2008 Annual MSAN Conference

Designing an Equitable Future: Transforming Innovation into Practice

June 25-26, 2008
Madison, Wisconsin

Co-hosted by the Madison Metropolitan School District

Conference Presentations

June 25, 2008

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work in multicultural studies, culturally relevant pedagogy, and critical race theory has produced many critically acclaimed books including The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children and Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms. She has also written numerous book chapters and scholarly articles published in journals such as Teachers College Record, Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal of Teacher Education, Education & Urban Society, and Qualitative Inquiry. Gloria Ladson-Billings served as the Interim Executive Director of the Minority Student Achievement Network from 2006-2007. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.

Dr. John Diamond is a sociologist of education who focuses on how race, ethnicity, and social class intersect with school leadership, practices, and policies to shape the educational opportunities and outcomes of children. His recent research includes a four-year study of urban school leadership (The Distributed Leadership Study); an examination of the implications of social class for African-American parents' educational participation; a study of race, social class, and student achievement in suburban schools; and a study of the development and diffusion of teachers' expectations of students. For the last study, Diamond was the recipient of a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. In addition to the NAE/Spencer Fellowship, he has received research awards from the National Science Foundation and the American Educational Research Association/Institute for Education Sciences. Diamond has a B.A. in sociology and political science from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.

June 26, 2008

Dr. Ronald Ferguson is an economist and Senior Research Associate at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and has taught at Harvard since 1983. His teaching and publications cover a variety of issues related to education and economic development. Much of his research since the mid-1990s has focused on racial achievement gaps, appearing in publications of the National Research Council, the Brookings Institution, and the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to various books and scholarly journals. He participates in a variety of consulting and policy advisory activities, including work with school districts on closing achievement gaps. He is the creator and Director of the Tripod Project for School Improvement and is also the Faculty Co-Chair and Director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. Ferguson earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a PhD from MIT, both in economics. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.

Pre-Conference Workshops (open to non-MSAN districts)

Focusing on Closing the Achievement Gap for Latino/a Students

Dr. Aída Walqui joined WestEd in 1999 to initiate the Teacher Professional Development Program. As Director she is responsible for collaborating with ongoing WestEd teacher professional development efforts and leading the evolution of an organizational commitment to supporting teachers throughout their careers. Previously, Walqui taught in the Division of Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the School of Education at Stanford University, where she coordinated the Cross-Cultural, Linguistic, and Academic Development emphasis in the STEP program. She has also taught in other universities in Peru, Mexico, England, and the United States. Dr. Walqui has authored several books on various topics and a number of articles in journals and edited volumes. A native of Peru, Walqui received her Licenciatura in Literature from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru. She holds an MA in sociolinguistics from Georgetown University; and a PhD in language, literacy, and culture from Stanford University. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation (in PDF format).

Vision into Reality—Inclusive, Collaborative, and Culturally Responsive Schools

Dr. Colleen Capper is Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published extensively in the area of leadership, equity, and social justice, including four books and many refereed journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. Her publications include the co-authored books Leading for social justice: Transforming schools for all learners (2007, Corwin Press), Meeting the needs of students of all abilities: How to lead beyond inclusion (2nd edition, in press, Corwin Press). In 2007, she was honored as the Master Professor of the Year from the University Council for Educational Administration. She has served as a special education teacher, administrator of special programs, and founding director of a non-profit agency for preschool children and adults with disabilities in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. She works with educators in school districts across the country on ways to transform their schools into integrated, socially just communities. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.

Dr. Jack Jorgensen has devoted the past 33 years of his professional career to creating inclusive, collaborative and culturally responsive systems that are responsive to the needs of students with disabilities. His multi-faceted work in the field of special education has spanned a variety of roles including special education teacher, consultant, co-author on numerous professional articles and book chapters, presenter at national and state conferences, university instructor, and his current position as Executive Director for the Department of Educational Services with the Madison Metropolitan School District. Throughout his tenure in public education, Jack has remain steadfastly committed to creating and sustaining systems that support the delivery of quality instruction and services in the least restrictive environment. Over the past 10 years, he has received national attention for the work he is leading in the Madison Metropolitan School District to create culturally responsive, inclusive and high performing classrooms. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation.

Thanks to the Conference Sponsors