(Name-mce) ListServ NAME CONFERENCE PROGRAM CHANGE - ALL SCHOOL TOURS WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006

[bill at billhowe.org]

Phoenix2006
 16th Annual International Conference 
 Theme: Honoring Multicultural Communities, Stories and Struggles 
 in a Contested Land.
 Wyndham Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona
 Nov. 8-12, 2006

REGISTER
<http://www.viethconsulting.com/members/evr/regmenu.php?orgcode=NAME>
ONLINE

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN PROGRAM - ALL SCHOOL TOURS WILL TAKE PLACE ON
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006

Educational School Visits

School Tour #1 - Thursday, November 9

Innovative Urban School Programming for Diverse Students

10 am - 12 pm Phoenix Elementary District #1 - Faith North (a public
Montessori school)

Phoenix Elementary District #1, an urban school district plagued by typical
inner-city issues like declining enrollment and low test scores, has made an
incredible turn around, thanks to an innovative plan to establish Montessori
classrooms within the district. They now have a full K-8 school as well as
classrooms at two other sites with expansion in the near future. Program
waiting lists are at capacity. The Montessori program still represents the
community with a 50% Hispanic, 30 % White, 9% African-American and 1% Asian
demographic. Students are taught by professionals who are both state and
Montessori certified. 

Faith North fosters experimentation, observation and discovery, works to
promote cultural diversity in the meeting of universal needs and instills
appreciation for historical achievements and a sense of responsibility for
the future. The tour will be lead by Susan, a former teacher and current
district administrator responsible for implementing and growing the
Montessori program within the Phoenix Elementary school district.

12 - 1 pm Lunch

1:30 - 3:30 pm Peoria High School - MESA program

ASU MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement) is a program
that strives to increase the number of ethnic minority, low income, and
first generation college-bound students who are eligible to enter a degree
program at a university. As members of MESA, students from middle and high
schools throughout Arizona participate in hands-on activities related to
math, engineering, and science and college preparation skills and inform
students about college and career opportunities.

The MESA at Peoria High School is arguably the most successful program in
Arizona, winning state and national awards and being a regular winner of
state-wide competitions. Students often continue to four year schools in
science engineering and education fields.

The Tour will focus on the partnership and recruitment pathway between the
MESA program and ASU's College of Engineering. MESA students will be able to
demonstrate their own participation in the group. Tour will be led by Judy
Shipley (MESA teacher of the year) and David Hammond, Minority Engineering
Program Director at ASU's College of Engineering.

School Tour #2 -  Thursday, November 9

Indigenous and Culturally-Relevant Education

9-11 am Tempe Elementary School - Frank Elementary School

Frank Elementary School is located in the Town of Guadalupe a Yaqui Native
American and Hispanic community between Phoenix and Tempe at the base of
South Mountain. The town proudly maintains a strong cultural and ethnic
identity. Guadalupe was founded by Yaqui Indians around the turn of the
century. Frank Elementary exemplifies a commitment to diversity and
community building. For the past 10 years, the school has sponsored an
International Peace Fair that includes setting up a display of a country's
artifacts, reporting on performing art which they have studied all year and
integrating these themes into the total curriculum all year. The school was
awarded the Diversity Award from the City of Tempe in 2004 and is well
recognized for innovative programming and its commitment to incorporate
cultural knowledge with academic achievement.

11 am -12 pm Lunch

12:30 - 2:30 pm Gila River Community - Gila Crossing Community School

Gila Crossing Community School is a community based Preschool through eighth
grade elementary school located on the northwest corner of the Gila River
Indian Reservation about four miles from the town of Laveen, Arizona in the
United States of America . The current enrollment expected in these grades
is about 550 students compared with just 53 students in 1993-94 school year.
Historically this school has been present on this site and serving the Pima
and Maricopa children since around 1900. Gila Crossing Community School has
become the model school throughout this community in terms of providing the
rich curriculum aligned with the Arizona State Academic Standards, providing
extra curricular activities, sports program, technology program, heavy
emphasis on the reading, math and science areas, onsite professional
development, and safe and excellent facilities to name just a few. 

Gila Crossing describes their school in the following way, "It is our belief
that All Children can learn. There is a need to create opportunities for all
students to excel, increase student achievement, and expand and improve our
curriculum. Efforts will be made to overcome prejudice and recognize the
diversity of Pima/Maricopa cultural traditions and as well as other Native
American traditions.

These traditions will be integrated into our curriculum whenever and
wherever possible. We will instill a desire in students to want to attend
school daily, increase parental involvement and create the best environment
in which this can happen." Tour will be lead by Gila Crossing Principal, Ron
Schuler.

 

 





Bill Howe 
 <http://www.billhowe.org/> http://www.billhowe.org - Multicultural
Educators to South Africa 2006 - Join Me on this Exciting Trip
 
Past-President 

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)
 <http://www.nameorg.org/> http://www.nameorg.org