Dr. Witty's inspirational words captured the spirit of the conference, which included workshops on successful teaching strategies, addressing students' diverse needs, strategies for at-risk students and the dynamics of parent involvement. As the former Dean of the School of Education, it was Dr. Witty's work that provided the literature and research base for the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Pathways to Teaching projects nationwide. If we think that we respond to multicultural concerns by treating all African American children alike making the same assumptions about all of them, we really demonstrate our inadequate understanding of diversity. Building on Dr. Witty's remarks, keynote speaker Dr. Janice Hale, a Professor in the Early Childhood Education Department at Wayne State University, shared her model for a culturally appropriate pedagogy. It takes a whole village to raise a child.
School is interesting.
Learning is fun. Her dynamic presentation, which drew a standing ovation, included many practical suggestions to encourage academic achievement for inner city African American children. Because school is the only institution that everyone is required to attend, Dr. Hale emphasized that many community initiatives need to be implemented in the schools for everyone for equity. Inc. Any unauthorized use of images, text or audio content is prohibited.