COE climbs to No. 53, Rehabilitation Counseling No. 4 in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

By Michael Klitzing

The San Diego State University College of Education continued its steady rise in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of top education schools, while one of its programs climbed into the Top 4 among its peers.

The college ranked No. 53 in the nation on the annual list, which was released on Tuesday. That’s up one spot from last year and a significant jump from just three years ago when COE ranked No. 69.

“I’m incredibly proud of our college’s recent ascent in the national rankings, which I believe is a reflection of the extraordinary effort put forth by our students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Y. Barry Chung, dean of the College of Education. “While it’s great to see us move up overall, I’m particularly heartened to see us rise three spots to No. 40 among public universities. The College of Education’s standing among our peer institutions is an area of continued success.”

Dr. Audrey Hokoda Receives University Senate’s Excellence in Teaching Award

Dr. Hokoda with students from her Youth Violence Prevention lab at a conference in Cancun, Mexico.

By Michael Klitzing

A longtime College of Education professor has received San Diego State University’s highest honor for teaching excellence.

Dr. Audrey Hokoda, professor in child and family development, has been named the 2019 recipient of the University Senate Excellence in Teaching Award. The annual university-wide award recognizes an SDSU faculty member for contributions made to students, respective academic disciplines, and the campus communities.

Clinical Counseling Students Work to De-stress Border Volunteers

Dr. Nola Butler-Byrd (fourth from left) and students in Tijuana.

Students, faculty and alumni from the Community-Based Block Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Education Program have offered their counseling services to support overwhelmed human rights defenders in Tijuana. Learn more about the work of the Transborder Crimmigration project at SDSU NewsCenter.

Read the full story.

VIDEO: Graduate student Bree Kalima has a passion to serve her community

Bree Kalima, a graduate student in postsecondary educational leadership, has taken a leadership role in creating student programming exploring Asian American Pacific Islander identities. Learn more about Bree by watching our COE Student Spotlight video!

Faculty member launches online series focused on reaching students with Deafblindness

Dr. Christopher Brum launched the Advanced Learning Series in Deafblindness.

By Michael Klitzing

Imagine being blindfolded, fitted with earplugs and transported to an unknown location where a stranger gives you unintelligible commands. This isn’t a movie plot, but the everyday reality of going to school for young people with deafblindness.

According to recent numbers, more than 10,000 children in the U.S. and more than 1,100 children in California are living with the condition, defined as a combination of hearing and vision loss that causes severe needs. The relative rarity of deafblindness makes this population particularly vulnerable as there is a dearth of qualified professionals who know how to respond to the needs of these individuals.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Virginia Loh-Hagan

You may know Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan as director of the Liberal Studies program, clinical practice experiences coordinator in the School of Teacher Education and founder/faculty advisor of Aztecs for Education. But did you know she’s also a piano-crazy, bike-averse, feral-dog-coddling children’s book author? Find out more about Virginia in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff!

SDSU’s Nonprofit and Education Career Fair is coming March 21

Students and employers interact at an SDSU Career Fair.

Your next internship or career opportunity in the education field might be right around the corner.

San Diego State University students and alumni are invited to the Nonprofit and Education Career Fair, held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on March 21 in Montezuma Hall. More than 30 employers, including social service organizations, education nonprofits and a dozen school districts from all around California will be on hand.

Honors and Achievements: March, 2019

The College of Education is delighted to congratulate the following members of the COE family for their recent achievements:

Beyond Valentine’s Day: SDSU Researcher Shares Key To Happy Relationship

Valentine’s Day brings couples together, or does it?

In some cases, research shows the holiday can also prompt break-ups. KPBS News turned to San Diego State University assistant professor Alyson Shapiro with the Child and Family Development department to find out the ingredients of a healthy coupling.

View the interview at KPBS.org.

Mentor Program Helps New Hires Achieve Tenure

Dr. Sascha Longstreth (right) with Dr. Idara Essien, assistant professor of child and family development.

By José A. Álvarez

Her goal is very clear: making sure junior and new faculty at the College of Education are successful in academia and achieve tenure.

As the director of COE’s Faculty Mentor Program, Dr. Sascha Longstreth’s primary objective is to make sure all junior and new faculty members feel supported in their pursuit of a fulfilling and successful academic career at San Diego State University.

Inspired by Leadership Minor, Alumnus Helps Local Refugee Families

Abdullah Jadallah (second from left), president of the Saudi Students Club.

By José A. Álvarez

The idea was hatched at a fundraising event coordinated by the Saudi Students Club at San Diego State University. The resulting project saw the students to provide rice and cooking oil to 90 needy and refugee families in San Diego.

Abdullah Jadallah, president of the Saudi Students Club and an International Security and Conflict Resolution graduate from SDSU, said the inspiration for the fundraising event and the distribution of the rice and oil was the result of one of his leadership minor classes in the College of Education.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Paul Justice

If you’re looking for a sauvignon blanc recommendation from an obsessive bargain shopper, look no further than Paul Justice, our very own lecturer for the Liberal Studies program and undergraduate adviser in Interdisciplinary Studies in Three Departments. Karaoke king, sports fan and outstanding adviser, he supports our COE mission in so many ways. Find out more about Paul in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff!

Faculty Member Brings Bilingual Education Research to Spain


Aquino-Sterling and Xavier Gisbert, president of Association of Bilingual Teaching in Spain

His research has shown that bilingual teaching in the United States requires systematic, strategic and research-based approaches to make sure teachers are equipped with the language competencies needed for teaching content-area knowledge in two languages.

But after presenting on the topic in Badajoz, Spain last month, Dr. Cristian Aquino-Sterling, a faculty member in the School of Teacher Education, concluded that these approaches are needed in other countries, too.

New Faculty, Staff and Promotions for Spring 2019

The College of Education is excited to congratulate the following faculty and staff members on their new positions for the spring semester!

November & December 2018 Announcements