Register for Livestream Sessions of the 2026 Symposium for Classical Education

Portions of the 2026 Great Hearts National Symposium for Classical Education will be available via livestream, including all of our keynote speakers. While nothing compares to attending the event in person on February 25-27, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. This free option ensures you won’t miss out on valuable insights and inspiring discussions led by some of the most dynamic voices in classical education.

This service is presented by the Great Hearts Institute and available to you at no charge, but you must register for the livestream in order to gain access to these sessions.

REGISTER FOR LIVESTREAM

Livestream sessions include:

How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America with Jeffrey Rosen
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
6:00 p.m. MST

For America 250, bestselling author and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, Jeffrey Rosen explores the principles at the core of the American Idea. In his book, The Pursuit of Happiness, he shows how the Founders embraced the classical definition of happiness as being good rather than feeling good, the pursuit of long-term virtue rather than short term pleasure. In The Pursuit of Liberty, Rosen shows how the clashing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson balance liberty and power in a debate that continues to define—and divide—our country: Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties, while Hamilton pushed for a strong Federal government and a powerful executive. Drawing on both books, Rosen will explore how Americans of different perspectives have continued to embrace the core principles of the American Idea – liberty, equality, government by consent, and the pursuit of happiness – even as they have disagreed about how to balance those principles throughout American history.

The Science of Reading (Books) with Doug Lemov
Thursday, February 26, 2026
8:30 a.m. MST

The educational psychologist Daniel Willingham notes that we have learned more about how people learn in the last 25 years than in the previous 2500 and yet much of that learning remains under-utilized in our schools and classrooms – and nowhere is that more true than in the area of reading. In this talk, Doug Lemov will summarize seven key research-backed principles that should guide reading instruction “post phonics” – that is, after students have learned their letter sound correspondence through systematic, synthetic phonics – and he spends a little extra time discussing perhaps the most surprising of the seven principles – the idea that reading books – whole books, great ones, together as a class – is one of the most important things teachers can do to foster achievement and knowledge.

Teach Like a Champion Workshop with Doug Lemov and Robert Pondiscio
Thursday, February 26, 2026
10:30 a.m. MST

Doug Lemov and Robert Pondiscio will lead a workshop addressing the best techniques for whole class reading of (ideally, great) books.

Teaching Teenagers: A Classical Vision to Reach an Anxious Generation with Dan Scoggin
Thursday, February 26, 2026
12:30 p.m. MST

This workshop will discuss the cultural and personal headwinds our teens encounter in fully embracing a classical education today. How can we as school leaders and teachers create better conditions for them so they can seek virtue authentically? We will discuss teaching and motivational strategies that enable teens in our schools to find their unique potential within a lasting tradition of excellence.

The Future of Literacy in an AI World with Alex Petkas, John J. Goyette, and Erin Valdez
Thursday, February 26, 2026
1:45 p.m. MST

What is the future of literacy in a world where AI tools can be used to produce research, poetry, essays, and other creative work formerly assumed to be solely the domain of humans? This panel will steel-man the case against literacy and challenge the panelists and audience to set aside wishful thinking to explore the most robust and compelling responses to the critics of classical education.

Preaching Beyond the Choir: How Should We Make the Case for Classical Education to the Uninitiated? With Steven Wilson, Ian Rowe, and Angel Adams Parham
Thursday, February 26, 2026
3:30 p.m. MST

Most (if not all) Symposiasts have a clear notion of classical education and find its virtues to be self-evident. But how should we make classical education legible and attractive to new audiences? How can the virtues of classical education be conveyed to the unversed, the circumspect, even the hostile? And how ought we to do this without undermining, distorting, or dumbing-down its essential elements? What are the biggest misconceptions about classical education? And what are the best ways to defuse them? Our panel of experts will contemplate these questions and more.

Classical Education in America: What It Was and Can Be Again with Christopher Perrin
Friday, February 27, 2026
8:30 a.m. MST

The tradition of classical, liberal arts education in America was present from the beginning of the nation and before. Both the flowers and seeds of this tradition were carried forth across the Atlantic in the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The tradition was embedded in the Mayflower Pact and in the governing norms of the Massachusetts Bay colony. It can be seen flourishing in the Federalist Papers and in the Constitution – what Chesterton called the creed upon which the United States was founded. In this presentation, we will trace the flowering of this tradition, noting the ways in which American education flourished and then slowly withered; but then also noting the ways it is remerging with new vitality, like those perennials that seem to disappear in the winter only to come back in the spring in greater numbers.

And there is still time to join us in person as we dive into “Classical Education and the American Experiment: the Declaration of Independence at 250” at the Misson Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona for the 2026 Great Hearts National Symposium for Classical Education. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in an enriching experience with some of the brightest minds in classical education. REGISTER NOW and be part of the in-person conversation shaping the future of classical education.

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