Current Events

Announcement of 2010 - 2011 Theme

The College of Education Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee is happy to announce its 2011 - 2012 theme

Disability as Diversity

Why does “Disability as Diversity” matter?

The “Disability as Diversity” theme is inspired by the stated mission of Penn State’s Disability Studies program, which considers the social, experiential, and symbolic meaning of bodily and mental disabilities. The key goal of the “Disability as Diversity” theme is to examine and provoke discussion about the values and assumptions involved in the various explanatory models of disability (e.g., medical, social, cultural, and historical).  The work of the DCEC on this theme will help to promote an understanding of disability is a natural part of human diversity.  Specifically, the theme of “Disability as Diversity” will strive to promote an understanding of that diversity in all its various representations expands and enriches all our lifeworlds.  Finally the “Disability as Diversity” theme would attempt to question the illusion of the perfected body/mind, and to argue that a just and inclusive society must provide for the full and equal social participation of all individuals, regardless of their place in the continuum of abilities and disabilities.
Some efforts under consideration for our year-long effort:

• National and local speakers
• Provide an on-going forum for Penn State Disability Studies program affiliate faculty and others interested in the issue to discuss current work on issues related to disability and diversity
• Facilitate training and awareness for students, staff, and faculty on issues of disability and diversity
• Collection and advertisement of resources about disabilities to support teachers, counselors, principles and others engaged in education
• Advocacy work to bring access to virtual spaces up-to-date and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

We will be announcing events beginning in the Fall.  Anyone -- STAFF, STUDENTS, OR FACULTY -- with interest in this topic should consider joining the DCEC to work on this important issue.

Past Events

Wretches & Jabberers

April 24, 2012

Wretches & Jabberers chronicles the international advocacy work of Larry Bissonette and Tracy Thresher, individuals on the autism spectrum who were at one time considered “retarded” and who now use facilitated communication.

Wretches and Jabberers (from www.wretchesandjabberers.org)

Dr. Douglas Biklen Talk: "Abandoning Intellectual Disability: The Case for Presuming Competence"

April 5, 2012

Research talk by Dr. Douglas Biklen, Dean of Syracuse University’s School of Education, pioneer in the area of facilitated communication and co-producer of the film Wretches and Jabberers. His talk relates specifically about the presumption of competence, a concept of his that has impacted both educational research and practice for students with learning differences.

Please visit itunesU for details of Dr. Biklen's talk. (search: DCEC)

Diversity Town Hall For COE Graduate Students

November 4, 2012

The Office of Multicultural Programs and the College’s Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee (DCEC) hosted a diversity-focused Town Hall for College of Education graduate students.

Disability as a Diversity Resource Table

October 20, 2011

As part of our year-long focus on "Disability as Diversity, on October 20, 2011 the DCEC hosted an informational table in the atrium of Chambers.  With assistance from PSU librarian Karla Schmidt, the group provided a display illustrating the wide range of materials available to support k-12 learners with diverse needs.  Over 100 PSU students and faculty stopped by to examine the materials and engage in dialogue with DCEC members about "disability as diversity."

DCEC 2010 - 2011 Year-Long Theme:  Connections

Diverse Approaches to Diversity: A DCEC Forum on Research, Teaching & Service

April, 2011, Nittany Lion Inn

The DCEC hosted an informational and resources fair for the College of Education community on April 22.  We filled the ballroom at the Nittany Lion Inn with faculty, staff and students who shared their experiences and resources about diversity-related topics and approaches for successful research, teaching, service and workplace community.  Dr. Terrell Jones, Penn State's Vice Provost on Educational Equity spoke on the topic of "Diverse Approaches to Diversity."  With 40 displays and 150 guests, the event was lively and engaging.

Creating Safe Environments for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Schools

November, 16, 2010

The DCEC invited future teachers, school counselors and administrators to participate in a workshop designed to improve the issues of bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, families or teachers in schools. Experiences of LGBT and Ally students were shared. The workshop was sponsored by Office of Multicultural Programs, College of Education Academic Advising, and the LGBTA Student Resource Center.

DCEC Connections Workshop, October 5, 2010

The DCEC invited all members of the College of Education community to participate in a 3-hour workshop designed to understand and improve college and departmental level work on behalf of the College’s diversity and climate goals.  The sixty-plus participants were provided with information about diversity work currently on-going at the department and college levels and discussed organization and programmatic needs and goals. They worked in small groups to discuss issues, concerns and possibilities for diversity related structures and initiatives.  The input of these groups was gathered and provided to the departmental and college level committees and will be used by the college level steering committee set to convene as part of the 2010 - 2015 Framework to Foster Strategic Diversity.

DCEC 2009 - 2010 Year-Long Theme:  American Indian Issues in Education, Celebrating 40 Years of the American Indian Leadership Program at Penn State

Staff Trip to Carlisle Indian Industrial School, May 2010

Forty members of the College of Education's staff took a day-long professional development trip to the grounds of the Carlisle Industrial Indian School in Carlisle, PA.  Staff received a guided tour of the school and graveyard where children who died at the school were buried. The trip was organized by the DCEC and supported by Dean Monk's office as an opportunity to build awareness about the historical and contemporary educational issues for American Indians.

