Absolutely incredible.  This workshop makes me want to go home and change the world.  I hope I can change myself first and be a model for my colleagues.  I highly recommend this workshop to all teachers in Connecticut.
Lisa M. Owens,
Bilingual Teacher Torrington Middle School

I highly recommend this institute to college professors training our future educators.
Ellen C. Cummings,
Adjunct Professor Mitchell College

This workshop provides the multiple lenses one needs to fully “see” their students in all their beautiful shades, shapes, sorrows and sensational talents.  Every teacher needs this workshop it’s more valuable than a grade book, red pen, ruler and calculator combined!  I loved this!  Best workshop I have ever taken.
     Joan Malerba-Foran
    Language Arts Teacher 
            Common Ground

All teachers should have the opportunity to spend a few days together and reflect on the issues we have had the opportunity to reflect upon. The time needed should be given/granted.
Nuria Vidal,
Education Advisor –
Consulate of Spain, New York City

I  found the workshop helped me synthesize multicultural education theory and I now have skills to move theory into practice.
Cindy Sammons,
Multicultural Consultant,
Chicago, IL

We all need to develop/change our ways of thinking about multicultural education and educating multiculturally, and this workshop had a great mix of theoretical and practical information and process. Philip Hall,
Middle School Teacher/Diversity Coordinator
The Wheeler School,
Providence RI

Wonderful learning experience. I was able to pick up a number of strategies and skills that I could use with my student teachers in helping them develop a multicultural approach
in their teaching.
Lucy Mule,
Assistant Professor,
Smith College,
Northampton, MA

Top quality program. A great value for personal and academic work.
Moses Stambler,
Program Social Worker,
Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, CT

The materials and positive manner that it was presented provides educators with a non-threatening means of bringing MCE to their colleagues and staff.
Jack Ceccolini,
Assistant Principal,
Rochambeau M.S.
Southbury, CT

This was one of the most interesting and certainly the most useful workshop I have attended in 25 years of teaching. I was sorry to see the workshop end. The books and handouts were relevant and will be utilized constantly.
Carol M. Carpenter,
Social Studies Teacher,
Mystic Middle School

This workshop is a must for any educator-teacher, administrator, parent, office supervisor – to understand how to create an environment that provides safety, acceptance, and freedom to
live and learn in our
ever-changing world.
Abbe Karmen,
MS History Teacher,
Greenwich Academy
Greenwich, CT

From the workshop I learned that the value of multicultural awareness will not be exclusively implemented in an educational curriculum, but to practice and share the same principles with our own
family members.
Ivonne Gigueroa,
Family Advocate Head Start, WECC –
Windham Public Schools
Windham, CT

This workshop is powerful and transforming! It not only teaches about and how to use multicultural education, but it also reaches each participant on a personal level, helping to inspire us on each of our own journeys –
Personal as well as professional.
Karianna Rosenberg,
Multi-Cultural Specialist Educator, Storyteller/ Spanish and
ESL Teacher

Through this in-service program I have developed a greater respect, knowledge and empathy for my fellow human beings who live on our tiny planet Earth.
Philip J. Insalaco,
Head Teacher -
Ken Gunderam Early Care and Education Center,
Taftville, CT

The active, hands-on approach is wonderful…sensitive sharing of personal stories helped us all open up…lively, animated games inspired us to do more with our own students. On top of this, the content and approach to multiculturalism is perfect!
Ruth Rose,
3rd Grade Teacher,
Madison-Island Ave. School
Madison, CT

All school staff should have these 3 days of enlightenment! In fact all people should! Many ideas were ones I’ve had for years, but this forced me to slow down to think about them more and have a very meaningful exchange with others. Barbara Carman,
South Elementary South,
Windsor Locks, CT

A very powerful tool to be used in our schools. I think every teacher should be exposed
to this workshop.
Armanzo Zarazu,
Spanish Teacher,
Torrington High School
Torrington , CT

Thank you for teaching me so much and for making me feel so welcomed!
Lupe Vivier,
4th Grade Home Room Teacher  The Wheeler School 
Providence, RI

It is a wonderful experience; it is a "real learning experience". During those three days I had the opportunity to think, and realized how important it is to be proud of our roots.
Carmen Martinez Rivera,
Bilingual Educator,
E.C. Goodwin

