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STORRS, Conn.– The number of students whose English language proficiency is limited continues to grow by leaps and bounds. That fact, coupled with the critical shortage of bilingual teachers, translates to a pressing need for preparing both current and future school administrators and teachers for the changing school environment.
With this in mind, the Neag School of Education’s Bilingual/Bicultural Program has organized the second Annual Conference on Leadership in Bilingual Education, which will be held Nov. 4 - 5 at the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus. The conference is open to the public. Organizers Mileidis Gort and Eliana Rojas, both of whom are assistant professors at the Neag School of Education, are urging participation from state lawmakers, teachers, parents, and especially state and local school administrators.
“Instead of putting the responsibility of bilingual and multicultural issues on the shoulders of a single bilingual director or coordinator within a school, we contend that a whole community approach is needed,” says Gort, coordinator of the Bilingual Teacher Education Program.
In Hartford, there are more than 10,000 non-native English speakers from 46 language backgrounds – the vast majority Spanish-speaking. There are nearly 26,000 “limited english proficient” students in Connecticut.
“This is why all voices, especially those of superintendents, are important when cultural
and language acquisition issues and policies are being addressed,” Rojas says.
Conference, “Establishing Collaborative Leadership in Multilingual/Multicultural Learning Communities,” is an effort to bring those voices together. It is not, emphasize Rojas and Gort, about teaching methods. Their goal is to engage participants in discussion and reflection about effective and supportive leadership practices in bilingual and multicultural education and teacher preparation. Two highly-respected scholars will also make presentations based on their extensive work in the bilingual field.
On Friday night, a presentation: “English in Schools: Demanded and Overlooked” will be delivered by Maria E. Brisk, an education professor at Boston College and author of several books on bilingual education. Her focus will be the need for including academic English in the curriculum for both pre-service and in-service teachers, and how school administrators and teacher preparation programs can best accomplish this.
On Saturday morning, “Advocacy and Commitments in Practice for Bilingual Education” will be the keynote speaker’s topic. Christian J. Faltis, a professor of bilingual education and applied linguistics at Arizona State University has written on a number of related subjects including teaching English language learners at the elementary school level, the immigrant experiences, and “bilinguaphobia.”
Also on Saturday, breakout sessions will offer an array of panel discussions and research presentations, from how two mothers successfully advocated change and reform in their children’s schools, to a discussion with Latin American educators about establishing a partnership between countries to address issues of diverse student communities.
Conference fees apply and registration is required. For details and registration, call 860-486-5103 or check online at: http://education.uconn.edu/bilingualconf.
Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 4 - Gentry Building Atrium, 249 Glenbrook Road
3 – Registration
4 – 5:30 p.m. Keynote address by Maria Brisk, professor of education, Boston College.
5:30 – 8 p.m. Reception
Saturday, Nov. 5
8 a.m. Registration Continental breakfast available.
8:30 - 9 a.m. Opening Remarks.
9 a.m. Keynote Address: “Advocacy and Commitments in practice for Bilingual Education,” by Christian Faltis, professor of multicultural education, Arizona State University.
10 – 10:45 a.m. Panel Discussion.
11 – 5: p.m. Concurrent sessions.
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