CS² Meeting: Reconsidering School Policies and Practices in a Multicultural Context with presenter Dr. Sonia Nieto
December 13, 2006
Sturbridge Host Hotel
Sturbridge, MA
Purpose
The Massachusetts CS² network, currently comprised of 9 school districts, is increasingly focused on promoting initiatives, programs and community connections that increase the high school graduation rate and incorporate proven drop out prevention strategies. In order to support this work, Commonwealth Corporation, the statewide intermediary organization that provides professional development and technical assistance to the CS² network, convenes a statewide network of entrepreneurs and various connected community partners, for at least four gatherings each year, to provide training and professional development around cutting edge research, content and promising practices that support CS²'s mission.
This particular event provided an opportunity for the participants to learn from an internationally respected author and academic, as she discussed issues related to how multicultural education can be used as a comprehensive lens when reconsidering school policies and practices, as part of a wider school reform effort.
Desired Outcomes for CS² Symposium
Build upon previous knowledge regarding issues of cultural proficiency, minority student achievement, and school reform.
Develop a greater understanding of multicultural education, including how the key components can be implemented in various educational communities, so that CS² sites and other leaders can develop programming and build community connections that are more equitable, culturally responsive, and academically engaging.
Essential Question
If we were guaranteed success at transforming our schools and districts into multicultural and culturally competent systems:
Dr. Sonia Nieto is Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy, and Culture, School of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she attended the New York City public schools and, later, St. John’s University, where she received a B.S. in Elementary Education. She then attended the New York University Graduate Program in Spain where she was awarded an M.A. in Spanish and Hispanic Literature. A junior high school teacher of English and Spanish in Ocean Hill Brownsville, Brooklyn, she then became a fourth grade teacher at P.S. 25 in the Bronx, the first completely bilingual school in the Northeast and one of the first in the country to be funded by the new Title VII Program. Her first position in higher education was as an instructor in the Puerto Rican Studies Department at Brooklyn College, where she worked in a joint program with the School of Education in bilingual education. Moving to Massachusetts with her family to pursue a doctoral degree in 1975, she received her Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts, with specializations in curriculum studies and multicultural and bilingual education.
For more background on Dr. Nieto and to view her PowerPoint presentation, click here.
Dr. Sonia Nieto