Two education professors at California State University San Marcos believe the delivery of education to young Mexican immigrants new to the border region may be damaged because of a lack of knowledge and understanding about differences between school systems in the two nations.
To continue a dialogue about this often-overlooked concern, professors Juan Necochea and Zulmara Cline have organized the fifth binational Border Pedagogy Conference to be held Saturday, September 24, 2005 on the campus of Cal State San Marcos. Themed "Crossing Borders: Education for a New World ," the conference is expected to attract 250 to 300 educators from and the for a series of face-to-face discussions on issues in border education. Conference organizers hope educators will leave the meeting with a better understanding of how educational systems on both sides of the border work.
Attendees will discuss research, recently published in the Journal of Latinos and Education. Two participants in earlier border pedagogy conferences conducted focus groups with educators from both sides of the international border. A group of topics emerged from their discussions, such as:
· The impact of the border on teaching on both sides of the border.
· The importance of cultural relevance and student voice.
· The implications of the “hidden curriculum” of educational reform on both sides of the border.
A discussion of those topics will form the basis of the program at this year's conference.
Cost of the conference is $30 per participant, which includes continental breakfast, lunch and materials.
The conference is a cooperative effort between California State University San Marcos and Sistema Educativo Estatal de Baja California . The leader of each campus will attend and deliver brief comments to the meeting.
(end)
Contact Necochea at 760-750-4301 (necochea@csusm.edu) or Cline at 760-750-8538 (zcline@csusm.edu).
