Conference Purpose:

The purpose of the Breaking Down Barriers: Promoting Educational Success for African and African Immigrant Students conference is to examine the current trends being employed to create change in Africa. Many of the problems that these underdeveloped countries in Africa face are not new. Yet with the advent of globalization and the origination of new ideas, the solutions to these challenges are. VFA intends to gather speakers and panelists who can enlighten the HGSE community on the new innovations and directions being used to combat the persistent troubles on the continent.

Furthermore, in order to address a broader array of interests and perspectives, the VFA conference seeks to include three diverse panels of 3-4 speakers: Technology Education, African Immigrant Education, and Health and Education. With the help of HGSE faculty as moderators, VFA intends to engage these panelists in a dialogue to encourage and debate new practices and trends through the use of varied points of view.

Finally, the conference hopes to highlight and honor the work of several people in the area of African Education. First, we will be soliciting an advanced doctoral student to present a brief overview of his or her dissertation work. This will give this student a chance to illustrate the kind of research that is currently being undertaken at HGSE and within our community. Secondly, we would like to honor Professor Sue Grant Lewis for her efforts in the field of African education as she prepares to depart Harvard at the end of this year.