Canada and the American Curriculum

On behalf of the Center for the Study of Canada in affiliation with the U.S. Department of Education-designated National Resource Centers on Canada, I am pleased to invite you to participate in the upcoming “Canada and the American Curriculum” National Conference to be held at the Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C., May 24-25, 2010. It is our honor to have the Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America, the Honorable Gary Doer, as host for this innovative and strategic conference.

The conference is being organized by the Center for the Study of Canada, State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. Partners include the Canadian-American Center, University of Maine; the Center for Canadian-American Studies, Western Washington University; the Canadian Studies Center, University of Washington; and the Embassy of Canada.

The long-standing relationship between the U.S. and Canada is vital to both nations’ political, economic and social welfare, yet the singular importance of Canada to the United States is a subject rarely considered in American classrooms. For example, thirty-five American states have Canada as their number one export market and more than eight million American jobs depend on trade with Canada. Three hundred thousand people cross the Canada-U.S. border daily as well as approximately $1.5 billion in goods and services. Canada and the U.S. share the world’s largest and most comprehensive trading relationship, and though our historic, geographic and human interactions are deeply intertwined, Canada is often overlooked in national directives and state curriculum standards in addition to classroom textbooks that follow their lead.

The thematic panels and objectives of our conference are to:
· Heighten the importance of Canada in the American K-12 curriculum;

· Profile and distribute the newly completed K-12 National Directory on Canada – a state-by-state examination of the role/place of Canada in the American K-12 curriculum;

· Analyze and discuss the current role/place of Canada in curriculum standards at the national level; and

· Network amongst key representatives from leading education organizations and develop opportunities for future collaboration on education initiatives that prioritize teaching Canada.


PARTICIPANTS
Participants in our conference will include a variety of stakeholders from various constituencies including: state-level departments of education; national standards associations; the U.S. Department of Education; social studies councils; geography alliances; councils for history education; textbook and resource specialists as well as Canadian Studies programs at American colleges and universities.

OFFICIAL VENUE
The official venue for the “Canada in the American Curriculum” National Conference is the Embassy of Canada. Attendees are required to complete a registration form in advance and are expected to provide appropriate identification on arrival for security purposes. The Embassy of Canada is located at: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

Travel and accommodation are to be arranged independently by attendees; however, we are pleased to assist with any recommendations and answer questions. There is no registration fee to participate in this conference.

PROGRAM
The “Canada in the American Curriculum” National Conference program includes an opening evening reception to be held Monday, May 24, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A full day of conference programming will take place on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 beginning at 8:00 am and concluding by 5:00 pm. Participants will be provided with breakfast, lunch as well as breaks mid-morning and afternoon on Tuesday.

A detailed draft of the Conference program will be forwarded to you no later than the week of May 3, 2010. It will include full information on the timetable, panel themes, and keynote speakers.

FUNDING
Individuals planning to attend this conference are eligible to apply for travel support from the conference organizers to support their participation. Awards will be prioritized according to the following criteria:
1) Level of involvement in standards developed at the national, state or local level;

2) Role at the conference, such as speaker or organizational representative;

3) Goals and/or anticipated outcomes as a result of conference attendance; and

4) Total expenses to be personally accrued as a result of participation.


For further details, please refer to the attached Application for Travel Support.

CONFIRMATION
To confirm your participation in our conference, please contact Amy Sotherden, Outreach Coordinator, directly by telephone at (518) 564-2385 or e-mail: amy.sotherden@plattsburgh.edu no later than Monday, May 3, 2010.

Thank you for your consideration of this invitation. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to your response and to your valued participation and support of heightening the status of teaching Canada in K-12 curriculum across the United States.


Sincerely,

Amy Sotherden on behalf of
Christopher Kirkey, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Canada
State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
Direct Tel: (518) 564-2394
E-mail: christopher.kirkey@plattsburgh.edu
Web: www.plattsburgh.edu/cesca