Camarillo, CA. - CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host the Third Annual Conference on Social Justice in Education, Saturday, April 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in CI’s John Spoor Broome Library. The event is free and lunch is provided.

The theme of the 2011 Conference is, “Making Choices: Crushed, Compliant or Creative?” It will showcase and discuss issues of social justice at work in the community, area schools, and institutions of higher education. Teachers, students, parents, administrators, counselors, youth advocates, activists and paraprofessionals are welcome, as are others connected to public school education in some way that have concerns about equity, access and accountability.

The conference will open with remarks from CI’s President Richard R. Rush, followed by Senior Associate Dean and Director of the School of Education, Dr. Gary Kinsey. Maricruz Hernandez and Oscar Hernandez, principals in the Oxnard High School District, will give the keynote presentation.

A lunch panel featuring Trudy Arriaga (Superintendent, Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), Arcenio Lopez (Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project), Anna Izaguirre (First Steps Infant/Toddler program for Teen Parents, VUSD), Danna Lomax (teacher, VUSD) and Edlyn Pena (professor, CLU), will be followed by afternoon sessions with presentations by local leaders in social justice issues. Attendees will have opportunities to network and share ideas throughout the day.

The program is sponsored by CI’s School of Education, California Institute for Social Business, Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics, and the Center for Community Engagement. CLU’s Counseling and Guidance Department, Center for Equality and Justice, and Diversity and Education Excellence are also sponsors. Additional sponsors include Ventura County Community Foundation Social Justice Fund, Ventura Unified School District, McCune Foundation, Corwin Press, Sage Press, and Ventura County School Counselors Association.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is strongly encouraged and available at http://education.csuci.edu/justice-conference/registration.htm. Free parking will be available in designated lots only; once on campus follow the directional parking signs. The full schedule of events can be seen on the same web page in early April. For information about the conference contact Merissa Stith, Events Coordinator at 805-437-8548 or mesissa.stith@csuci.edu.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.