News Release
College partners to present statewide ESL conference
May 28, 2009
The third annual English as a Second Language conference June 14 to 16 in Harrisburg features an expanded agenda to address issues in urban and early childhood education, immigrant issues, and workforce transition.
The event at the Harrisburg Hilton is presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in partnership with Penn State Harrisburg and the Center for Schools and Communities. Entitled “Multiple Cultures, Multiple Voices: Expanding and Strengthening Practice, Policy, and Partnerships,” the conference will offer research-based tools, strategies, and resources to strengthen and support the academic and career success of English language learners.
The event is structured to be of interest to education researchers, school administrators and teachers, school board members, ESL content and migrant educators, legislators and policy-makers, workforce development personnel, and parents. Participants will hear from national experts in the field, learn about current trends and best practices, explore the implications and effects of public policies and regulations, access materials and tools to strengthen educational practice and professional development, and build effective networking connections.
Penn State Harrisburg is a statewide leader in providing ESL education to teachers. Through a $1.37 million federal grant, the college’s School of Behavioral Sciences and Education is delivering its 12-credit English as a Second Language certificate program to educators throughout the Commonwealth through online programming and field-based coaching and mentoring.
The ESL certificate program was established by Penn State Harrisburg in 2002 when the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved the college as a provider of the post-baccalaureate offering. To date, almost 400 teachers have participated in the program.
The four ESL conference keynoters bring nationally recognized expertise and research to the gathering.
Pedro Noguera, executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University, will deliver the June 14 keynote. An urban sociologist, Noguera’s scholarship and research focus on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions in an urban environment. In his keynote, he will describe strategies that have proven successful in educating and raising the achievement of students who have frequently been marginalized in the public schools.
Monday’s keynoter, Vice President for Educational Partnerships at Arizona State University Eugene Garcia’s topic will be “Reducing the Achievement Gap for ELL Students: Focus on the Teacher.” Recent national data has identified school and non-school variables that significantly reduce the existing gap for ELL students. Garcia’s presentation will review the data and address the implications in policy and practice specific to teachers.
The featured speaker at Monday’s luncheon, former regional counsel for the Mexican-American Legal Defense Education Fund Peter Zamora will focus on recent and ongoing developments in federal policy affecting ELLs. Zamora will share his legal knowledge and expertise concerning English Language Learners and education, including funding, with recommendations for action.
“Language, Learning, and the Brain” will be the topic for Tuesday’s morning keynote from Janet N. Zadina, assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Her presentation will provide a foundation for research on language in the brain with a “tour” of a brain to see how learning takes place.
Workshop sessions throughout the three days will focus on a variety of topics with national and state presenters.
For complete information, visit the web at http://www.pde.state.pa.us/esl/.