Do you have a research paper or dissertation that can contribute to the conversation about teaching English learner students? CALSA wants you!

The California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators is issuing a call for papers addressing issues of practice on the education of linguistic minority and non-linguistic minority Latino students. The papers will be presented at the first CALSA Conclave to be held at UCLA on March 12, 2010.

David Murphy, former superintendent of Davis JUSD and newly named superintendent of education for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Juvenile Justice, noted there are several good reasons people should consider submitting their papers.

Murphy said researchers will learn firsthand from current district leaders how the findings of their papers can be pragmatically used in school districts today. In addition, researchers will be able to share and discuss their research with others focused in the areas of English learners and Latino student achievement.

And finally, researchers will be able to connect with superintendents about future access to school districts relevant to the needs of researchers.

“This conclave brings together researchers and superintendents to show how research findings from the accepted papers can be pragmatically integrated in school districts today,” Murphy said.

Kenneth Magdaleno, CALSA’s mentoring program director and assistant professor at California State University, Fresno, echoed Murphy’s thoughts and added this is an opportune time for an organization like CALSA to have face-to-face discussions with researchers who have been writing about these areas for years.

“Too often we hear that there’s a gap between theory and practice as it pertains to education,” Magdaleno said. “This is an opportunity to bring the two together to benefit the Latino children of California. I’ve been at both levels and definitely see this conclave as needed.”

CALSA has organized the meeting in collaboration with UCLA in order to share information and foster partnerships between school district leaders and researchers at universities and other organizations. Papers may be based on either academic research or teacher or administrator research.

Papers must address one or more of the four following questions, but the focus may be within different areas of effectiveness, such as instructional strategies, professional staff development, assessment, community/home partnerships and districtwide strategies.

• What practices and strategies does research validate as effective in raising the school achievement of Latino students who are English learners in the grade-level span of pre-kindergarten to grade 6?

• What practices and strategies does research validate as effective in raising the school achievement of Latino students who are English learners in grades 7-12?

• What practices and strategies does research validate as effective in raising the school achievement of Latino students who are not English learners and are in the grade-level span pre-K through grade 6?

• What practices and strategies does research validate as effective in raising the school achievement of Latino students who are not English learners and are in grades 7–12?

Prospective papers should be submitted electronically, in a two-page (single-spaced) prospectus that includes a brief discussion of the topic, background research literature methods, and significance of the paper, along with a 100- to 150-word abstract. Submissions should also include: presentation title, name of presenter and brief bio, title, institution, mailing address, e-mail address and phone number. Submissions must be received by Nov. 15. They should be e-mailed to Ken Magdaleno at kmagdaleno@csufresno.edu.

Notifications will be made by Jan. 5. Completed papers must then be submitted no later than Feb. 1.