Thursday, November 5, 2026
Great Hearts Academies is coming to Utah.
On Thursday, November 5, 2026, we will host the Great Hearts Classical Education Summit at Utah Valley University for a gathering designed to introduce parents, educators, civic leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders to one of the nation’s leading models of classical liberal arts education.
This summit will offer a first look at the Great Hearts mission, curriculum, and approach to forming students intellectually and morally through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Attendees will hear from national and local leaders in education, public service, literacy, and civic thought as we explore why classical education matters now, and why Utah is uniquely positioned to help lead a renewal in American education.
Across the country, families and communities are asking urgent questions about the purpose of education.
How do we help students become strong readers, clear thinkers, virtuous citizens, and courageous leaders? How do schools cultivate both academic excellence and support moral formation? How do we prepare young people not only for college and career, but for lives of wisdom, responsibility, and service?
At Great Hearts, we believe the answer begins with a classical education.
Rooted in the liberal arts tradition, Great Hearts schools invite students to encounter the great books, ideas, discoveries, works of art, and founding principles that have shaped civilization. Our model combines a rigorous academic curriculum with the formation of character, helping students grow in both intellect and virtue.
The Great Hearts Classical Education Summit in Utah will bring together leaders and educators who share a commitment to educational excellence, civic renewal, and the formation of the next generation.
Rich Nye, Matthew Brogdon, Ian Rowe, Jerilyn Olson, Jay Heiler, Dan Scoggin, Cammie Passey, Christen Arbogast, Abby Cox, Leah Murray, and Carol McNamara.
8:00 to 8:30 AM
Guests will be welcomed for morning registration and a continental breakfast before the opening session.
8:30 to 9:15 AM
Featuring First Lady Abby Cox, followed by a fireside discussion with Jay Heiler, CEO of Great Hearts Academies.
This opening conversation will set the stage for the day’s discussion on education, civic life, and the role of schools in shaping the hearts and minds of young people.
9:15 to 9:50 AM
Speaker: Dan Scoggin, Co-founder of Great Hearts Academies
This session will introduce the Great Hearts model of classical education, including our mission, curriculum, classroom culture, and philosophical foundations. Guests will learn what makes Great Hearts distinctive and why classical education continues to resonate with families across the country.
9:50 to 10:00 AM
10:00 to 11:00 AM
As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this panel will explore the vital relationship between classical education and the formation of thoughtful citizens.
In 1796, George Washington called for the education of young Americans in the “science of Government.” In that same spirit, Great Hearts students study American history, founding documents, constitutional principles, political institutions, and the lives of leaders who shaped the American experiment in republican self-government.
This conversation will examine how a classical education prepares students to understand liberty, practice citizenship, and contribute wisely to the future of the nation.
Moderator: Carol McNamara, Director of the Great Hearts Institute
Panelists:
Matthew Brogdon, Professor and Senior Director, Center for Constitutional Studies, Utah Valley University Ian Rowe, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Leah Murray, Weber State University
11:00 to 11:10 AM
11:10 AM to 12:10 PM
Literacy is foundational to a classical education. To read well is to gain access to language, literature, history, reason, imagination, and the shared inheritance of human thought.
As educators and policymakers continue to address the literacy crisis, this panel will explore how the Science of Reading aligns with the Great Hearts approach to language arts instruction. The discussion will consider how phonics, grammar, Socratic instruction, rich literature, and the habits of careful attention work together to form truly literate students.
The panel will also examine why Utah’s commitment to early literacy makes this an especially meaningful moment for Great Hearts to enter the state.
Moderator: Cammie Passey, Great Hearts Director of Curriculum – Lower Schools
Jerilyn Olson, Chief People Officer, Great Hearts Academies Rich Nye, Senior Advisor for Education to Governor Spencer Cox Christen Arbogast, Assistant Headmaster, Archway Trivium
12:15 to 1:15 PM
Registration will open soon.
Please check back for additional event details, speaker updates, and registration information.
This Classical Education Summit is sponsored by Utah Valley University
Great Hearts Academies began more than 20 years ago in Phoenix with a bold conviction: every student deserves access to the best that has been thought and written.
Today, Great Hearts serves approximately 30,000 students across 50 schools in Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana. As the largest classical liberal arts public charter school network in the country, Great Hearts has helped renew interest in an education rooted in truth, goodness, and beauty.
Our students encounter the great works of literature, philosophy, history, mathematics, science, music, and art. They learn through discussion, careful reading, disciplined study, and joyful discovery. They are challenged not merely to perform, but to think deeply, speak clearly, act honorably, and live well.
The mission of Great Hearts is to cultivate the hearts and minds of students through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.
In Fall 2028, Great Hearts plans to open its first academy in Utah.
We are honored by the opportunity to join Utah’s strong charter school community and contribute to the state’s ongoing commitment to educational excellence, parental choice, and early literacy.
Utah is a natural home for Great Hearts. The state’s deep commitment to family, civic life, faith, virtue, and education creates fertile ground for a school model dedicated to both academic rigor and moral formation.
The Utah Great Hearts Classical Education Summit is an important first step in introducing our mission to the community and beginning a meaningful conversation about how Great Hearts can serve Utah families for generations to come.