Election-Year Symposium for Independent School Heads

Seeking Civility in Uncivil Times: A Conversation About Schools, Pluralism, and Political Discourse

Jointly hosted by NAIS, the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, the Friends Council on Education, and Sidwell Friends School

September 4-5, 2024
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, D.C.

Join us for engaging discussions, keynote speeches, and panel discussions with experts in the field.

This special event will feature:

a keynote on how pluralism can thrive by Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America;
a deep dive into neutrality as outlined in the E.E. Ford Framework for Schools;
and concurrent sessions exploring how to lead diverse communities toward the shared goal of civility through empathy protocols, speaking and listening, and classroom dialogue.

The program will begin with registration and a cocktail reception on September 4 at 5:00 PM ET and will conclude by 4:00 PM ET on September 5.

Schedule

Click here for a printable PDF of the full agenda.

Keynote Speaker

Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith America
Eboo Patel is a civic leader who believes that religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. Named “one of America’s best leaders” by U.S. News and World Report, Patel is founder and president of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.

Patel served on President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books, including We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy. He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. Patel lives in Chicago with his wife, Shehnaz, and their two sons.

Featured Speakers

Executive directors of the E.E. Ford Foundation (John Gulla), Klingenstein Center (Nicole Furlonge), Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (Bob Mattingly), and Global Education Benchmark Group (Clare Sisisky)
Sante Mastriana and Blake Kohn, Close Up Foundation
Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics
Heads of school and communications leaders from Phillips Academy-Andover, MA (Tracy Sweet), Brooklyn Friends School, NY (Crissy Cáceres), Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, MD (Mitch Malkus), Deerfield Academy, MA (John Austin), Germantown Friends School, PA (Dana Weeks), and Sidwell Friends School, DC (Bryan Garman)

Registration Information

Registration is now open! Space is limited.
Cost of registration: $165 per participant
This event is for heads of school only.