William Paterson University to hold 34th Annual Bilingual/ESL Conference Dec. 5

A conference designed to explore the best way to meet the educational needs of language-minority students will be held on Friday, Dec. 5 at William Paterson University.

The event, “The 34th Annual Bilingual/ESL Conference: ‘Forging an Upward Path: The Access of English Language Learners to Higher Education,’” will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the University’s building at 1600 Valley Road in Wayne. The fee is $135; $121.50 for William Paterson alumni; and $15 for current William Paterson students, faculty and staff. Food and materials are included.

Currently, English language learners graduating from US secondary schools lag far behind their English-proficient peers in their access to college and degree attainment. While almost half of native-speaking students advance directly to four-year colleges and universities upon high school graduation, only 19 percent of English language learners do so. This conference explores diverse barriers, both educational and familiar, that render the pathway to higher education exceedingly difficult.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Yasuko Kanno, an associate professor in the College of Education at Temple University. Her interests are focused onlinguistic-minority students’ recognition of educational opportunities within instructional settings.

In addition, the conference will include a series of workshops for ESL/bilingual professionals on a variety of topics. Workshops are planned for three concurrent sessions beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m. Topics include: “Fixing Broken Joints: Aligning High School and College Language,” a workshop that compares common core standards with typical college entry requirements, and the frequent misalignment in the actual written samples produced by high school graduates.

Launched in 1981, the conference is recognized as one of the most comprehensive language education forums in New Jersey. This year’s event is sponsored by William Paterson University’s Bilingual/ESL Graduate Program, Department of Languages and Cultures, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Education, and Center for Continuing and Professional Education.

Over the course of its 34 years, this conference has been highly recognized as one of the most stimulating language education forums in the U.S. This success stems from its commitment to exploring the best ways of meeting the educational needs of language-minority students. The conference continues to offer access to in-depth, applied research and up-to-date pedagogical techniques. Topics and thought-provoking plenary sessions sharpen the language professional’s mind for pedagogical insight.

For more information, contact the Center for Continuing and Professional Education at 973-720-2354.