Twenty-fourth »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ Conference on English and Language Arts Pedagogy in Secondary and Postsecondary Institutions (In-person on the campus of »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ) *
October 29-30, 2025
THEME:
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 9:15 AM—6:15 PM Concurrent sessions
4 PM EST Plenary Session 1: “Culturally responsive teaching in higher education and secondary schools”
Speaker
Dr. Gloria Swindler Boutte
Carolina Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 9:30 AM—6:15 PM Concurrent sessions
4 PM EST Plenary Session 1I: “The importance of regular attendance for student success in K-20 education”
Speaker:
The Honorable Mr. Jerry N. Govan, Jr.
South Carolina House of Representatives
*(Participants not residing in the United States and those unable to travel may request a virtual option)
-(1)-(1).png?sfvrsn=c6680b0e_0 "Rep Govan picture")
State Representative Jerry N. Govan, Jr. House District 93
A Native of Orangeburg, Rep. Govan is the son of the late Roberta & Jerry N. Govan, Sr. A 1976 Graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson H.S., he is a proud Alumnus of South Carolina State University where he received his B.A. Degrees in Political Science, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Ed. Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. He also holds a Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.
His professional work experiences include Personnel Spec., US Dept of the Navy, SC Dept. of Health & Environmental Control and South Carolina State University where he also served as Director of the Small Business Development Center. Additionally he served as Primary Prevention Specialist for the Tri-County Commission on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Coordinating the Pre-Trial Intervention Program for the 1st Judicial Circuit and later, Orangeburg County’s People’s Assault on Drugs Community Anti-Drug Task Force. His educational career consists of service as a School District Parent Educator, Parenting & After-School Coordinator, Literacy Consultant and Dropout Prevention Coordinator. He recently retired as County Attendance Supervisor for Orangeburg County School District. Representative Govan and his wife are Owners of The Govan Agency, LLC specializing in Personal and Commercial Insurance and Business Consulting.
Rep. Govan is married to the former Wanda E. Gibson of Estill, SC. They have four daughters, Shawntara, Jeri Nicole, Lawanda, Gabrielle and seven precious grandchildren, and are members of The Historic Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Orangeburg where he serves as an Associate Minister.
Dr. Gloria Swindler Boutte, Professor at the University of South Carolina
Dr. Gloria Swindler Boutte is a Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina. Her scholarship focuses on equity pedagogies. She is the author/editor of eight books: (1) Pro-Blackness in Early Childhood Education. Diversifying Curriculum and Pedagogy in K-3 Classrooms; (2) Revolutionary Love: Nurturing the brilliance of young Black children; (3)Educating African American Students: And how are the children (2nd edition); (4)We Be Lovin’ Black Children: Becoming Learning to Be Literate About the African Diaspora (2022 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award); (5) African Diaspora Literacy: The Heart of Transformation in K-12 Schools and Teacher Education (2019 AESA Critics Choice Award) (6) Educating African American Students: And how are the children; (7) Resounding Voices: School Experiences of People From Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds; and (8) Multicultural Education: Raising Consciousness. She has more than 100 publications and has presented nationally and internationally. She has received prestigious awards such as the Fulbright Scholar; Fulbright Specialist; 2020 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Outstanding Educator in the English Language Arts—Elementary Section; the 2021 AERA Division K Legacy award; and AERA 2022-23 Fellow Award; the 2025 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Social Justice in Education Award. She was the founder and Executive Director of the Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students (CEEAAS). She has served as a Visiting Scholar and presented her work internationally on every continent except for Antarctica.
Dr. Boutte is the mother of three children and seven grandchildren.
The two-day conference is sponsored by the »¨¶¼Ó°ÊÓ Department of English. Pedagogy is the study and process of teaching.
For more information contact Dr. Mitali Wong at wong@claflin.edu or pedagogyconference@claflin.edu.
*(Participants not residing in the United States may request a virtual option)
Scholarly and creative writing panel proposals, roundtable proposals, and paper abstracts on all aspects of reading, writing, and teaching modern languages are invited including papers and panels on
â–ª Linguistic diversity & culturally informed pedagogy
â–ª Models for international collaborations between either students or faculty
â–ª All aspects of studying and teaching literature (including World Literature and travel literature)
â–ª Creative writing/ Creative writing pedagogy
â–ª Composition pedagogy
â–ª Teaching foreign languages
Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to submit papers. Abstracts are limited to a maximum of 350 words. Brief bios of 175 words are required. Electronic submissions are requested. Presentations should be limited to 15 minutes. Panels are limited to four (4) presenters per panel. Papers and panels are solicited on:
Please submit abstracts and bios at