Affirming Diversity: Culturally Responsive Practices for All

Please note: the hotel is under renovation and the main entrance to the hotel will be temporarily relocated to the 7th Avenue entrance.

State of Oregon Proclamation - Office of the Governor - English as a Second Language Awareness Week

Click here to view the breakout sessions.

Featured Speakers:

• Edward M. Olivos, Associate Professor, Department of Education Studies, University of Oregon - Bio 
• Keynote: What Can Educators Do To Support English Learners through Parental Engagement? This presentation is focused on helping attendees recognize the complexity of involving culturally diverse parents in the public school system, in both general and English learner settings. Dr. Olivos’ research argues that is a disservice to educators and parents alike to nestle the involvement of all parents, particularly bicultural parents, within a larger one-size-fits-all paradigm of parent involvement. Nationally accepted parent involvement “models” often do not take into consideration the diversity found in modern day parents and/or families and varying school contexts. Similarly, educators’ attitudes and beliefs about culturally diverse parents must also be discussed when attempting to explain the complex relationship between public schools and the bicultural
• Mark Kadel, Vulnerability Management Consultant - Bio
• Mandy Manning, National Teacher of the Year/Joel E. Ferris High School - Newcomer Center, English Language Arts, Specialist/Interventionist - Bio
• Keynote Speaker - Friday, March 15, 2019 
• Mandy Manning - TEDxSpokane

Pre-Conference:

9:00 to Noon
Supporting English Learner Students with Disabilities (ELSWD) ODE English Learner Team and Student Services Office - This pre-conference will provide district English Learner (EL) and Special Education (SPED) staff with training on supporting ELSWD students as well as time to work within district teams and job-alike teams.   Topics for this conference include:  Developing a High Quality IEP for ELSWD students, Considerations for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) to Kindergarten English Learners, and Exiting current English Learner Students with Disabilities as Proficient speakers of English.  Time will be provided for district teams to work together on their processes with ODE staff supporting district efforts.  All District SPED and EL staff are strongly encouraged to attend.  This pre-conference will assist districts in cross office collaboration supporting our English Learner Students with Disabilities. For more information on this pre-conference, please contact Taffy Carlisle.

1:00 to 4:00
Responding to Student Need: Aligned Instructional Strategies - In this pre-conference workshop, the Educational Excellence Team will work with participants to explore what it means to foster a responsive classroom for students of all backgrounds, including English learners. The workshop will be interactive in nature, engaging participants in reviewing some of the most high impact instructional strategies appropriate for ELs and determining which are the best to use based on student needs that emerge from the analyzing of individual student data.  Participants will leave with the tools to look at student work critically, identify and prioritize needs and connect that to an instructional strategy that will have the most impact.  Educational Excellence Team:

• Ali Hurd, Consultant, Educational Excellence - Bio
• Meagan Kimball, Consultant, Educational Excellence - Bio
• Andrea Sande, Consultant, Educational Excellence - Bio
• Missi Thurman, Consultant, Educational Excellence - Bio
• Rosemary Buczkowski, Consultant, Educational Excellence - Bio

Barefoot Books is a multi cultural publishing company of books for children, ages birth to young adult. The books offered show a wide range of diversity in both the illustrations and the cultures the stories represent. Be sure to stop by the Barefoot Books Bookstore this year in the lobby!

More information available soon!