The Indiana Black Expo Statewide Education Conference will enrich attendees with this year’s theme of “Resilient Communities: Persistence in Academic Excellence from Cradle to Career.”
This year’s conference during Expo’s Summer Celebration will seek to provide teachers, administrators and others concerned with education with resources, best practices and professional development training specifically regarding cultural competence.
The conference will aim to prepare the teaching force to effectively work with a diverse student population and educate them on the need to increase the representation of teachers of color within schools.
The event will take place in the Sagamore Ballroom of the Indiana Convention Center July 16 and 17.
The conference will feature Geoffrey Canada, the president and CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone Inc., as the keynote speaker. In his 20-plus years with Harlem Children’s Zone Inc., Canada has become nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem and as a passionate advocate for education reform.
The conference will also feature a panel, which will include Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, who will discuss an education crisis taking place regarding the possibility of the state taking over some underperforming public schools.
On July 16, conference pre-registration will begin at 3 p.m. with the conference program and the keynote address taking place at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. there will be a private reception.
On July 14 registration will begin at 7 a.m. Workshop Session I will begin at 10 a.m. and will feature presentations such as “Implementation of the K-12 Cultural Competency Action Plan” by Patricia Payne, the director of the Indianapolis Public Schools Crispus Attucks Center.
Workshop Session II will begin at 2:15 p.m. and will include presentations such as “A Bold New Approach to Education Reform” by the Mind Trust and “What’s Black Got to Do With It?” by the African-American Male Equity Project.
Prior to the Education Conference, on July 14 there will be a Circle City Classic College Readiness Workshop. The workshop will be open to all high school students, parents and guardians, and will cover the college admissions process and etiquette topics on “The Art of Introductions, Business Manners for Job Interviewees and more.” There will also be a scholarship drawing at the conclusion of the workshop for students who participate in the entire event and are entering their senior year.
The College Readiness Workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center, Rooms 201 through 204. There is no cost for the event and lunch will be provided at the event’s conclusion.
The ticket cost for the Statewide Education Conference is $125. Registration for the event is required. For more information, visit indianablackexpo.com/IBEConf or call (317) 925-2702.
