Bridging the Distance Between Mexican Families and American Schools: An Experiential Seminar

Public schools in the United States are serving a more heterogeneous student population now more than ever. Participants in this week-long seminar will travel to Mexico City and Puebla City, Mexico, with the purpose of having an immersive cultural experience. This cross-cultural experience is a planned and evaluated learning experience that places participants in an environment where learning is accomplished through active interaction with the Mexican culture; supported with lectures and focus groups.

This experiential course will provide the lens through which discussion and development of school practices will be analyzed and tested. Students will attend and participate in targeted experiences around the Mexican educational system, having first-hand interactions with students and educators, and have the opportunity to explore how Mexico’s history impacts current culture.

Participants will leave with an understanding of and/or exposure to:

• The impact history has on the culture of Mexico
• The main components of the Mexican culture
• Why Mexicans behave the way they do
• Cultural realities and differences due to SES
• Sensitivity to other cultures
• The tenants of culture competency, and ways to incorporate them into daily practice in schools
• Ways to involve the community as a powerful leadership strategy to create change
• Confront cultural-related barriers to student improvement

The cross-cross cultural experience will help the school administrator form a clearer understanding and appreciation of the characteristics of the Hispanic culture and its complexity and diversity. Administrators will also gain understanding of the educational system and education opportunity in Mexico.

Drawing on historic, empirical, and critical analysis, this experiential seminar explores the role of school administrators in responding to the needs of diverse students. Three administrative tasks will be highlighted throughout the seminar: fostering new meanings of diversity, promoting inclusive school cultures and instructional programs, and building relationships between schools and communities.

Upcoming Info Sessions

• February 16, 6-7:30pm (RSVP Here)
  Aloha-Huber Park K-8, 5000 SW 173rd Ave, Beaverton, OR
• March 9, 6-7:30pm (RSVP Here)
  Lewis & Clark Graduate School, Rogers 217

Questions? Contact Dawn Montgomery at dawnm@lclark.edu

Course Details & Registration

Session A: May 20th – 27th, 2017
Session B: October 21st – 28th, 2017
Instructor: Alfonso Giardiello
View the program info sheet here

Cost:
All-inclusive Registration: $2,600 (Airfare and/or credits not included)
Degree-applicable credit: 2-3 semester hours, $1,186-1,752
Continuing Education credit: 2-3 semester hours, $200-300
If you are interested in receiving credit for participation in this course, please contact Dawn Montgomery at dawnm@lclark.edu

About the Instructor

Originally from Mexico, Alfonso has studied in Mexico, Spain, and the USA. He holds a Doctorate of Education, and a Masters in Strategic Leadership from Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, as well as a masters in Educational Administration from Villanueva University. Alfonso also holds a Bachelors in Education from FEP School in Mexico City. He served as a member, teacher and administrator with the Fratelli Maristi Delle Scuole for twenty years, a worldwide organization that serves disadvantaged student populations. Alfonso began his educational career in 1985 as an elementary, and then a high school teacher. He has also served as a principal at both the elementary and high school levels in Mexico. Currently, he is a school administrator in the Beaverton School District in Oregon.