In June of 2007, the
Pennsylvania
Department of Education (
PDE
) and Penn State Harrisburg-English as a Second Language (
ESL
) Specialist and Leadership Certificate Program, co-sponsored the first statewide
ESL
conference in
Harrisburg
,
Pennsylvania
. National researchers, state policy makers, and local educational entities were presenters at the conference, which included a research symposium resulting in a subsequent publication of proceedings, as well as plenary sessions and workshops. Almost 400 people attended the conference from across
Pennsylvania
, including
Erie
and
Philadelphia
. The audience consisted of P-12 educators, higher education administrators and faculty, heads of non-profit organizations, government officials, and national researchers in the field of second language learners, as well as parents and community members.
As a result of this very successful effort,
PDE
and Penn State Harrisburg in conjunction with the Center for Schools and Communities will be holding the second annual conference August 11-13, 2008, at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel. The 2008 conference will be entitled
Multiple Cultures, Multiple Voices: Preparing Diverse Learners in the Era of Globalization
and will emphasize the following themes:
-
Shaping the educational landscape to respond to a global marketplace;
-
Strengthening business, community, and educational partnerships for life long success; and,
-
Increasing knowledge and understanding regarding the value and importance of a linguistically and culturally diverse society.
Please click on the eslportalpa link under the Multiple Cultures, Multiple Voices: PA ESL Conference link located on the right hand side of your screen to register and to find out more information concerning this conference.
Background on eslportalpa
eslportalpa is the Center for Schools and Communities Web-based application portal for English as a Second Language (ESL) resources. This portal is maintained in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Penn State University – Harrisburg and is a single front door to online information for educators, pupil personnel staff and community service providers who work with English Language Learner students and their families.
eslportalpa provides easy and more direct access to ESL resources and services such as registering for upcoming professional development training opportunities and conferences, state directed training information, browsing the clearinghouse of resources, reading news, reviewing ESL research and locating newly released publications, finding quick links to other ESL sites, searching the web and more.
