2015 NDSG Annual Meeting
Historias de Educacion
DRAFT PROGRAM:
Thursday Evening, February 12
Welcome to the Echo Hotel in Edinburg, South Texas. Please register, settle in, and meet folks. Please walk to the library by 6:30pm.
6:30 pm: Edinburg Library - place-based art treasure hunt
7:00 pm: Catered dinner at the Edinburg Library with Los Hermanos Gonzalez (music and cultural entertainment)
8:00 pm: Opening - Building background knowledge and building community
Monica Valadez: Reflections on Regional and Historical Context
Monica Valadez is an educator whose soul speaks to the issue of race, language and culture in Texas. She is a Central Texas
bilingual educator. She earned an MED and PhD from Texas State University and returned to each in public schools upon her
completion. She is an Assistant Principal in a local elementary school.
9:45 pm: Announcements then back to hotel
Friday, February 13
7:00 am: Breakfast at the Echo Hotel - Home groups sit together
8:15 am: Announcements - Francisco
8:30 am: Buses to field work sites (groups of 3 with a host)
1:00 pm: Travel to UTPA by bus
1:30 pm: Circle debrief - in same groups as in field work-
2:00 pm: Home groups - reflecting on field work in mixed groups
3:15 pm: Break – coffee and snacks
3:30 pm: Multiracial Dialogue
5:00 pm: Break
(6:00 pm: Shabbot – optional)
6:30 pm: Dinner at UTPA
7:30 pm: Intergenerational Perspectives on Language and Culture
Participants:
Alma Rocha, Oscar Escobar, and Erick Garza--PSJA North High School Students
Ramon Billescas - Elder and Retired Bilingual Education Teacher
Lisa Cardoza - UTPA Administrator: Lisa Cardoza has worked at The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) since 2004. After graduating
from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Social Sciences of Education, Lisa joined
UTPA as Associate Director of the Valley Outreach Center, implementing programs in support of the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board’s Closing the Gaps campaign with efforts to increase the college-going rate in the Rio Grande Valley. Most
recently, Lisa has accepted a position with the newly established University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as an Associate Vice
President for Governmental Relations.
Edyael Casaperalta, Public Knowledge
9:00 pm: Social time and party at UTPA – wine and cheese
10:00 pm: Back to Echo Hotel via vans, volunteers - staggered return
Saturday, February 14
6:30 -7:30 am: Dance with Mara for fun and waking up
7:00-8:15 am: Breakfast in hotel
8:30 am: Travel to UTPA
9:00 am: National perspective panel
Panelists:
Marlene Chavez - Colonias Policy Analyst, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Edinburg
Julie Zuckerman, principal, Castlebridge School (dual language school), New York City
Doris Gorski - Teacher New City School, Long Beach, CA. Doris Gorski grew up in Houston Texas and attended the University of Houston
where she focussed on Bilingual Education. She taught for five years in Houston public schools as a bilingual educator. In
2007, Doris moved to California and began her masters in Educational Technology. She has been teaching at The New City
Public School for the last six years.
Ramses Cuellar - Graduate New City School, Long Beach, CA
Sarah Chambers - Teacher Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
Maria Nava - Parent and Math Special Education Teacher, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago,IL
10:00 am: Open space technology to enable participants to join a small session focusing on a targeted
question. Panelists will each lead a session.
11:15 am: Home groups - follow up on panel and readings
12:15 pm: Lunch
1:15 pm: Works In Progress
2:45 pm: Break (coffee and snacks)
3:00 pm: Racial Affinity Groups (RAGs)
4:30 pm: Fishbowl synthesis of RAGs
5:30 pm: Travel to LUPE
6:00 pm: LUPE Orientation and outside walk LUPE (La Union Del Pueblo) founded by Cesar Chavez
6:45 pm: Dinner
7:45 pm: Cultural Exchange/Party/Dance including It's More Than Just A T- shirt (t-shirt/book/cultural object
exchange; art auction
9:30 pm: Back to Hotel via vans, volunteers - staggered return
Sunday, February 15
7:00 am: Breakfast and pack up
8:30 am: Hidalgo Room at Echo Hotel
A. New voices: share story from their participation in weekend
B. Groups - follow model, share stories from weekend
C. Reflections
D. Documentation presentations
10:45 am: Good-byes
11:15 am: Buses to Airport
Friday Site Visits (February 13, 2015)
There are six site visit options for NDSG participants, which will take place Friday morning during the 9 a.m. to noon block. Each visit includes lunch at the site. Each site visit will include some guiding questions. School-site visits will include dual-language classroom observation. As you register, please indicate your site visit from the following six choices:
Welcome to the Echo Hotel in Edinburg, South Texas. Please register, settle in, and meet folks. Please walk to the library by 6:30pm.
6:30 pm: Edinburg Library - place-based art treasure hunt
7:00 pm: Catered dinner at the Edinburg Library with Los Hermanos Gonzalez (music and cultural entertainment)
8:00 pm: Opening - Building background knowledge and building community
Monica Valadez: Reflections on Regional and Historical Context
Monica Valadez is an educator whose soul speaks to the issue of race, language and culture in Texas. She is a Central Texas
bilingual educator. She earned an MED and PhD from Texas State University and returned to each in public schools upon her
completion. She is an Assistant Principal in a local elementary school.
9:45 pm: Announcements then back to hotel
Friday, February 13
7:00 am: Breakfast at the Echo Hotel - Home groups sit together
8:15 am: Announcements - Francisco
8:30 am: Buses to field work sites (groups of 3 with a host)
- Reed- Mock Elementary School
- Audie Murphy Middle School
- PSJA SW High School
- Llano Grande (non profit)
- La Union del Pueblo Entero Union of the Entire Community (LUPE) - Immigration, indigent rights
- University of Texas Pan American - UTPA
1:00 pm: Travel to UTPA by bus
1:30 pm: Circle debrief - in same groups as in field work-
2:00 pm: Home groups - reflecting on field work in mixed groups
3:15 pm: Break – coffee and snacks
3:30 pm: Multiracial Dialogue
5:00 pm: Break
(6:00 pm: Shabbot – optional)
6:30 pm: Dinner at UTPA
7:30 pm: Intergenerational Perspectives on Language and Culture
Participants:
Alma Rocha, Oscar Escobar, and Erick Garza--PSJA North High School Students
Ramon Billescas - Elder and Retired Bilingual Education Teacher
Lisa Cardoza - UTPA Administrator: Lisa Cardoza has worked at The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) since 2004. After graduating
from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Social Sciences of Education, Lisa joined
UTPA as Associate Director of the Valley Outreach Center, implementing programs in support of the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board’s Closing the Gaps campaign with efforts to increase the college-going rate in the Rio Grande Valley. Most
recently, Lisa has accepted a position with the newly established University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as an Associate Vice
President for Governmental Relations.
Edyael Casaperalta, Public Knowledge
9:00 pm: Social time and party at UTPA – wine and cheese
10:00 pm: Back to Echo Hotel via vans, volunteers - staggered return
Saturday, February 14
6:30 -7:30 am: Dance with Mara for fun and waking up
7:00-8:15 am: Breakfast in hotel
8:30 am: Travel to UTPA
9:00 am: National perspective panel
Panelists:
Marlene Chavez - Colonias Policy Analyst, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Edinburg
Julie Zuckerman, principal, Castlebridge School (dual language school), New York City
Doris Gorski - Teacher New City School, Long Beach, CA. Doris Gorski grew up in Houston Texas and attended the University of Houston
where she focussed on Bilingual Education. She taught for five years in Houston public schools as a bilingual educator. In
2007, Doris moved to California and began her masters in Educational Technology. She has been teaching at The New City
Public School for the last six years.
Ramses Cuellar - Graduate New City School, Long Beach, CA
Sarah Chambers - Teacher Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
Maria Nava - Parent and Math Special Education Teacher, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago,IL
10:00 am: Open space technology to enable participants to join a small session focusing on a targeted
question. Panelists will each lead a session.
11:15 am: Home groups - follow up on panel and readings
12:15 pm: Lunch
1:15 pm: Works In Progress
2:45 pm: Break (coffee and snacks)
3:00 pm: Racial Affinity Groups (RAGs)
4:30 pm: Fishbowl synthesis of RAGs
5:30 pm: Travel to LUPE
6:00 pm: LUPE Orientation and outside walk LUPE (La Union Del Pueblo) founded by Cesar Chavez
6:45 pm: Dinner
7:45 pm: Cultural Exchange/Party/Dance including It's More Than Just A T- shirt (t-shirt/book/cultural object
exchange; art auction
9:30 pm: Back to Hotel via vans, volunteers - staggered return
Sunday, February 15
7:00 am: Breakfast and pack up
8:30 am: Hidalgo Room at Echo Hotel
A. New voices: share story from their participation in weekend
B. Groups - follow model, share stories from weekend
C. Reflections
D. Documentation presentations
10:45 am: Good-byes
11:15 am: Buses to Airport
Friday Site Visits (February 13, 2015)
There are six site visit options for NDSG participants, which will take place Friday morning during the 9 a.m. to noon block. Each visit includes lunch at the site. Each site visit will include some guiding questions. School-site visits will include dual-language classroom observation. As you register, please indicate your site visit from the following six choices:
- Elementary School Site Visit: Reed-Mock Elementary School in the PSJA School District is a dual language campus, where NDSG participants will spend time with students and teachers as they experience culturally affirming teaching and learning practices. Be prepared to observe instruction in English, Spanish, or both. (http://www.psjaisd.us/Page/297) *** JUST ADDED to accommodate the large requests to visit an elementary school:
- Middle School Site Visit: Audie Murphy Middle School in the PSJA School District is a dual language campus, where NDSG participants will spend time with middle school students and teachers as they experience culturally affirming teaching and learning practices. Be prepared to observe instruction in English, Spanish, or both (http://www.psjaisd.us/murphy)
- High School Site Visit: Please note the high school site has been changed to: PSJA North Early College (http://www.psjaisd.us/psjanorthhs). NDSG participants will spend time with high school students and teachers as they experience culturally affirming teaching and learning practices. Be prepared to observe instruction in English, Spanish, or both. (http://www.psjaisd.us/psjanorthhs
Garcia Elementary School (http://www.psjaisd.us/garciaes)
- Higher Ed Site Visit: The University of Texas Pan American is the regional university in South Texas where 88% of the student body is of Mexican-origin. It is one of the largest producers of bilingual education teachers in the country. The visit will be hosted by the Center for Bilingual Studies and the Center for Mexican American Studies. (http://www.utpa.edu/)
- Nonprofit Site Visit The Llano Grande Center for Research and Development: The Llano Grande Center for Research and Development in Edcouch, Texas, is a local nonprofit organization that focuses on college preparation and place based teaching and learning. Llano Grande is a long-time partner of NDSG. (http://llanogrande.org/)
- Nonprofit Site Visit La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE): Founded by labor union organizer Cesar Chavez, in San Juan, Texas, La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) is a local nonprofit organization that works with immigrants, farmworkers, and other local folks who work in solidarity to improve the living conditions of families and communities. (http://lupenet.org/)