For Immediate Release

Conference to Bring Together Educators, Leaders, Students and Community

Claremont, Calif. (March 19, 2002) – "Beyond the Rhetoric: Educational Alternatives and 
the Community," a joint conference between Pitzer College and the Claremont Graduate 
University's School of Educational Studies, will bring together leading educators, academics, 
civil leaders, students and community members in an exploration of contemporary ideas in 
education and community-organizing practices. The conference will take place April 11-13, 
2002, with the first two days at Pitzer College and the third day at Bonview School in Ontario.
Part of the Pitzer-in-Ontario program, the conference will provide a forum for the 
introduction and discussion of alternatives to traditional teaching, learning and engaged 
citizenship, while offering participants the opportunity to better understand the tools and 
methodologies available to them. Pitzer in Ontario, made possible by an anonymous gift to the 
College, has been recognized nationally for its commitment to community-based education and 
serves as a model for colleges seeking to implement similar programs.
During the conference, workshops will be offered on the identification and mobilization 
of community resources, educational and community program development strategies, and 
innovative teaching methods. These participatory sessions will provide hands-on training for 
participants and will demonstrate the practical implementation of concepts and pedagogical 
models discussed throughout the conference. A number of sessions will be offered in both 
Spanish and English.
The keynote speaker will be nationally recognized community activist Ernesto Cortés. 
The winner of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the H.J. Heinz Award in 
Public Policy, Cortés will speak on community organizing and urban-school reform.
Ann Weaver-Hart, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Claremont 
Graduate University, will open the conference with her address on the importance of 
transdisciplinary community studies and research at CGU.
Alan Jones, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Pitzer, will follow 
Weaver-Hart's address with a discussion of the development of community-based education at 
Pitzer and the variety of forms it has taken.
Educational sessions will concentrate on such topics as "Building Communities from the 
Inside Out," "Environmental Education in School and Communities," "Community-based 
Spanish: The Relevance of the Community in Learning," "The Heart and the Brain in the 
Teaching/Learning Process," "Popular Culture," "Homeschooling," "Charter Schools," 
"Jumpstart," "The Horse is Out of the Gate: Improving Underachieving Schools," "Alternative 
Pedagogies," "Involving Families in Schools" Success Stories from Local Teachers," 
"Conserving Oral Traditions" and "Combating Homophobia/Heterosexism in the Schools."
The conference is open to the public and there will be no charge for registration. There 
also will be no charge for lunch on Saturday, but optional meals will be available (dinner on 
Thursday and Friday, $15; lunch on Friday, $8).
For more information, contact The Center for Intercultural & Language Education, 
Pitzer College, (909) 621-8104 or log on to http://www.pitzer.edu/POG/conference.

 
Media Contact:
 

Director of Public Relations
Pitzer College
1050 N. Mills Ave.
Claremont, Calif. 91711
 
v: (909) 621-8219
f: (909) 621-8798
e: nina_mason@pitzer.edu