Fourth Annual Bilingual Conference to Attract Over 300 at TAMIU

This weekend over 300 local and area educators will attend a two-day conference at Texas A&M International University that explores current bilingual, biliterate and bicultural research.

The Fourth Annual Bilingual, Biliterate, Bicultural Conference takes place Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29, at TAMIU's Student Center and Western Hemispheric Trade Center.

Organized by TAMIU's College of Education, department of special populations, Conference admission is $60 for educators and $30 for students. The Conference theme is "Building Bridges with Dual Languages/Construyendo Puentes Académicos."

Dual language research maintains that public school classroom students enrolled in such programs achieve academic success.

Dr. Humberto González, dean of the College of Education, said the Conference aims to provide a cutting-edge mix of language acquisition researchers with effective teaching strategies specialists.

"This Conference brings together experts in the field of second language acquisition and effective teaching strategies. Working together, we can better challenge minority students to think critically and become self-directed learners - the optimum goal in any quality educational program," González said.

On-site registration will take place from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the first floor rotunda of the Student Center. The Conference begins on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and continues Saturday morning from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m.

Highlight for the Conference will be presentations by Keynote Speakers Virginia Collier and Wayne Thomas at noon in the Student Center Ballroom.

Collier is Professor Emeritus of Bilingual-Multicultural-English as a Second Language Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

The award-winning national research she has conducted with Wayne Thomas has made a difference in the development of school policies in the United States and abroad and both have conducted educational leadership training for superintendents, principals, and education policy makers in 29 US states and 15 countries.

In addition to the keynote speakers, Conference presenters will include professors, and doctoral and graduate students from TAMIU, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and the University of Texas-Pan American.

For more information, contact Gloria Flores, Leadership Project director, College of Education, at 326.3090, e-mail gflores@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library 415B.

University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu