What do I do when my students say, "That’s so gay!"? In this basic workshop, participants will explore the issue of homophobia, how it manifests in schools, and how it affects gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students as well as heterosexual youths who do not conform to traditional gender stereotypes. Participants will also discuss some tools they can use to begin addressing it.

David M. Orphal, Zoe Barnum High School and Humboldt State University.

(Dis)Empowering Standards: Hegemony as the Standard within the New Jersey Social Studies Curriculum Framework

The New Jersey Social Studies Curriculum Framework provides model lessons that are intended for use within the social studies classroom and are based on New Jersey's social studies standards. These lessons contain language and curriculum examples that reflect a hegemonic ideology that obscures our historical legacy of oppression and continued domination.

Mark R. Davies, Hartwick College.

Reconfiguring Pre-service Elementary Teacher Preparation: Competencies for Anti-Oppressive Educators?

This presentation focuses on the reconfiguration of preparation for pre-service elementary school teachers so that dispositions towards anti-oppressive educational concepts and practices may be examined and explored. The presentation poses a suggestive framework of dispositions and competencies for both teacher educators and elementary teachers in the field of Social Studies education.

Colin Green, George Washington University.

Building Relationship and Community through Sharing Story

StoryLines for Literacy is a participatory workshop that employs story telling, story creation, and theatre games. It offers opportunities to explore cultural heritages, build relationships between class members, and contribute to the creating community. This presentation will describe how the workshop has been used in varying educational settings and offer ideas for teachers to apply in their own teaching situations.

Annie Smith, University of British Columbia, Canada

Why Social Justice Educators Must Engage Science in All of Our Classrooms

Analyzing her social-foundations courses, the presenter explores the relationship between social justice pedagogies and scientific knowledge, and suggests a framework for social justice teachers and students to challenge the authority of science--both inside and outside the classroom--as part of their ongoing projects to challenge oppressions and to create a more just and equitable world.

Jane Lehr, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Affirming Education Equality in Math and Science Classes

This workshop presents examples of instructional activities and teaching strategies used in math and science methods courses to help teacher-education candidates develop essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes aiming towards education equality in their classrooms. We also reflect on some of the lessons we have learned from our experiences.

Hui-Ju Huang, California State University, Sacramento.

Julita G. Lambating, California State University, Sacramento.

"One Night": Poetry as a Shared Experience

This session looks at June Jordan's Poetry for the People program and describes how high school students can be influenced by its sociopolitical and critical stance on poetry. A short documentary about the program and one focal student's written/visual poetry will be featured. Implications for teachers and teacher educators will be discussed.

Korina M. Jocson, University of California, Berkeley.

Working against Discrimination through Educational Videos: A Latin American Experience

A selection from a series of educational videos on discrimination and difference will be presented and discussed. They address issues of identity and difference at several levels: personal histories, youth cultures, national identities, and the history of schooling in Latin America.

Inés Dussel, Latin American School for the Social Sciences (FLACSO), Argentina.

In this session, participants will analyze an emotionally charged encounter (as described in the book, Taking It Personally) between Sekani and the racially diverse pre-service teachers enrolled in a state-mandated diversity course, and students' written responses to it. Our intention is to share and examine our views about the dynamics of classroom racial crises and alternative ways to respond to them.

Ann Berlak, San Francisco State University.

Sekani Moyenda, Rosa Parks Elementary School.

Plenary Session
1:45-3:15

Educational leaders in the state of California share different perspectives on the new state requirements for teacher certification and their implications for the assessment of preservice teachers and accreditation of preparation programs. What are the complex ways that these requirements both help and hinder our efforts to prepare teachers to teach towards social justice? Confirmed speakers include:

Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Teaching and Teacher Education, Stanford University, and Faculty Sponsor, Stanford Teacher Education Program. Darling-Hammond is currently coordinating a statewide initiative to produce a Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT). She is author of the recently published book, The Right to Learn: A Blueprint for Creating Schools that Work.

Jo Ann Isken, Faculty Advisor, Teacher Education Program, University of California, Los Angeles, and Instructor, Loyola Marymount University. Isken has published and presented broadly on urban teacher education, English literacy, and educational administration. She is Principal of Moffett Elementary School, a California Distinguished School.

Eric Rofes, Assistant Professor and Program Leader, Elementary Education, Humboldt State University, and Chair, North Coast Education Summits. Rofes researches and teaches in a wide range of areas, including skills for community organizing, effects of charter schools on public school districts, and HIV/AIDS-related issues. He is author of the pioneering book, Socrates, Plato, and Guys Like Me: Confessions of a Gay Schoolteacher.

Breakout Session # 5
3:30-5:30

Teaching for Social Justice in Elementary Classrooms

What does it mean to teach for social justice with young children in an age-appropriate, meaningful way? This participatory workshop will focus on strategies for using children's literature, music, and activities to deal with issues of exclusion, teasing, and racism with young children. Appropriate for those who work with elementary level students or teachers in any capacity.

Mara Sapon-Shevin, Syracuse University.

Searching for a Space: Diverse Learners as Border Crossers

Participants will learn about Border Crossers, an educational program that brings together young students from segregated neighborhoods to explore issues of discrimination, inequality, and social justice. Participants will engage in the program curriculum and debrief by discussing what it means to create a space where students from diverse backgrounds can successfully learn about social justice issues.

Sachi Feris, Border Crossers.

The Beverly Hillbillies: But It's Just Entertainment!

The session will present an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies and critique it from an interpersonal oppression perspective. The format is intended to be interactive, closing with an activity designed to assess our personal capacity to recognize oppression and violence.

J. Cynthia McDermott, California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Family Diversity 101: How to Talk to K-6 Students about Different Family Structures

This workshop will give teachers and other adults who work with children the tools they need to talk about important family diversity topics. It will feature the video documentary, "That's a Family!," and will give an overview of activities that encourage age-appropriate discussion about race, sexual orientation, adoption, divorce and separation, guardianship, and single-parent households.

Bob Kim, Women's Educational Media.

Who are We When We Teach?: Personal and Professional Ideologies of Teacher Practice

This study investigates four elementary classroom teachers' personal and professional ideologies as reflected in their practice of teaching. Based on classroom observations and interviews, their professional practice and personal views of their practice reveal a marked personal/professional ideological tension and dissonance with regard to practice.

Antonella Cortese, Laboratory for Comparative Human Cognition at University of California, San Diego and MiraCosta College.

Teacher Power under Surveillance: Acts of Subtle and Not-so-Subtle Resistance

Designed for feedback, this session shares findings about the ways K-8 teachers resisted accountability policies in the state of Washington. Using Michel Foucault's thoughts on surveillance, this study simultaneously describes teachers' power, and yet, seeks ways to transform their power into a more systematic, collective, and liberatory project.

P. Taylor Webb, University of Washington, Bothell.

InterSECTions: The Influence of Religious Experiences on Education and Moral Development

This session will share on-going research on the influence of religious experiences on moral development and how that affects the experience of formal schooling as a morally charged endeavor. Participants will be encouraged to explore their own experiences along with those of other educators inclined towards social justice.

Jason Nelson, University of Washington.

What is the "Science" and Who are the "All": Queer Renderings of Science Education

This session engages in a critical deconstruction of the popular reformist mantra, "science for all," and draws on queer theories as it demonstrates how the seemingly broad-based and inclusive categories of "science" and "all" function as much to maintain the status quo as they do to up-end or challenge it. The presenter draws on his own practices in preservice teacher education.

Will Letts, Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Performance: Teaching through Spokenword
6:00-7:00

A Mic and Dim Lights Alumni Poets

	A Mic and Dim Lights Alumni Poets are a collective of poets from the second largest and one of the longest-running weekly poetry venues in California. Our poets have performed on HBO's Def Poetry, BET, and Los Angeles National Slam Teams, as well as at venues throughout the United States. Inspired by our experiences and influenced by life's contradictions, we combine original spokenword and song with a distinctive blend of politics, reality, fantasy, comedy, spirituality, and love. Our mission is to awaken thought and promote dialogue through spokenword.
	Abbye Jo Atkinson is a singer/songwriter whose sincerity and realness are palbable. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Los Angeles's infamous San Fernando Valley during the 80s and 90s, she's become a fixture on the burgeoning spokenword scene in Los Angeles. Her earthy tones coupled with the raw emotion of her lyrics are a testament to her belief that music is a healing force that accompanies us as we make our way through life. She was recently featured on college radio's KUCR in Riverside, CA, and is currently touring colleges in Southern California.
	Besskepp (Cory Cofer) is a 27-year old quick-witted-beetnik60’s-hiphop80’s-conscious poet raised on Langston Hughes and Public Enemy. Tackling socio-political and racial issues with an animated grace, his poetry addresses equal rights, diversity, single-parent families, the importance of education, and the ways hip hop culture affects our society. His first CD, Bluze Langwij, has just been released. Besskepp is a special-education and health teacher at a school that voted him Teacher of the Year for 2001-2002. He is the host of A Mic & Dim Lights.
	Bomani (Charles Watson) has been performing spokenword for the past decade. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he first began performing as co-founder of the spokenword trio, Six Feet Deep. His spokenword encompasses a unique blend of social-politics, reality, fantasy, and love. Bomani is featured on the CD, Soul Unseen: Urban Contemporary Music Series, Volume 1. He played "Em" in the staged production, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. He currently resides in Los Angeles and is working on several spokenword projects and his own CD.
	Gia Scott-Heron has been writing and performing for the majority of her life. From the age of 10, she has written lyrics to over 40 songs, more than 100 poems, and the award-winning essay, Hair and Hair Politics in the African-American Community. After graduating with honors from Pitzer College, Gia has performed at numerous poetry venues, including the Buttafly Lounge and Spreadin’ Love-N-Spoken Words, and recently won an open-mic contest at Fais Do Do. Gia currently lives in Los Angeles and hopes to put out a collection of her works, record a CD, and sell songs to other artists.
	Manchild (Everett Vigil) has a name that fuses being a responsible adult with having a passionate need to continue living out childhood dreams. He uses his poetry as a form of therapy to enlighten, educate, and encourage youth to express themselves through the arts. As a Mexican American in today’s society, Manchild utilizes his talents as a writer to dispel common stereotypes and misinformation surrounding his culture. At present, he is producing a multi-media DVD that documents the spokenword scene in the "Inland Empire" and Los Angeles.
	Mark Gonzales is one of the few French-Mexican poets born in Alaska you'll ever know. He relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado after high school, and co-founded the spokenword collective, The Non-Prophet Poets. Aimed at aiding at-risk and underprivileged youth, the collective emphasized self-expression as a means of self-actualization. Mark was a member of the Long Beach National Slam Team, which was the 2001 West Coast Slam Champions. He is an advocate of art as activism, and is currently working on his B.A. at the University of California, Riverside.