The twelve-month project of the Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education (MIMAUE) involves the holding of a national conference for at least 100 teachers and administrators who work in classrooms with large African American and Hispanic student populations. The conference theme is "Helping Teachers become Cultural Relevant Teachers: Developing New Tools for a New Generation." The conference brings together top national researchers and practitioners around a theme of importance in order to promote high achievement among urban and minority students. A specific outcome in relation to the workshop sessions involves having facilitators bring some of their work in their own classrooms to be used as a stimulus for the new work that teachers and administrators will analyze in some of the conference sessions. After the conference, a sample of the local teachers will be observed after three month, six months, and nine months in order to assess the extent to which the ideas from the workshop have influenced their teaching. Conference participants will also send a mail survey at the six-month point to determine the impact of the conference on classroom planning and teaching.
