Sphere Education Initiatives

10/09/2026

“One day a student said, ‘I respectfully disagree with you,’ and my heart just leapt. I stood there, astonished at how civil my students were being, even in a discussion with strong opinions.”

Meet Danielle Thomas, a middle school social studies teacher in South Carolina.

Danielle hosted a community event, “Food for Thought,” as part of her Sphere Alumni Fellowship project, where students and community members connected over culturally diverse food as a springboard for civil discourse and exploring multiple perspectives.

In reflecting on her students’ skills and ongoing work as a Sphere alumna, she shared that it gives her “hope for more civil discourse in my classroom and, more importantly, for a future with less tribalism and more space for a variety of viewpoints.”

⭐ Check out Sphere’s Getting Started with Civil Discourse Collection: https://www.sphere-ed.org/collection/18

10/02/2026

“I was blown away by the amount of dedication that Sphere puts into crafting experiences for educators to bring civil discourse into their classrooms.”

Meet Molly Northey, a seventh-grade World Geography teacher and district co-lead teacher for social studies. Molly is an alumna of Sphere Summit and the Sphere Alumni Fellowship.

She shared her use of the Middle School Toolkit to build a strong foundation for students: “Using the 'How Civil Are You?' quiz at the beginning of each year along with creating classroom norms for civil discussion creates a safer and more welcoming classroom environment for my students to speak their truths respectfully.”

⭐ Check out Sphere’s Middle School Toolkit to explore accessible and easy-to-use resources here: https://www.sphere-ed.org/civil-discourse-toolkit-middle-school-teachers

09/18/2026

“Sphere has helped me see that helping students find their voice is not just about confidence but about equipping them with the skills to participate meaningfully in conversations that matter.”

Meet Tiesha Adebayo, a high school language arts teacher in Georgia.

Tiesha, a Summit and Alumni Fellowship alumna, shared about the impact of her experiences with Sphere, “I have always believed that part of my role as an educator is to empower students to express their ideas and see themselves as capable of influencing the world around them. Through my work with civil discourse, that belief has become more intentional and structured.”

⭐ Check out our Rhetoric and Civil Discourse suite of resources to help students strengthen their communication skills across disciplines.

https://www.sphere-ed.org/module/79

09/18/2026

Happy Constitution Day!

Sphere is excited to support you with materials to engage your students in discussions about the Constitution and build civic skills across disciplines.

Our Checks and Balances and Separation of Powers lesson explores how the Founders divided power across three branches to prevent any one from dominating the rest.

That system of government was born in Philadelphia, the "cradle of liberty,” where the Declaration was signed and the Constitution was debated into existence. Share with students in with our interdisciplinary lesson, Centers of Progress: Philadelphia, how the city became the birthplace of America's democracy.

📖 Checks & Balances: sphere-ed.org/lesson/244
📖 Philadelphia: sphere-ed.org/lesson/487

09/14/2026

Congratulations to our recent graduates of the Sphere Alumni Fellowship! 🎉

The spring cohort of alumni fellows developed unique projects advancing civil discourse in their schools & communities. For many, it is just the start of great long-term projects and initiatives improving civic culture.

Our next Fellowship kicks off next week, and we're excited to keep the momentum going with another amazing group of educators!

Learn more about the program here, and stay tuned for applying to this opportunity again in 2027 https://www.sphere-ed.org/sphere-fellowship

09/11/2026

“Sphere and civil discourse have become the backbone of all that I do and have done as an educator.”

Meet Carlos Romo, an Assistant Principal in Wisconsin.

Carlos currently serves as an Ambassador with Sphere, building on his experiences as a Sphere Summit and Alumni Fellowship alumnus.

In his fellowship project, he worked to find ways “to implement the skills of discourse from students, staff, and partners in the community. These skills get people talking to others, have conversations instead of debates, and helps find a common ground even when we disagree.”

⭐ Looking for ways to get started? Check out Sphere’s Getting Started with Civil Discourse Collection: https://www.sphere-ed.org/collection/getting-started-civil-discourse

09/03/2026

Civil discourse skills don’t stay inside the classroom.

Meet Mark Bruno, a middle school social studies teacher in Florida.

He shared, “The impact of Sphere on my teaching manifested itself recently in the picnic area at our school. I stumbled upon a spontaneous, yet very civil debate involving several of our 8th graders. They were engaging in very spirited, yet respectful discourse involving a heavy and sensitive topic. I was so proud that they could do this without my prompting.”

⭐ Looking for ways to get started? Check out Sphere’s Getting Started with Civil Discourse Collection: https://www.sphere-ed.org/collection/getting-started-civil-discourse

08/27/2026

Sharing a great learning opportunity for secondary educators. For those of you in tri-state area of OH-MI-IN, Sphere Education Initiatives has a great event planned with our good friends at Eastern Michigan University entitled "The Constitution in the Classroom" on September 18 and 19.
Please share with your colleagues in education. We've still got space available and but are only a few weeks away. Register today and bring a friend!

“We the People” begins in the classroom. Join educators from across the region as we gather in the spirit of Constitution Day to explore the enduring…

08/20/2026

Ready to bring more civil discourse into your classroom this year? 📚

Join us TODAY at 7:30 PM ET for "Back to School with Sphere" — a free webinar where we will share practical, classroom-ready tools for setting norms and routines that help students engage in civil discourse.

Free for educators. Register now —
https://www.sphere-ed.org/event/back-to-school-with-sphere

07/23/2026

“Sphere gave me the framework and confidence to design an experience where students could practice pluralism in real time: not as a concept, but as a habit.”

Meet Aubrey Barnett, a middle school English Language Arts teacher in Illinois.

Aubrey created a student-led civic dialogue event called “Towards a More Perfect Conversation” as part of her Sphere Alumni Fellowship project. Aubrey’s students designed and led a live panel of community leaders representing different perspectives.

She shared, “Afterward, students reflected that they learned disagreement doesn’t have to become personal conflict. Many named active listening and acknowledging other perspectives as skills they could use beyond school.”

⭐ Learn more about and apply for our Sphere Alumni Fellowship here: https://www.sphere-ed.org/sphere-fellowship