Conference Circuit: Teacher Educators Promote Social Justice

The Association of Teacher Educators  (opens in a new tab)’ 2015 Annual Meeting  (opens in a new tab) in Phoenix, February 13-17, will demonstrate how teaching goes far beyond classrooms and textbooks. The conference theme, “Advocating for the Silenced: The Educators’ Vocation,” will focus on important topics for those who lend their guidance and support to teachers: equality, education policy, and social justice.

These issues will be woven into sessions  (opens in a new tab). Dr. Kristin L. Gunckel, assistant professor in the teaching, learning, and sociocultural studies department at the University of Arizona, for example, will lead a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ ) panel. And Dr. Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, president’s professor of indigenous education and justice at the School of Social Transformation and director of the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University, will discuss reaching, recruiting, and retaining quality teachers.

A town hall meeting, “Creating Catalysts for Change,” will aim to sum up  (opens in a new tab) the meeting’s mission with a focus on how “educators, schools, and institutions of higher education must step up and become empowered as agents of change, not as recipients of mandates for change that come from outside of the education community.”

The Week Ahead

February 17-20: Patrick J. Kennedy, mental health advocate and former U.S. representative, will serve as the keynote speaker for the National Association of School Psychologists  (opens in a new tab)’ 2015 Annual Convention  (opens in a new tab) in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. His dedication to the cause makes him a perfect figure to highlight the conference’s focus on mental health education and policy in schools.

February 18-21: The 41st Academy Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium  (opens in a new tab) of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists  (opens in a new tab) in New Orleans could attract more members to the organization. The event will feature forums designed to educate members and nonmembers about what scientific societies have to offer and encourage students and women to learn more about the field.

Down the Line

February 26-28: Attendees of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology  (opens in a new tab)’s 16th Annual Meeting  (opens in a new tab) in Long Beach, California, will explore the interdisciplinary implications of their field, with discussions on topics such as “The Ethics of Giving Psychology Away: Scientists’ Contributions to the Marketplace of Ideas” and “Psychological Science and Policy: Insight From a Year on Capitol Hill.”