Institute for Learning Partnership’s fall conference examines families and schools
Fostering a bond between schools and families will be a focus of the 12th annual Institute for Learning Partnership’s Fall Conference, Oct. 7-8 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson, a nationally recognized expert on culturally responsive instructional leadership, community partnerships and multicultural education, will be the keynote speaker for the conference, which will be held in the Phoenix Room of the University Union, 2420 Nicolet Drive.
The conference will open at 5:30 p.m. with a showcase by educators who will display their classroom research. All events, including the keynote speech, are free and open to the public.
“I think it’s important to emphasize that these presentations are not just for educators,” said Institute director Richard Schaal. “The keynote topic for the conference is Connecting Schools and Families: Culturally Responsive Parent and Family Involvement. That is a subject that is important to the entire community.”
An associate professor in education administration and human development at Texas A&M University, Webb-Johnson has been a professional educator for nearly four decades and is a frequent consultant to schools across the country. She was the keynote speaker at the 2009 Wisconsin Promise Conference.
“A Family Re-union: Culturally Responsive Engagement” will be the topic of Webb-Johnson’s keynote speech, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7. She will share research-supported strategies to engage families as true partners in children’s education.
At 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, Webb-Johnson will open a workshop for educators, students and others with a presentation on “Building Community: A Journey of Purposeful Family Engagement.” She will share methods for effectively involving families in the education of their children.
At 9:45 a.m. there will be several breakout sessions that participants are welcome to attend. Among the sessions:
• Race-ethnicity – Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson facilitator
• Instructional leadership – Joanne Metzler, Jefferson-Elementary School, Manitowoc, facilitator
• Community and business partnerships – Jennifer Grenke, CESA 8 parent educator, facilitator
Following a lunch break, Webb-Johnson and Carl Hasan will lead a parent panel where participants will share their own challenges and successes in working with their children. Parents from urban and rural communities will discuss how schools, communities and non-profit agencies can better support parents and children.
For more information about the conference contact Institute for Learning Partnership associate director Juliet Cole at (920) 465-5094; or at colej@uwgb.edu.
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