President's Peace Commission

Dr. Antonia Castañeda, of the President's Peace Commission at St.Mary's University, serves as the moderator for this first session of the 17th annual President's Peace Commission fall program. She introduces Dr. Charles Cotrell, President of St. Mary's University, who officially welcomes all guests to the St. Mary's campus. Dr. Castañeda then introduces the guest speakers Dr. Albert Cortez of the Intercultural Development Research Association and Dr. Gary Scott, an economics professor at St. Mary's University. Dr. Cortez provides reasons why school vouchers are not an acceptable way to improve the American school system; he uses as an example the charter schools in Texas, of which over half are considered as "low performing" by state standards. Dr. Scott, using a PowerPoint presentation, provides statistics, charts, and graphs to support the school voucher program. A question and answer session follows. (71 minutes)

Heather Albright of the President's Peace Commission at St.Mary's University, serves as the moderator and introduces Consuelo Bossey, Ed.D., coordinator of special education at Our Lady of the Lake; Barbara Hardin, Ph.D., of the Counseling and Testing Center at St. Mary's University, who is a clinical psychologist, and a parent of a dyslexic daughter; and Gloria Martinez, Ph.D., an educational advocate and a retired teacher with 40 years experience. Topics discussed during this panel discussion ranged from mainstreaming, diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and challenges the teachers of the children with special needs. A question and answer session follows. (68 minutes)

Dr. Jacqueline Valadez, professor of Teacher Education at St. Mary's University, the host for this panel session, introduces Dr. Blandina Cardenas, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas-San Antonio, and Rosa Rabago, Director of Bilingual Education Program for the San Antonio Independent School District. A film clip entitled "When I dream dreams" is played to show what it was like to grow up in Texas speaking Spanish. At one time it was a felony to speak any language other than English; this law lasted until the early 1960s, when a law was passed to allow the use of a foreign language to help teach a child. The current debate and contemporary programs in the schools are discussed. A question and answer period concludes this session. (66 minutes)

Grace Telles of the President's Peace Commission hosts this session with guest speakers Miguel Guhlin, Director of Instructional Technology for the San Antonio Independent School District, and Dr. Sandra Zuniga, Technology Advisor for the Corpus Christie Independent School District. The speakers attempt to answer three basic questions: (1) Where is the balance between technology in education and being educated by technology? (2) What are some essential components to the technological education services which are necessaryto facilitate student success? (3) What are the consequences of the absence of collaborative learning? (46 minutes)

Patrick Simeroth, President's Peace Commission, hosts this panel discussion on standardized tests in schools. He introduces Dr. Tom DeKunder, visiting professor at St. Mary's University in the Teacher Education Department and director of Educational Leadership; and Leticia Saucedo, staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Both speakers speak against subjecting children to tests which will solely determine whether or not they progress to the next grade level and whether the students are put in special classes, to improve their test scores. The speakers seem in favor of the idea of testing, but not for the dramatic results tests have on the curriculum and on a child's future. Statistics indicate there is a strong correlation between retention in school and criminal behavior. A question and answer period concludes the panel. (49 minutes)

Christina Garcia, of the President's Peace Commission, serves as moderator and introduces Neomi De Anda, youth director of the Basilica of the Little Flower Parish; Michelle Piña, graduate assistant to the Service Learning Center and the WINGS Program Coordinator at St. Mary's University; and Allyson Baez, Director of Campus Ministry at the Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio. Service learning is a philosophy and a pedagogy. It involves students with the community. Ms. Piña discusses how service learning has been implemented at St. Mary's University. Ms. De Anda and Ms. Piña expressed concern regarding the concept of community service as a punishment; their students who were volunteering had been asked what they had done wrong to be sent to their specific location of work. Ms. Baez presented a slide show of a recent trip she and several student took. (39 minutes)

Janet Oglethorpe, of the President's Peace Commission, serves as moderator and introduces Dr. Jo Ann Carson, professor of Philosophy at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, and Dr. Glenn Hughes, professor of philosophy at St. Mary's University. The speakers attempt to answer these two questions: (1) What are the primary goals of higher education? and (2) What are the effects on these goals of the high cost of higher education? A question and answer period concludes the session. (50 minutes)

Moderator Aaron Cotrell, President's Peace Commission, introduces Dr. Robert H. Leos, Senior Director of the Textbook Administration of the Texas Education Agency (TEA); Chris Patterson, Director of Education Research at the Texas Public Policy Foundation; and Samantha Smoot, Executive Director of Texas Freedom Network. Dr. Leos explains how TEA chooses textbooks and works with publishers to alter textbooks according to feedback. Ms. Patterson discusses how the public can impact the textbooks used in the public school classrooms. Ms. Smoot provides an image of the current textbook review situation and provides some examples of censorship and objections to textbook material. (50 minutes)

Dottie Laster, of the President's Peace Commission, serves as moderator and introduces Judy Renick, Director of the Texas School Safety Center at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos and Ricky Hooker, Principal at Gates Elementary of the San Antonio Independent School District. The questions presented to the speakers are (1) What is the history of violence in public schools? (2) Will the next generation experience even more violence at school? (3) Who is responsible for the violence among our children? Principal Hooker also tells how he changed one of the most violent schools in the San Antonio ISD into a peaceful school. A question and answer session concludes the discussion. (62 minutes)

Dr. Elijah Akhahenda, of the President's Peace Commission, serves as moderator and introduces Nancy Erickson, the Study Abroad Counselor at Trinity University, and Innessa Stepanenko, the International Student Adviser at Our Lady of the Lake University. The question put to these speakers is why are institutions of higher education internationalizing? Ms. Erickson discusses how studying abroad can change - and challenge - students, universities, educators, and families. Ms. Stepanenko compares the United States' higher education to the Russian higher education, in an attempt to answer why international students want to come to the United States for their education. (69 minutes)