
The Health of Our Democracy
Gene Healy
Senior Vice President for Policy, Cato Institute
Darrell M. West
Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation and Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies, Brookings Institution
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Sphere on the Road
John Snoad
Senior Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break and Transition to Hotel
APPLICATION WORKSHOPS
- Bill of Rights Institute
- iCivics
- Facing History and Ourselves
- Sphere Education Initiatives
Lunch
POLICY SESSIONS
-
Session A: AI & Education
Jennifer Huddleston
Technology and Policy Research Fellow, Cato InstituteNicol Turner Lee
Director, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings InstitutionMark Meador
Partner, Kressin Meador and Visiting Fellow in Technology, Heritage FoundationModerated by Sallie James
Director of Development, Cato Institute -
Session B: Environmental Policy
Manann Donoghue
Senior Research Associate, Brookings MetroTravis Fisher
Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies, Cato InstituteModerated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
-
Session A: Housing and Poverty Alleviation
M. Nolan Gray
Research Director, California YIMBYHoward Husock
Senior Fellow, Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise InstituteModerated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute -
Session B: Understanding Communism
Ken Pope
Vice President for Academic Operations and Strategic Partnerships, Victims of Communism Memorial FoundationMarina DavidovichModerated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Break
Undivide Us: Film Screening and Conversation
Kristi Kendall
Director
Ben Klutsey
Executive Director, Mercatus Center
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Free Evening in Washington DC
Thursday, July 18
Brunch
POLICY WORKSHOP
Eric Gomez
Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Moderated by Allan Carey
Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
Sphere Content
Elyse Alter
Content Development Manager, Sphere Education Initiatives
Kobi Nelson
Content Development Specialist for Sphere Education Initiatives
Closing Remarks
Certificate and Stipend Distribution