In France, students in public schools are prohibited from wearing religious clothing, which authorities fear would contaminate the secular oases public schools are supposed to be. It is a coercive interpretation of secularism, which imposes secular values on religious individuals, instead of protecting state neutrality, pluralism, and liberty.Is education in the United States heading in the same direction? Religious symbols are fortunately not banned in American schools, but there is concern that secular values are imposed in other ways: the Montgomery County, Maryland, school district recently prohibited students, starting in kindergarten, from opting out of LGBTQ+ readings, including for religious reasons. Indeed, for some renowned public schooling advocates, replacing religiously based morality with other values through the state has been an explicit goal.In this forum, we will look at education in other parts of the world and the United States to see if the secular has pushed out the religious, whether that would be a good thing, and what to do if it isn’t. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please join us for a cocktail reception and thought‐​provoking conversation with Cato Senior Fellow Johan Norberg, author of the new book The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Free Market Will Save the World.Globalization has come under fire over the past two decades as the world has lived through an international financial crisis, terrorist attacks, a pandemic, and the return of war in Europe. Johan will discuss why, despite such turmoil, the free market has still made the past 20 years the best time in human history by almost any measure of well‐​being.Johan will examine why trade protectionism, industrial policy, and other proposals from the left and the right are mistakes that should not be repeated. The market, a system based on cooperation and exchange, still offers the best way to address and think about current issues, including the rise of China, the role of Big Tech, and inequality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Sphere Education Initiatives for an exclusive book release event for Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World on Wednesday, October 11th at 7:30 pm eastern. Hear from the author, Chelsea Follett, about these extraordinary cities, the impact they have had on advancing human progress, and learn about the key conditions that allowed for their success. Following the presentation will be an overview of classroom resources developed by Sphere alumnus, Sean Kinnard, for use in your classroom.In Centers of Progress: 40 Cities that Changed the World, Chelsea Follett examines a diverse group of cities, ranging from ancient Athens to Song‐​era Hangzhou. But some common themes stand out: most cities reach their creative peak during periods of peace; most centers of progress also thrive during times of social, intellectual, and economic freedom, as well as openness to intercultural exchange and trade; and centers of progress tend to be highly populated. Because, in every city, it is ultimately the people who live there who drive progress forward―if given the freedom to do so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disagreements over the necessity or wisdom of policies to advance economic equity have riven the country and Washington in recent years. Is equity a goal to be pursued by a vigorous policy agenda? Would doing so prove to be counterproductive? Debating this issue will be leading student debaters from the Washington Urban Debate League in Washington, DC, with an expert panel of judges from across the ideological spectrum offering feedback and insight.A project of the Cato Institute, Sphere Education Initiatives works with grades 5–12 educators and administrators to provide them with the knowledge, experience, professional development, and viewpoint‐​diverse resources to bring difficult conversations on the most pressing issues to the classroom and equip our country’s students to engage in civil discourse.The Washington Urban Debate League uses debate to make transformative educational opportunities available for students in the DC area. Peer‐​reviewed research shows that competitive debate is one of the best things a student can do with their out‐​of‐​school time, building lifelong and career‐​oriented skills that cannot be automated or outsourced. Debaters show more substantial academic and social‐​emotional growth and graduate and attend college at a higher rate than their non‐​debater peers.The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues is a national leader in the debate movement, preparing the next generation to lead and succeed. Through debate, students learn critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. They also discover their passion for learning and become empowered to succeed in the classroom. Our vision is that all youths graduate from high school as engaged civic leaders with expanded college and career opportunities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please join us for a thought‐​provoking evening with author and award‐​winning investigative reporter Matt Taibbi. Matt will discuss government suppression of speech, the significance of First Amendment principles, and why a free press is needed to preserve our democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please join us for a thought‐​provoking evening with author and award‐​winning investigative reporter Matt Taibbi. Matt will discuss government suppression of speech, the significance of First Amendment principles, and why a free press is needed to preserve our democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health care in the United States is not a free market. In many ways, U.S. residents are less free to make their own health decisions than residents of other nations. State and federal governments subsidize low‐​quality medical care and penalize high‐​quality care. They block innovations that would otherwise reduce medical prices. The harms are so wide‐​reaching, the way Congress funds veterans benefits even increases the likelihood of war. In his new book Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector, Michael Cannon exposes the barriers that government places in the way of better, more affordable, and more secure health care. Recovery explores how making health care as universal as possible requires dismantling these obstacles. Please join us for a discussion with the author and a panel of experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are states rational? Much of international relations theory assumes that they are. But many scholars believe that political leaders rarely act rationally. John J. Mearsheimer will argue that rational decisions in international politics rest on credible theories about how the world works and emerge from deliberative decisionmaking processes. Using these criteria, he will describe how most states are rational most of the time, even if they are not always successful, and will discuss implications for formulating foreign policy. Join Mearsheimer and Ashley Tellis, a scholar with extensive policy experience, for a discussion of whether states behave rationally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.