This workshop not only is helpful in creating a curriculum that is multicultural, but does so in a way that can be incorporated the next day. It also naturally created ways to have all of the subjects be fully integrated in a way that is meaningful and effective. It is done in such a way that will be easy for every educator- arts, academics, and support. etc., to implement naturally. "A whole new school without all the work!"
Kate Eskra,
Arts Integration Teacher, Interdistrict School For Arts and Communication
New London, CT

Incredibly relevant and timely topic accompanied by accessible materials and activities. This was a user-friendly workshop, I will implement throughout my years as an educator.
Michele Nunn,
Teacher Grade 7,
Dolan Middle School
Stamford, CT

 This multicultural curriculum workshop was one of the most valuable professional development experiences I've had. Everyone left changed and convinced there was some specific thing she could do. Thanks all of you, You made it a wonderful experience.
Anne Alpert,
Director,
Side by Side Community School
Norwalk, CT

         DEVELOPING A MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM

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About the Institute: Since 1995, more than 4,000 people have attended this nationally recognized training program – Developing a Multicultural Curriculum (DMC). Developed originally in 1994 under a federal grant, DMC was created to meet the needs of teachers wishing to learn more effective strategies to teach minority students but also schools that wanted a curriculum that would prepare all students for a diverse workforce and a global economy. The 1996 Connecticut school desegregation case, Sheff v O’Neill and the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2002 further highlighted the need for a curriculum that included more culturally responsive teaching strategies, as well as more content about different cultures.

Who should attend? Preschool educators and staff, elementary, middle and high school teachers; administrators and support personnel; student teachers, teacher educators, and members of the school community who want to support a culturally responsive curriculum while working toward eliminating bias and harassment in schools.

In order to obtain an Educator Identification Number (EIN), please contact your district’s HR Office or the Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification at the State Department of Education at (860) 713-6969 between noon-4 p.m. on M, T, TH or F or you may access the Connecticut Educator Certification System (CECS) online at:  www.sde.ct.gov; select Certification; select CECS; and then either 1) create an account using your full name and email address to register and obtain a User ID and Personal password; and then 2) Login to CECS to view EIN.

This procedure only applies to those holding Connecticut certification.

 

PRESENTERS

Dr. William A. Howe –

He is on the boards of several organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Making Diversity Count Advisory Board,  National Advisory Board STEM Equity Pipeline, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Welcoming Schools National Advisory Council, Native Village Board of Advisors, University of Connecticut  Asian American Studies Institute and the editorial board of Multicultural Perspectives, the official journal of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME).

He has been an educator for 35 years in the U.S. and Canada and has made seven trips to China and one to South Africa to study multicultural education.  In 2007 he made his first trip to Israel to study the Holocaust. He has given over 350 workshops, lectures and keynotes on diversity, multicultural education and organizational development. He is a regular presenter at state and national conferences, has appeared on both radio and television on diversity issues. Over the past fifteen years, he has trained over 14,000 educators in multicultural education.

He is coauthoring a textbook on multicultural education and was a coauthor of the Handbook for Achieving Gender Equity through Education, 2^nd Edition.

Kimberly Traverso, MS, LPC - Consultant for School Counseling Services and Programming, Connecticut State Department of Education.

Kim Traverso has 15 years of experience working as a professional school counselor, school counseling and admission director and an education program specialist. Currently, she is the Connecticut State Department of Education Consultant for School Counseling Services and Programming. She received her Masters of Science in Counselor Education from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. She worked on a national research project to study post traumatic stress disorder in women at SUNY-Buffalo in the Social Psychology Department. In addition, Kim is completing her sixth year in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University.
Kim is a board member for the Connecticut Association for Counselor Educators and Supervision (CACES) and the Connecticut School Counseling Association (CSCA). She designs and offers professional development programs for school counselors, directors and administrators concerning guidelines, best practices and appropriate and effective delivery of a comprehensive school counseling program model and program accountability which includes SRBI 3-Tier Framework for the comprehensive school-counseling program based on secondary school reform. She serves a vital role in maximizing student achievement across all domains (academic, personal/social and career to support school improvement initiatives and to be a leader in advocating for better outcomes for all students.

Additional, Kim developed and implemented a district-wide Beginning Teacher Mentor Support Program, a teacher recruitment/retention action plan and best practices for attracting, recruiting and hiring teachers, consultants and administrators. The systematic plan promoted reflective practices to build and sustain an equitable and diverse learning community to support teacher growth and to improve academic achievement and quality education for all students.
 

Jack Hasegawa – Education Manager, Connecticut State Department of Education and former member of the Connecticut Advisory Committee to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights. 

