National symposium at the University of Nebraska at Omaha hosted by the Buffett Institute and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Open to educators, policymakers, researchers, philanthropists, community leaders, and others.
The one-day event will concentrate on several critical issues raised in a recent report from the National Academies. The report, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures, examines the research evidence about learning English from early childhood through high school, identifies effective practices for educators to use, and recommends steps policymakers can take to support high-quality educational outcomes for children and youth whose first language is not English.
The conference will focus on children from birth through Grade 3. Ruby Takanishi, report co-editor and senior research fellow, Education Policy Program at New America, will give an overview of the report. Plenary sessions led by local and national experts will focus on research, practice, workforce, and policy dimensions as they affect the lives of young English learners.
Featured national presenters include Eugene Garcia, professor of education emeritus, Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, Arizona State University; Cristina Gillanders, associate professor, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado, Denver; Delia Pompa, senior fellow for education policy, Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Marlene Zepeda, professor emeritus, Department of Child and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Los Angeles.
Featured Nebraska presenters include Linda Hix, director of federal programs, Lincoln Public Schools; Cheryl Logan, incoming superintendent, Omaha Public Schools; Dekow Sagar, coordinator of the International Center of the Heartland, Lutheran Family Services; Michelle Suarez, early childhood developer, Prosper Lincoln; and Stephanie Wessels, associate professor, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.