NAME is now accepting proposals for its 20th annual conference; teachers, professors, students, counselors, graduate students, administrators, community workers are all encouraged to submit a proposal. Multicultural education in the U.S. initially came into being during the early 1970s, over concerns that students of color in desegregated schools were not being taught to high academic levels, and that their ethnic cultures and histories were not being recognized in school as a basis for learning. At the twentieth anniversary of NAME, we find much the same situation in far too many schools, along with an urgency to expand conceptions of achievement and to situate the range of achievement gaps within a larger understanding of equity and power. Empowerment includes but also transcends closing achievement gaps; it speaks to intellectual empowerment as well as to cultural citizenship and agency and in diverse democracies.
Since the founding of NAME, it has become clear that empowerment of children and youth, and the urgency of addressing achievement gaps, dropout rates, and the larger equity issues within which they are embedded, includes marginalization on the basis of race, class, language, sexual orientation, gender, disability, and religion. In fact, rather than being separate and distinct communities, they overlap in complex ways, suggesting that teaching should be multiculturally responsive. Thus, meanings of empowerment and responsive teaching are context-dependent. Further, these issues transcend concerns within the U.S., inviting international dialog about diversity, equity, multiculturalism, and justice.
This NAME conference will focus on complexities and possibilities of culturally responsive praxis and research, and multicultural literacy and citizenship development, at levels P-20. We invite proposals that address this central issue from a variety of vantage points. For example, proposals might examine approaches that invigorate student learning and support students in viewing themselves as powerful learners. Proposals might analyze school-family relationships, or recognize outstanding programs in their schools. Proposals may synthesize, analyze, or critique existing research, or provide examples of compelling new collaborative research that links universities with P-12 teachers, and links multicultural education with evidence of student learning.Proposals could examine education policies through an equity lens. Proposals might examine the concept of educational leadership for multicultural education, and strategies that can open lines of communication, and build mutual commitment and respect among education leaders and faculty on behalf of equity for all students.
There are five types of conference sessions for which you can submit: regular concurrent sessions, mini-symposia, Founders Roundtables, poster sessions (primarily for graduate students), and international sessions. All sessions will be scheduled for 60 minutes. All sessions must address the conference theme.
Regular concurrent sessions focus on topics linked to the conference theme. Scheduled for Thursday through Saturday of the conference, these sessions address curriculum, special programs, innovative instructional methods, policy issues, or research projects. Concurrent sessions may be organized as short workshops, as presentations, as panels, or in other formats conducive to the presentation¹s focus. If the proposal is for a paper by a single presenter, it may be grouped with other related presentations at the same time in the same room.
Mini-symposia sessions should be conducted by presenter. They are held in a large meeting room with 8 or more round tables that seat 10 people each. The format encourages interaction among the presenter and participants. It also supports discussions about developing school and instructional programs and evolving research. New presenters and graduate students find this format helpful in gaining feedback on their work.
The Founders Roundtables provide a forum for educators, practitioners, researchers, students and others to dialogue with the Founders of NAME. Papers must focus on research theories and applications, research projects, curriculum materials, or instructional approaches/strategies. A selected number of papers will be analyzed for soundness, validity, and rationality as they pertain to multicultural education. Each session offers candid discussions of critical issues pertaining to a multicultural perspective. A written paper is required for the presentation. Copies of the final paper must be submitted a month before the conference to the Founders Roundtable Chair and should be available for distribution to participants during the presentation.Two Founders Roundtable sessions of 75 minutes each will be scheduled during the 2010 conference. Two papers will be presented at each of these sessions. Proposals that are not accepted for the Founders Roundtable will be considered for presentation as a regular concurrent session.
Posters will display research, best practices, novel approaches or current projects on a large, poster board. The poster session will allow for informal discussions and attendees to speak with the presenters on an individual basis in an intimate environment and interactive style. This format may lend itself especially to practitioners, students, and graduate students. All Poster Sessions will be located in the Conference Hotel Exhibit Hall. Presenters will be provided with a bulletin board and a supply of thumb tacks/push pins (you may want to bring extra). No audiovisual equipment will be provided. During the session time, presenters will remain with their posters to discuss their projects, research findings and/or novel approaches with attendees. Presenters are responsible for setting up their poster session (10 minutes before session begins) and removing it immediately following presentation.
NAME has long recognized that valuable perspectives on and programs for multiculturalism exist throughout the world. As a result, NAME encourages sessions devoted to the theme of multiculturalism in an international context.An international session should address issues of diversity and multiculturalism outside of the U.S.A.
Please be prepared to enter the following information:
Conference presenters are volunteers and are not compensated for their presentations or travel. The program policies listed below apply to all organizers, authors, panelists, moderators, discussants, and other session participants.
NAME encourages all supporters of multicultural education and educational equity to submit a proposal for the annual conference. The Proposal Review Committee is charged with selecting a balance of proposals that best addresses the conference theme and levels of expertise. All presenters are encouraged to hold membership in NAME.
The vitality of NAME flows from its diverse membership. Thus, it is NAME¹s policy to ensure presentations by and about diverse ethnic, racial, gender, language, religious, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, disability, and geographic groups. Presentations by teachers, school administrators, community activists, government and organization officials, higher education faculty, and others interested in the conference theme are encouraged. Students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) and international scholars, practitioners, and activists are also encouraged to submit proposals.
To guarantee being listed in the annual conference program, all presenters must register for the meeting by September 15, 2010. This policy includes anyone who is listed in the program as a presenter, co-presenter, panelist, moderator, or other participant in the session.
Individuals may submit multiple proposals, but only one proposal per lead presenter for each type of session will be accepted. A presenter can be a co-presenter in other sessions, but a lead presenter in only one session.
Presenters are encouraged to creatively use transparencies, slides, PowerPoint, video, handouts, and other visual aids. However, presenters are responsible for ordering and paying for all AV equipment. NAME will NOT provide any AV equipment. An AV order form will be included with the acceptance letter.
Presenters are encouraged to consider formats in which the audience can actively participate or there is opportunity for discussion. Workshop formats usually involve participants in related activities. Presenters of papers should use part of the time to present their main ideas, or research findings, and leave plenty of time for discussion.
Proposals will be reviewed by at least three readers using the following criteria:
