The National Association for Multicultural Education's (NAME) 11th annual international conference will be held Nov. 7-11 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The theme of this year's conference, which is being cosponsored by NAME's Nevada Chapter, UNLV, and the Clark County School District, is "High Stakes: Achievement, Assessment, and Advocacy Through Multicultural Education."
"This important conference will focus on today's trends toward high stakes testing standards for our students and schools, which demands that all students learn and that all schools are accountable," said Porter Troutman, professor of curriculum and instruction at UNLV's College of Education and president of NAME's Nevada chapter.
"These national efforts in assessment, accountability, achievement, and choice must be reviewed and applied through a multicultural lens to assure that all students benefit equitably from these initiatives. More significantly, the conference will address effective multicultural programs and strategies for bridging the existing gaps and truly promoting the success of every student," Troutman said.
The conference will feature presentations by many of the nation's best scholars and experts in multicultural education, including Karen Hartke, representative from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, and Peggy McIntosh, who is associate director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women and the founder and co-director of the National S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project on Inclusive Curriculum.
Antonia Darder, professor of education and cultural studies at Claremont University and an activist in a variety of Latino/Chicano grassroots efforts tied to educational rights, worker's rights, bilingual education, women's issues, and immigrant rights, will deliver a keynote presentation on Nov. 7 titled "Schooling and the Culture of Dominion: Or The Dirty Little Secrets of High Stakes Testing." Her talk is set to begin at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The conference will also feature the world premiere of Lee Mun Wah's documentary film Last Chance for Eden. Wah is a nationally acclaimed speaker, educator, poet, author, and diversity trainer who taught special education in the San Francisco Unified School District for more than 25 years. He has produced and directed three award-winning documentary films about the issue of racism.
NAME is the primary organization in the United States dedicated to academic success and educational equity for all students and groups through multicultural education. Educators from preschool through higher education and representatives from business and communities comprise NAME's membership.
Reduced conference rates are being made available to Las Vegas area educators at $165 for the full conference plus meals or $100 for the full conference with no meals included. UNLV and Community College of Southern Nevada students may attend a full-day session for $35. Academic credit also is available for students attending the full conference.
For more information about the NAME conference, call Troutman at 895-4407 or send him an E-mail at porter@unlv.edu.
