Institute Working to Transform Education
The Institute for Transformative Education, now in its 10th year, is a four-day program featuring lectures, workshops and presentations.
Peter McLaren is a professor of urban studies at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He is one of the institute's keynote speakers.
Antonia Darder is another keynote speaker. Darder is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the area of educational policy studies and has studied issues related to racism, class and social issues.
The UA's College of Education is co-sponsoring the Institute for Transformative Education, which brings education experts to Tucson to teach educators about ways to improve classroom instruction.
By
University Communications
June 30, 2008
Next week is the start of an in-depth discussion on curriculum, pedagogy, cultural competency and other ideas on how to improve education.
It is the 10th year for the Institute for Transformative Education, an annual conference that brings together professors, teachers, students and other professionals to learn from experts from across the country.
The University of Arizona is co-sponsoring the four-day institute with Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American/Raza Studies program.
"We're really, really happy with our partnership with the College of Education," said Augustine Romero, TUSD’s senior academic director for ethnic studies.
"When (the college's) dean, Ronald Marx, came on board he was really looking for different ways to establish a stronger relationship," he said. "What it means for us is this stronger connection between the College of Education and TUSD."
The institute will be held July 15 through 18 at the UA, with numerous featured speakers, workshops, presentations and lessons.
“Some of the country's most outstanding scholars in the areas of transformative education and critical pedagogy will be speaking at this conference, and we are happy to be a collaborator in this important endeavor,” said Jeffrey F. Milem, associate dean of academic affairs and a higher education professor.
“Our students and our faculty as well as our colleagues from TUSD will benefit immensely from their participation in this vital learning opportunity,” Milem added.
The keynote speakers are:
- Peter McLaren is a professor of urban studies at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. McLaren, an award-winning scholar and author, has written dozens of books on topics related to curriculum, pedagogy and policy issues.
- Antonia Darder is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the area of educational policy studies. Darder researches issues related to racism, class and social issues, identity and language, among other topics.
- Francisco Rios is professor and department chair of educational studies at the University of Wyoming. Rios is an expert on multicultural education and diversity in teacher education.
- Christine Sleeter is a professor emerita in the College of Professional Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her areas of research include anti-racist multicultural education, the diversification of teacher education programs and racism in higher education.
- Shawn Ginwright of Santa Clara University is an associate professor of education in the Africana studies department. Ginwright also serves as a senior research associate for the Cesar Chavez Institute for Public Policy at San Francisco State University. Ginwright’s work has focused on youth in urban communities and issues related to poverty, equity and justice.
- David Stovall is an assistant professor of policy studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Stovall specializes in the intersection of race, class and gender in education as well as critical race theory, popular culture and social justice in education, among other topics.
- A. A. Akom, is an assistant professor of urban sociology and Africana studies at San Francisco State University. Akom, who also is co-director of the university’s Educational Equity at the Cesar Chavez Institute, his outreach efforts and research have been in youth development, as specialized in areas such as youth development, urban sociology, poverty and the sociology of education.
- Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade is an assistant professor of Raza studies and administration and interdisciplinary studies at San Francisco State University. He specializes in urban schooling, critical pedagogy, critical media literacy and numerous other areas related to youth, popular culture and education.
- Marcos Pizarro is an assistant professor of Mexican American studies at San Jose State University. Pizarro’s work has focused heavily on Hispanic students and has worked to help them to succeed in school.
- Sandy Grande is an associate professor of education at Connecticut College. Her research has focused on critical theory and American Indian intellectualism and she has written widely on topics that include revolutionary struggle, identity, power and environmental ethics.
- David “Olmeca” Barragan is a community organizer in Los Angeles who identifies as an “artivist.” Barragan uses music and art to promote education and community action.
TUSD developed the institute to improve cultural sensitivity in teaching and also while enhancing classroom instruction.
The institute has since grown to focus on a broad range of topics relevant to student popularions, particularly those who are African American, American Indian and Hispanic.
"We can't ignore that there are shifting demographics, especially in the Southwest," Romero said."Given that shift in the demographic, we have more students of color in our schools, especially in our urban schools. So it is critical that our teachers and administrators start to develop a different lens."
