The 2026-2027 EdEthics Forum
The EdEthics Forum
The 2026-2027 EdEthics Forum, convened by the Center for EdEthics, is exploring pressing ethical questions in education today. Across interdisciplinary panels and interactive case discussions, we are building a shared language of educational ethics and exploring how people, schools, and systems are shaped by values-laden decisions inherent in the field of education every day..
Join us virtually or on the Stanford campus across hybrid and in-person events. Our 2026-27 programming includes three thematic areas important to educators and policymakers: educational leadership, civic character, and edtech/AI.
Audience: Stanford community members and the general public.
Price: All events are free.
Modality: Hybrid and in-person. See event details below to register.
Upcoming Events: Fall Quarter - Educational Leadership
Educational Leadership in a Time of Political Polarization
đź“… Tuesday, November 10 | 4:30-6:00PM PT
đź“Ť Hybrid: ANKO Shriram III and Zoom
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY OR IN-PERSON
Moderated by Prof. Meira Levinson, Stanford Graduate School of Education and Center for EdEthics Faculty Director, with panelists:
- Prof. Dan Edelstein, Stanford University
- Prof. Beth Schueler, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Prof. Tim Bakken, U.S. Military Academy West Point
- Sr. Lecturer Grande Lum, Stanford Law School
Political polarization is rising sharply while public trust in schools and especially universities is plummeting. What does responsible leadership look like in an age of mutual mistrust about education’s fundamental purposes and practices?
Educational Leadership in Polarized Times: A Normative Case Study Discussion
đź“… Monday, November 16 | 12:00-1:30PM PT
đź“Ť In-person: RAIKES Longview
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE OR FORUM MAILING LIST
Join us for an interactive case study discussion to explore real world ethical dilemmas facing educational leaders.
With social and political polarization on the rise, educational leaders face evolving ethical challenges as well as perennial dilemmas exacerbated by such polarization.
In the United States, curricular decisions have become increasingly politicized, with vehement disagreement over which topics and books should be included, whether and how schools should discuss topics like race and gender, and even what should be hung on classroom walls. Meanwhile, threats of violence against educators and school leaders have become more commonplace, making the stakes around leaders’ decisions feel higher than ever.
- How can educational leaders make decisions grounded in their personal, professional, and organizational values in the face of challenges exacerbated by political and social polarization?
- How can educational leaders make values-based decisions in communities that disagree on which values to prioritize and/or how to put values into action?
- How can educational leaders think through the ways that policy decisions communicate institutional values—both implicitly and explicitly?
This interactive workshop presents the normative “brief-case,” a new tool that can help educators think through these ethical challenges using their personal, professional, institutional, and community values.
Future Events
Winter Quarter Theme: Civic Character
Questions abound in our shifting political landscape about the meaning of the civic character, not only for individual educators and policymakers but for schools and systems. We will be engaging in open dialogue with the goal of developing insights into the strengthening of civic character for people and the places they learn and live. From January-March 2027, in Stanford’s Winter Quarter, the Center for EdEthics will host two panel discussions and an interactive case study discussion related to Civic Character.
Details will be posted as they are confirmed.
Spring Quarter Theme: AI & Tech Ethics
AI and other tech innovations have intensified questions about safety, privacy, teaching, and the meaning of learning across the educational landscape. Students, educators, and leaders are frequently on the front lines, encountering uncertainties and dilemmas about how to continue to engage in and support ethical practices and policies in this environment. From April-June 2027, in Stanford’s Spring Quarter, the Center for EdEthics will host two panel discussions and an interactive case study discussion related to AI and Tech Ethics.
Details will be posted as they are confirmed.
Past Events
Valuing Athletics: Educational Leadership and the Future of College Sports
đź“… Friday, October 30 | 12:00 PM - 1:30PM PT
đź“Ť In-person: ANKO Auditorium (Room 109), Stanford Graduate School of Education
Moderated by Caitlin Brust, COLLEGE Lecturer, Stanford, with panelists:
- Mitchell Stevens, Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Anne Curzan, Professor Emerita at University of Michigan
- Travis Boyce, Professor and Former NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, San Jose State University
- Meredith Basil, Assoc. Dean of Academic Advising, Stanford University
- Célia Dupré, Stanford Senior, Swiss Olympic competitor, and Stanford Women’s Rowing team member
- Shay Ijiwoye, Stanford Junior, All-ACC Academic Team (2025-26) member, and Stanford Women’s Basketball team member
What is the role of athletics in colleges and universities today? What do athletes owe their schools, and what do schools owe their athletes? Rapidly changing regulations around Name Image Likeness (NIL), Title IX, and the transfer portal raise fundamental ethical questions on and off the field about opportunity, fairness, and responsibility. Join the Center for EdEthics for “Valuing Athletics: Educational Leadership and the Future of College Sports,” the first event of the EdEthics Forum, will explore perspectives from faculty, leaders, and student athletes about how higher ed institutions can balance success in sports with commitments to their academic and social missions.