The Department of Economics at San Jose State University was honored to host the Latin American Economic Education Symposium held June 1 through June 4, 2004 in Los Altos, California. This unique program was made possible through the generous support of the Earhart Foundation, the Koch Foundation, the Center for Economic Education , and the Foundation for Teaching Economics.

The goal of the symposium was to foster the development of economic education training programs for secondary school teachers throughout Latin America. Participants from 10 countries were chosen because of a commitment to free-market economics and the potential to organize or influence teacher training programs.

One highlight of the program was a "hands-on" teacher-training program conducted by representatives from the prestigious Foundation for Teaching Economics . Our Latin American guests participated with Bay Area teachers as they were trained on the curriculum titled "Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?" Bay Area teachers can get more information on this and other training programs for Economics instructors from the SJSU Center for Economic Education.

The meetings were held at El Retiro San Inigo, (Jesuit Retreat House) in Los Altos. http://www.elretiro.org/ .

Why San José?

San José is located in Silicon Valley, about one hour south of San Francisco and one hour away from the beautiful California coastline. It is home to San José State University, the oldest California State University and California’s original teaching college. The Department of Economics is building on a long tradition of preparing teachers. Our teacher training programs (in-service and pre-service) and academic programs serve a large Hispanic population. It is the goal of the Department, in conjunction with the Center for Economic Education, to establish a reputation for an international perspective specializing in Latin American countries. This symposium will establish connections necessary to begin student exchange programs, to appeal to high school teachers in the predominately Hispanic areas of San José and to establish the Department's commitment to a Latin American area of specialization.

Symposium Organizers

Carlos Rey, Fulbright Scholar from Uruguay, at SJSU Department of Economics
Gabriel Gasave, Visiting Scholar from Argentina, at SJSU Department of Economics
Professor Lydia Ortega, Chair of the Department of Economics, SJSU
Professor Tom Means, Director of the Center for Economic Education, SJSU
Professor Rodolfo Gonzalez, Professor of Economics, SJSU