                                    

Dr. Maria F. Pacheco, Co-director of the New England Equity Assistance Center (NEEAC) and Director of Equity & Diversity Programs at The Education Alliance at Brown University.

Kimberly A. Shockley, B.A., M.A.
Director of Public Programs for the
Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research
Center, and certified Special Education Teacher
 

Course Objectives

Outline of the Institute

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, a new state-of-the-art, tribally owned-and-operated complex, brings to life the story of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and serves as a major resource on the history of the Tribe, the histories and cultures of other tribes, and the region's natural history.

Utilizing the latest in exhibit design and technology and based on years of discussion with Tribal members and scholarly research, the institution, with a total project cost of $193.4 million, presents multi-sensory dioramas and exhibits of eastern woodland and Mashantucket Pequot life. Films and videos, interactive programs, archival materials, ethnographic and archaeological collections, and commissioned works of art and traditional crafts by Native artisans are featured in the exhibits.

The 308,000-square-foot complex, whose research facility serves as a major resource for scholars and the general public on American and Canadian Native histories and cultures, is one of the most innovative and comprehensive centers of its kind in the United States.

Fun Things to do in Connecticut - many participants bring their families and make it a mini-vacation. Hartford, CT is centrally located and just 102 miles (90 minute drive) to Boston, 111 miles to New York City and about a 2 hour drive to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

 

 Comments from Past Participants

The workshop was wonderful.  I wish my whole school staff was here.  I’m going to encourage all of them to go to the next one. Rebecca Earl, Language Arts Teacher - Memorial Boulevard Middle School, Middletown, CT

The collaborative approach used throughout the workshop encouraged the sharing of multiple perspectives.  This was a wonderful experience to warm the heart, tickle the funnybone, and inspire the mind! Mary Gates, Grade 5 Teacher - Whisconier Middle School, Brookfield, CT

Absolutely fantastic workshop from the activities on day 1 to the movie “Color of Fear” on day 3 the program was outstanding.  The material presented was timely and practical.  The facilitator set an atmosphere that prompted an incredible honest, open dialogue.  It was a positive, enlightening experience.  It will change how I view multiculturalism forever.  Every teacher and administrator should take this workshop. Carol McMahon, Cranbury, CT

This workshop is like no other I have ever had the opportunity to experience.  We have a moral responsibility to hear and try to understand what needs to be said.  It will change your life. Maria Ierard, Department of Mental Retardation, West Region, CT

Wow! What a great workshop.  It was informative enlightening and fun.  I felt safe to share feelings and express opinions.  It was a great opportunity to network. Andrea Kelly, Program Coordinator -Kids Korner at Northern Middlesex YMCA

This workshop gave me many meaningful activities to use in my classroom.  I was able to learn new content in a non-threatening way.  Every teacher and administrator should attend this workshop! Christina Carmon, South Elementary School, CT

I feel charged to completely create my program to be truly multicultural.  I now have the tools to support my staff that they are a vital part in the students’ lives and what they learn in their journey to becoming “whole.”    I applaud you on how you created a safe environment in the first hour.  Terri Delahanty, Coordinator Extended Day Program - University of Hartford Magnet School

 This was a most exciting and enjoyable workshop. It was well paced and, as should be, quite diverse, especially the workshops staff. This should be a required workshop for all school staff. James Mays, Teacher, Adult Education-Hartford

 A liberating experience. I have great pride in having lived through these decades of change -I look forward to being an agent of change and looking for the gifts in all people. Merrilee Gladkosky, Art/Enrichment Specialist, Chester Elementary

  This was an absolutely inspiring, enlightening and affirming experience.  The content was applicable, the presenters excellent and the group phenomenal. Kathleen Marzano, Fourth Grade Teacher, Pine Grove School

 I believe that this workshop should be mandated by the state or town.  Even though I am a race/culture seminar facilitator and have a lot of experience in this area, I certainly needed this workshop to learn how to institutionalize multicultural curriculum into my school with the help of administration and other staff members.
Arlene Berkowitz, Teacher (ESL), Windham Middle School

  Excellent forum for discussion!  Eye opening in terms of teacher needs, perceptions and stumbling blocks and incorporating Multicultural Education across the curriculum.
Christine Smith Willett, Children's Reference Librarian, Mashantucket Pequot Museum Research Center

As a first year teacher, I feel this seminar will be extremely helpful in developing my personal teaching "style". Melissa J. Hoyt, Special Education Teacher, Plainfield Central Middle School