Sphere Education Initiatives

Sphere works with grades 5-12 educators to overcome polarization and promote free speech & viewpoint diversity on the most pressing issues of the day.

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

It’s here. The award-winning short documentary about Sphere is now live on YouTube.

After 15 film festival screenings, four prestigious awards, and a nationwide run, it’s finally available to everyone.

🎬 Watch the full documentary now: https://t.co/2yAwHZWVJl

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Explore Sphere's America's 250th collection — resources that dig into the founding principles and the ideas behind them → https://t.co/k4hp7Shjl2

Record yourself reading your favorite passage from the Declaration and tag @sphere_education_initiative. We'll be sharing our favorites as we count down to the 4th. #DeclarationChallenge

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Tomorrow, America turns 250.

The Declaration's principles aren't just historic — they define what is essential in a strong society. Understanding them helps us reflect on how far we've come and where we still need to go.

🇺🇸 #Americas250th

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Here's how to join:
📜 Pick your favorite line from the Declaration
🎥 Record yourself reading it aloud
📲 Post it, tag @SphereEdIn, and tell us how these words inspire your classroom

Know an educator who should take the challenge? Tag them. 👇

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

🇺🇸 This Independence Day, we're challenging educators to read the Declaration of Independence out loud.

Choose your favorite line. Record it. Share it. Tag us.

#DeclarationChallenge

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

@CatoInstitute 📅 June 25 · 7 PM ET · Free on Zoom

Register → https://t.co/CSWXWTUHIm

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

"250 years later, how successful have we been?"

Thomas A. Berry introduces A History of Repeated Injuries — a new book from @CatoInstitute connecting the original grievances of the Declaration to contested policy challenges of the present.

Join @SphereEdIn's free educator webinar this Thursday 📅

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Apply for the Sphere Alumni Fellowship: https://t.co/zJhXePhRu0

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

"Creating spaces for civil discourse in both my classroom and on my soccer teams has become central to my practice."

Meet Robert Smallwood - a high school social studies teacher and soccer coach from Texas who developed Bridging Generations as a Sphere Alumni Fellow, connecting students with community elders through intergenerational interviews.

⭐ Learn more about our Alumni Fellowship below 👇

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

@CatoInstitute Register → https://t.co/CSWXWTUHIm

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

The Declaration of Independence listed 27 grievances. A new book from @CatoInstitute asks: where are we now?

Join @SphereEdIn's free webinar for educators exploring the Declaration's principles - and where we stand 250 years later.

📅 June 25 · 7 PM ET

Register link below 👇

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

@bouldershoulder Apply for the Sphere Alumni Fellowship: https://t.co/zJhXePhRu0

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

"The impact was immediate: students transitioned from passive learners to critical interrogators."
Meet Vera Naputi - a high school teacher and instructional coach from Wisconsin who used Sphere's civil discourse tools to facilitate a 'Poem for Two Voices' collaboration honoring Hip Hop Queens.
Vera is a Content Advisory Board member and past Sphere Alumni Fellow.
⭐ Learn more about our Alumni Fellowship below 👇

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

America’s 250th is coming. Is your classroom ready?

New from @SphereEdIn  → a documentary + educator toolkit bringing the Declaration of Independence to life for grades 5–12. Real classroom strategies, discussion frameworks, hands-on activities.

Get early access → https://t.co/jYLKgXNSUx

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

If you're interested in learning more about the Sphere Alumni Fellowship and how you can create an impactful project like this, click here to learn more: https://t.co/zJhXePhRu0

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

"We need to start encouraging these behaviors in our students if we want to see harmony restored in our communities as a whole."

Jes Brosnan is a high school teacher and a Sphere Alumni Fellow who is committed to helping students engage in challenging conversations in the classroom. Read her full excerpt in the thread below:

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Jes writes, "Sphere's civil discourse strategies have been a game-changer for my classroom. I've utilized them to craft the basis of Common Ground Cafe: the civil discourse coffeehouse I created as part of my Sphere Fellowship project. During the coffeehouse, I was so proud to watch my students take on some really difficult conversations without losing their sense of respect and decency towards peers who had divergent viewpoints."

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

"Fulfilling the Promise" is a new documentary from Sphere Education Initiatives, directed by Lena Popilieva. It's a timely portrait of civic education that asks a question at the heart of the American experiment: are we living up to our founding principles?

Through four schools in Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Massachusetts, Durango, Colorado, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the film shows how teachers and students bring the Declaration of Independence to life, discussing its principles through the framework of civil discourse.

Not merely an appreciation of the history of the Declaration, this documentary explores how teachers and students play a vital role in keeping these principles alive and, as Dr. King noted in his “I have a Dream” speech, better fulfilling the promise of the Declaration as a promissory note for future generations.

Follow our page to stay updated when the full documentary drops this summer.

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

Today is #TeacherAppreciationDay, and we're honoring the teachers who make room for every student's voice.

Explore free civil discourse resources for your classroom: https://t.co/LFr2n3EECt

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

@adamnmichel Learn more about civil discourse and how you can foster it in your classroom today: https://t.co/SFMQEOiX2d

[Sphere Education Initiatives @SphereEdIn]

How do you have a productive conversation when you fundamentally disagree? @adamnmichel shares his approach from a recent Sphere panel: start by acknowledging that you’re coming from different places.