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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 1999

News Release

NEA Holds Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women June 28-29

Orlando, Florida -- One thousand teachers and other education leaders will come together here June 28-29 to examine school reform options and changing relationships involving campus safety and growing diversity in the nation's public schools.

The Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women will be conducted at the Omni Rosen Hotel by the National Education Association (NEA).

"We as educators must demonstrate how the nation's growing diversity offers us a unique opportunity to provide the model for public education worldwide," said NEA President Bob Chase, who will serve as the conference's summary speaker. "To do this, we have to address our own education gaps -- between white students and students of color, between affluent communities and those struggling in poverty, and, yes, between girls and boys."

The event precedes the NEA's annual meeting. The Association's Representative Assembly, to be conducted July 3-6 at Orlando's convention center, will draw more than 9,000 delegates. This body meets annually to establish NEA's priorities in working toward national education reform.

Presiding at the opening session of the Joint Conference on June 28 will be NEA's Vice President Reg Weaver.

Major speakers include former Texas Governor Ann Richards. Currently a senior advisor for a Washington-based law firm, Richards will highlight women's health issues.

Keynote speaker Aurelio Montemayor will address how parents can become "powerful allies for public education." Montemayor is a senior education associate and master trainer of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), based in San Antonio, Texas.

Multiple topics will be presented during the conference. In an experience laboratory, panelists will analyze the achievements of "Hands Without Guns," a public health and education campaign created in Washington, D.C., that has launched initiatives for youth development in five states.

The community impact of publicly funded vouchers that permit public school students to attend private schools will be evaluated by panelists from Milwaukee and Cleveland, two major cities where such programs are the targets of debate.

A plenary session will examine ways to create intercultural dialogue. Experts will present concepts and successful programs that confront racial divisions on campus.

Another session will analyze media coverage of education issues relating to minority communities and students. A forum consisting of mainstream journalism veterans will engage the audience in a discussion assessing their coverage and steps that can be taken to improve it.

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