Louie talks with Dr. Elena Izquierdo, Associate Professor of Teacher Education at UTEP; and Kathleen Staudt, Professor of Political Science at UTEP. They discuss the upcoming conference, "Social Justice in Public Education." Izquierdo & Staudt talk about the importance of getting teachers, parents, and community leaders involved in public education. They also offer their views as to why time-consuming standardized tests have alienated students facing a language barrier, and why those tests have taken valuable teaching time out of the classroom. They explain why the punitive nature of standardized tests have often led schools to partake in unethical behavior, leading them to sacrifice students to save the school's ranking.
The conference, "Social Justice in Public Education," will take place Jan. 18-19 at Bowie High School, and is open to all. Info: Kathleen Staudt 915-747-7975, or visit www.elpasoteachersassociation.org.
Aired Jan. 12, 2013.