On March 3rd 2012, the M.A. in Special Education program hosted the Special Education and Intercultural Competence (SPEDIC) Conference at the Saint Mary's University Event Center on the Twin Cities Campus. Almost 60 attendees came to hear keynote speaker Dr. Stanley Trent from the University of Virginia. The topic, Addressing Disproportionality in an Age of Accountability and Reform: Envisioning Teacher Education as Part of the Solution, engaged participants in areas critical to special education and intercultural competence. The event was sponsored in part by the Professional Development Initiatives program which offered attendees the option of paying a minimal fee for one graduate credit for attending the conference and designing an intercultural competence action plan. The conference was the first of its kind at Saint Mary's University and the M.A. in Special Education program plans to host a two-day conference on the same topic in 2013. Watch this website for more information!
About the Presenter
Dr. Stanley Trent is an Associate Professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Current research focus areas include: multicultural teacher training in special education, the disproportionate placement of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education programs and programs for the gifted, and inclusive education practices in urban schools.