American Indians in Children's Literature: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Dr. Debbie Reese, April 23, 2010

In this provocative lecture, Dr. Debbie Reese of the University of Ilinois at Urbana Champaign invited the College of Education community  to consider portrayals of American Indians in popular, classic, and award-winning books written for children.  Dr. Reese also authors a popular blog on this topic:  http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/.

Theater as Pedagogy: A Workshop by Teatro Chicana

March 24, 2010

Drawing on music, comedy and drama, members of Teatro Chicano presented a workshop for College of Education students, faculty and staff, demonstrating uses of drama for exploring history, social conflict and modes of interaction in classroom settings.

Resources Table for American Indian Issues in Education

As part of our year-long focus, on December 7, 2010, the DCEC hosted a table in the atrium of Chambers providing displays and resources detailing information and support for considering and addressing American Indian issues in education. 

Listening to the Voices of Immigrant Parents in Early Childhood Education
Dr. Joseph Tobin, December 9, 2009

Joseph Tobin is the leader of the Children Crossing Borders Project, a study of  approaches to working with the children of recent immigrants in preschools in five countries. In this project, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from England, France, Germany, Italy, and the U.S. are studying the perspectives of immigrant parents and staff members on what should happen in preschools serving children of recent immigrants. The research method is a version of the video-cued multivocal ethnographic approach Tobin employed in his Preschool in Three Cultures studies. In this talk Professor Tobin showed clips from videos his team made in preschool classrooms in each country and present examples of practitioner, immigrant parent, and child reflections on these videos. He used these examples to demonstrate the challenges of listening to the voices of immigrant parents, to point out tensions between a dedication to progressive practices and a concern for cultural responsiveness, and to suggest some ways to resolve these tensions through a process of parent-staff cultural negotiation.

Please see the following pdf articles for a sample of Dr. Tobin's work:

Joseph Tobin, Angela Arzubiaga, and Susanna Mantovani, “Entering into dialogue with immigrant parents.” Early Childhood Matters, Number 108, June, 2007, 34-38.
Joseph Tobin and Yeh Hsueh, “The Poetics and Pleasures of Video Ethnography of Education.” In R. Goldman (Ed). Video Research in the Learning Sciences. NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2007.
Che, Y., Hayashi, A., and Tobin, J. "Lessons from China and Japan for Preschool Practice in the United States." Educational Perspectives, 40, 1, 7-12. 2007.
Joseph Tobin, “Quality in Early Childhood Education: An Anthropologist’s Perspective,” Early Education and Development, 16(4) 422-434. 2005.
Joseph Tobin, M. Karasawa, and Y. Hsueh, “Komatsudani Then And Now: Continuity and Change in a Japanese Preschool.” Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood.

Girls’ Education and Women’s Leadership: A conversation with May Rihani
April 24, 2009
May Rihani is the Senior Vice President and Director, Global Learning Group. and Director, Center for Gender Equity, Academy for Educational Development. May Rihani also serves on the Global Advisory Committee for the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative.  Ms. Rihani’s extensive work in girls’ education includes research, policy assessments, innovative program design, systems analysis, and management of country programs. She has planned, designed, and managed cross-cutting gender programs and girls’ education and women’s leadership programs. She has presented lessons learned, best practices, and strategies on girls’ education at a large number of international conferences and symposia addressing education for all.  Ms. Rihani has written a number of publications on the importance of enrolling and keeping girls in school, including, Keeping the Promise: Five Benefits of Girls’ Secondary Education (AED, 2006), Learning for the 21st Century: Strategies for Girls’ Education in the Middle East and North Africa (UNICEF, 1993), Strategies to Promote Girls’ Education: Policies and Programs That Work (UNICEF, 1992), and Development as if Women Mattered (Overseas Development Council, 1978).

Cylce-Thon
Fourth Annual College of Education Cycle-Thon, April 26, 2009
Cylcle-Thon benefits SCOPE, a four-week academic intensive summer program for high school sophomores from multicultural backgrounds interested in education, held at University Park.

DCEC 2008 - 2009 Year-Long Theme:  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues in Education

In February 2009, the DCEC brought Bank Street educator and gay writer/activist Jonathan Silin to the College of Education.  Dr. Silin is a skilled facilitator of discussions about LGBT issues for diverse audiences.  He hosted two events during his time here, including a panael discussion that brought together two State College teachers, a preschool direct, a lesbian parent of school-aged children and a gay college student who had attended State College schools, for a discussion of LGBT issues in K - 12 education.  Dr. Silin also hosted a lunch event for further discussion of these issues.

Please see the following articles for samples of Dr. Silin's writings:
Silin, Teaching as a Gay Man
Silin, Real Children and Imagined Homelands
Silin, Reading, Writing and the Wrath of My Father
Silin, Sexual Orientation and Early Childhood Education


Resources Table for National Coming Out Day
October 13, 2008
In celebration of National Coming Out Day, the DCEC hosted a table featuring resources including book bibliographies and contact/support information for LGBT issues in education.  The Education and Behavioral Sciences Library provided a display of relevant children's literature.  Over 100 students, staff and faculty came by the table to check out the resources and get a piece of cake.


For more diversity-related events throughout the university, please visit the Penn State Diversity Events Calendar or the Paul Robeson Cultural Center Calendar.