Cultural diversity expert to speak at UW-W

A nationally recognized expert on cultural diversity and disabilities is leading an upcoming the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater seminar for educators.

Gloria Campbell-Whatley, an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will lead the 2014 Summer Institute Series, “Culturally Responsive Instruction and the Common Core Curriculum Standards.”

The institute will take place Aug. 6-7 and is sponsored by the Department of Special Education and the Office of Continuing Education and Graduate Studies.

“Campbell-Whatley is considered an international expert on cultural diversity and educational leadership,” said Amy Stevens Griffith, a professor of special education. “She is going to bring to the institute not just knowledge from the teaching standpoint, but also perspective of whole educational community.”

Campbell-Whatley is an expert on high-incidence disabilities, which include learning disabilities and communication disorders. She has been featured in more than 60 publications and she has led workshops and delivered presentations at state, national and international conferences.

UW-Whitewater’s institute will cover topics like “identifying and examining your own cultural biases” and “working with parents from diverse backgrounds.”

Stevens Griffith said that what sets the institute apart from other development opportunities is its expanded access to a nationally known presenter. She said in many conferences, participants listen to a presenter for about an hour and might get to interact with the presenter for a few minutes.

“This institute is far more than a five-minute interaction,” she said. “Participants get to collaborate with the presenter across two full days.”

Stevens Griffith said the conference attracts graduate students who can earn credit by participating in the institute, teachers who can use the institute to help maintain licensure and educators seeking a rich professional development opportunity.

Group discounts are available to school districts that send multiple attendees.

For more information on the conference, visit www.uww.edu/ce/camps/workshops-training/summerinstitute.

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