Dear WIABE Members and Educators:
It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2013 Wisconsin Association for Bilingual Education (WIABE) Professional Conference. This year WIABE will continue to advocate for
research- based services for all English Language Learners in the state of Wisconsin. Our annual conference will take place in Wisconsin Dells, at the Kalahari Resort on
Friday, April 12th through Sunday, April 14th 2013. WIABE is proud to present all bilingual educators with the opportunity to engage in three days of excellent professional
development at an affordable cost. I thank the WIABE Executive Board for making this unique opportunity possible and for their commitment to Bilingual Education. As
President of WIABE, it gives me great pleasure and pride to see our organization’s continued drive and dedication in serving all English Language Learners in the state
of Wisconsin.
This year's conference theme is, “Bilingual Education: Closing the Gap and Enhancing College and Career Readiness”. The 2013 Conference theme is aligned with our mission
that ensures that “Through a balanced program of research, professional development, and public education, WIABE supports and encourages the implementation of educational
policies and effective bilingual-bicultural programs that promote equal educational opportunity and academic excellence for all language minority students”. Our mission
continues to be driven by research which demonstrates that English Language Learners are successful academically and develop age-appropriate English proficiency when
they maintain a sense of pride in their cultural and linguistic diversity.
We are looking forward to having interactive discussions with the founding members of WIABE and all advocates of Bilingual Education from Wisconsin. The sessions will
provide teachers with an opportunity to learn about the history, challenges, best practices, advocacy, and direction of Bilingual Education in our state.
Our goal for the conference is to present best practices in Bilingual Education and explore current and future topics of interest to teachers, administrators, and
parents of English Language Learners. The WIABE Board has been working diligently to plan a conference that you will enjoy, learn from, and remember.
Sincerely,
