The Entire Community is invited to the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco Conference titled "Putting More Community in Commuinty College and Beyond."

Can you name 5 Latino authors?

Can you name 5 Chicana Professors?

Can you name 5 Tejanos who have made hsitory?

After you attend the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco, you will know way more than that.

Our conference is not just for students, professors, or writers. We also want members of the community to join us and spread the powerful history, cultura, and literatura we will share. Also, this event is not just for Latinos. This is a great way to get to know more about the hearts, imaginations, and talents of Tejanos.

By attending our Tejas Foco Conference you get to find out about the history, literature, and culture that has not been taught enough in our schools. The best part is that you get to experience it with high school and college students who are looking for their cultura, and with the professors and scholars who are archiving and putting so many moments into context, and you get to meet the authors and activists who are changing the world and the way we are imagined.

You can also convene with the policy makers who are shaping our educational system. And they all need to hear from you.

If you are new to conferences such as ours, we've created 5 tracks to help you navigate through all the brilliant panels we've lined up for you. Over the course of our 3 day conference there are 3 plenaries-or presentations that are the only panels going on at that time. There are also 6 sessions, each one hour and 15 minutes long, that consists of 10 - 15 break out presentations.

When you register, you can save your place at all 3 plenaries, and up to 6 break out panels.

The Awards Luncheon is Friday, February, 27, at noon. This will feature a sit-down lunch, and a key note address by internationally acclaimed author Dagoberto Gilb. This is $15 in addition to your registration fee.

All panels are cut off when their full seating capacity is reached. So sign up right away.

We included the following 5 tracks to help you choose which of the up to 15 break out panels you want to attend during each session. Of course, you could just pick panels at random and you still would not go wrong. Most attendees are stunned at the number of intellectuals, writers, and activists who attend the Tejas Foco. We just wanted to make choosing a little bit easier. Below are the break downs of our tracks. We look forward to meeting you and celebrating cultura together.

Teaching MAS: Recent reports verify that middle and high school students who took Mexican American Studies (MAS) were a lot more likely to graduate and pursue higher education. This track focuses on specific ways to implement MAS courses. This ranges from the specific procedures to adopt MAS courses in high schools for dual credit to such topics as how to teach the classic Chicano novel BLESS ME, ULTIMA.

Teaching M.A.S. Más: We received so many great panel proposals on how to teach MAS that we added a second track. That means there are at least 12 panels on how to help Latino students succeed using MAS. This track is not just ideal for teachers and administrators but also for parents who want their students to benefit from this material, and also for concerned citizens who want to find out how to help our schools edify and inspire our youth.

Student Panels: At last year's Tejas Foco student leaders told the organizing committee that they wanted more representation and more involvement. This year's conference delivers that and more. This track features 6 of over a dozen student planned or conducted panels ranging from their testimonies on how MAS has inspired them to succeed to their own research or creative writing. It is truly thrilling and inspiring to hear these young women and men share their insights with such amazing talent.

Environmental Justice: If you have never heard of Houston's Manchester barrio on the East End that is just one major reason that it's urgent to better understand the Environmental Justice Movement and how it impacts our communities. These panels range from an over view of Houston's role in this international campaign to a showcase of books that link the environment with the academic wold and with  . . .food!!!

Librotraficante Studies: Houston is the base of the Librotraficante Movement which was created to defy the banning of Mexican American Studies in Arizona, and to champion Freedom of Speech and Intellectual Freedom. This track will feature panels about the evolution of this grass roots campaign that is changing the world and making an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. You'll also get an update on the status of the court case against Arizona's ban of Ethnic Studies. You will also be the first to find out about the major caravans, tours, and conferences planned for the near future. Tejas has a major role in the Chicano Renaissance.