News Release

College partners to present ESL symposium

July 10, 2008

Penn State Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Center for Schools and Communities are partnering to present a free research symposium August 12 in Harrisburg aimed at enhancing education and employment for English language and bilingual learners.

The event is structured to be of interest to education researchers, school administrators and teachers, school board members, ESL content and migrant educators, legislators and policy-makers, workforce development personnel, and parents.

Entitled “Effective Transitioning of English Language and Bilingual Learners,” the symposium will be conducted in conjunction with the 2008 statewide ESL conference, “Multiple Cultures, Multiple Voices: Preparing Diverse Learners in an Era of Globalization.”

The 1 to 5 p.m. symposium is free and open to the public while there is a $75 fee to attend the Aug. 11 to 13 conference. Both events will be at the Harrisburg Hilton, 1 N. Second St. For information and registration, visit the web at www.eslportalpa.info .

The symposium will explore effective instructional and curricular practices, policies, models, and programs that lead to successful educational and employment transitions for ESL and bilingual learners.

Invited presenters who will share their knowledge and experiences during the symposium include:

• Dr. Eugene Garcia, vice president for education partnerships, Arizona State University;
• Dr. Carol Scheffner Hammer, associate professor of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Penn State University Park;
• Dr. Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center, Harrisburg;
• Dr. Beatrice Adera, assistant professor of special education, Penn State Harrisburg;
• Amanda Bergson–Shilcock, director of intake and operations, Welcome Center for New Pennsylvanians, Philadelphia;
• Dr. Robert Garraty, executive director, Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board, Harrisburg; and
• Scott Sheeley, executive director, Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board.

The moderator will be recently retired Penn State Harrisburg Assistant Professor of Community Systems and Afro-American Studies Clemmie Gilpin.