CLASE Home
What's New
First Triennial Conference on Latino Education and Immigrant Integration a Success!
CLASE hosted the first triennial Conference on Latino Education and Immigrant Integration at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education October 26-28, 2009. This national research and policy conference, co-sponsored by the National Latino Educational Research Agenda Project, focused on issues of best practices, policy, and research related to the Latino educational achievement gap, immigration and education, and related topics. Over 330 participants attended from across the country; featured presenters included Latina educational activist Sylvia Mendez as well as noted educational researchers Luis Moll (University of Arizona), Alejandro Portes (Princeton), and Angela Valenzuela (UT-Austin). Keynote videos are being prepared, and additional information and archived presentations will be available on the conference website.
CLASE Co-Hosts White House Initiative Community Conversation
The White House Initiative Community Conversation on Latino Education, organized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, is holding an event at the Latin American Association on Friday, Nov. 13, in collaboration with CLASE and LAA. Information from these sessions will be recorded, collected and used for the presidential executive order that will govern the White House Initiative. For more information or to RSVP please contact Dr. Paula Mellom at pjmellom@uga.edu.
GATESOL Recognizes CLASE Faculty
Two CLASE faculty were honored at the September 2009 Southeast Regional TESOL meetings, hosted by Georgia TESOL. CLASE Assistant Director Dr. Paul Matthews was presented the 2009 Professional Service Award for “outstanding service to the profession of teaching English to speakers of other languages.” Additionally, Dr. Paula Mellom, CLASE’s research scientist, was elected by the membership as a new member of the GATESOL executive board.
Online Course Available on Working with ELLs
A 1–PLU fully online course developed by CLASE is now available for enrollment. "Supporting English language learners in schools and classrooms: What every educator should know" provides an introduction to the knowledge base that teachers, counselors and principals need to work effectively with K–12 students who are English learners. This course is hosted by the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, and is available for registration at participants’ own scheduling beginning July 2009. $129; one PLU/CEU. To register, or for more information, Please click here.
CLASE announces the release of Vol. 2 Issue 2 of "CLASE NOTES," our newsletter with information about recent initiatives, people, and projects at CLASE. Download and read the current volume here! See CLASE Research & Publications for archived issues.
Paul Matthews receives 2009 COE Faculty Diversity Award
CLASE Assistant Director & Outreach Coordinator was presented the inaugural College of Education Faculty Diversity Award at the Spring COE awards banquet. This award recognizes "faculty members whose research, teaching and/or service promotes a more diverse local, university and/or global community." Dr. Matthews has an extensive record of service, outreach, teaching and research related to the education of Latino and English–learning students on campus and statewide.
SALSA Steps to College in Clarke County
CLASE is sponsoring the "Summer Academy for Language, Science, and Aspirations" (SALSA) program in summer 2009. This four–week program (May 26 – June 18) is for 40 rising 9th and 10th graders and will focus on applied science and academic English development, learning about colleges and how to prepare for college, and other fun and educational activities. This program is based on the highly successful CLASE Steps to College program implemented previously in Gwinnett County. Participant costs are covered by CLASE, by a grant from the UGA Office of the Vice President for Public Service & Outreach, and by CCSD ESOL and Migrant Education. See the attached form in English and Spanish for more information.
CLASE Receives Grant Support
To date in 2008, CLASE is proud to have been awarded multiple grants to help carry out its research, outreach, and professional development. These grant funds allow us to leverage our resources and activities locally and state-wide. The awards include:-$20,000 from the Home Depot Foundation's "Building Community" awards, supporting CLASE's community engagement
-$9,835 from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund-University of Georgia University Alliance grant program, to support follow-up work with the Steps to College participants, including a marine science component at UGA's Skidaway Island facility
-$27,539 from the Title II/Part A Higher Education Improving Teacher Quality higher education grants program for professional development improving content-area instruction of secondary English language learners;
-$4,961 from the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach "Latino Students and the Educational Pipeline" grants program, for assessing the 2008 Gwinnett "Steps to College" summer enrichment program for high schoolers;
-$1,500 from the UGA Parents and Families Association for supporting CLASE's tutoring outreach engaging university students with English-learning children in local schools.
Health Communication Video Briefings Released
CLASE and the Southern Center for Communication, Health and Poverty at UGA have released a second DVD and series of video briefings targeting public health information officers and risk communicators, to help prepare them to communicate health and emergency information with Latino/Hispanic populations. The newest release, “Developing Web-Based Communication for Latino Audiences,” includes seven video clips featuring Silvia Salazar of the National Cancer Institute, with topics including best practices, cultural relevance in website design, and language/translation issues.
These videos join the prior resources on “Building Liaisons with Latino Communities” whose fifteen video clips, filmed on campus with an expert panel and studio audience, include background information on Latino cultural groups, cultural competency, and strategies for effective communication.
Tutoring and MentoringCLASE coordinates opportunities for UGA students to tutor and mentor Athens-area Latino K-12 students. Since Fall 2004, hundreds of university students have provided tutoring and social and academic support at venues such as the Pinewood Library branch, Garnet Ridge Boys & Girls Club, and Oasis Católico Santa Rafaela, as well as at local schools including Fowler Drive and Chase Street Elementary Schools . University participants are able to receive academic credit for their service learning via a class by CLASE Co-Director Dr. Paul Matthews, but more importantly, they gain direct, hands-on experience with Latino students and families, helping dispel stereotypes and prepare them for serving a diverse Georgia upon graduation. To learn more about these programs, visit www.coe.uga.edu/clase/tutoring/
Archived News and Announcements
|
|
 |