Dr. Cristina Alfaro Spearheads Department Redesign

College of Education Professor and Interim Department Chair Cristina Alfaro is spearheading an effort to redesign our Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross-Cultural Education. The goal is to build the College’s capacity to pursue two goals. Dr. Alfaro explained, “First, we want to make sure that SDSU has one of the nation’s premier preparation programs for educators who teach in dual-language programs.” Throughout San Diego, California, and the rest of the nation, school districts are eager to find individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are necessary for work in dual-language academies. SDSU’s dual-language program has a strong reputation, but the goal is to strengthen the program so that we prepare educators who are able to help students learn challenging academic skills, while helping them pursue proficiency in more than one language.

Ed Leadership Faculty Win Book of the Year

ForeWord Review's 2012 silver-award winning Book of the Year in education was written by SDSU faculty members Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. Their book, Common Core English Language Arts in a PLC at Work™, Grades K–2, explores strategies for integrating the Common Core State Standards for English language arts in primary grades. Based on both research and practice, the popular book helps educators design instruction, curriculum, assessment, and intervention that will ensure that students learn challenging Common Core State Standards through professional learning communities. Drs. Fisher and Frey are professors in the Department of Educational Leadership.

Visit the Department of Educational Leadership website.

Two SDSU Bilingual Credential Students in Top CTA Positions

Current Bilingual Credential Program Students Deborah Miller and Alexandra Contreras are making a difference this year with their new teacher education liaison positions!

Deborah Miller has been named the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) Liaison. This position is appointed by the California Teachers Association (CTA) Board of Directors and is a very important role. Deborah will be the only student who attends meetings and reads documents about policy making in Sacramento.

In her role as CCTC Student Liaison, Deborah will communicate between students, CTA, Universities, and the Commission about issues or upcoming action items. Deborah will advocate from the student perspective and work to build strong partnerships.

Alexandra Contreras has been named the Southern Regional Vice President of the Student California Teachers Association (SCTA).

This role is equally important and will keep Alexandra busy connecting with all of the SCTA chapters in Southern California. Through campus visits, emails and phones calls, Alexandra will make sure that the Southern chapters are updated on what the Executive Board is up to, as well as to offer support, resources, and advice on how to recruit members and grow as local chapters.

Both Deborah and Alexandra are recent SDSU graduates from the Liberal Studies program (Deborah also double majored in Spanish) and were active members and officers in the SDSU SCTA chapter last year.

For more information on the CTA/SCTA visit the California Teachers Association website

Child & Family Development Department Welcomes Dr. Diana Schaack

The College of Education and Department of Child & Family Development is pleased to welcome Diana Schaack, Ph.D. (Loyola University Chicago/Erikson Institute 2011).

Dr. Schaack’s research and work focuses on improving childcare settings, teacher practices and children’s social-emotional well-being. She is a principal investigator on an evaluation examining the outcomes of an infant/toddler professional development initiative.

Dr. Schaack is also completing a study examining the effects of daily caregiving discontinuity in childcare on children’s development. She is starting a follow-up study on the influence of childcare providers’ own attachment histories on caregiving practices and relationships with children.

The College is excited to have Dr. Schaack on board for the Fall 2013 semester.

Read more about Dr. Schaack and the other new faculty beginning at SDSU this Fall at the SDSU NewsCenter website.

UCEA Membership Granted to EDL and COE

The EDL Department and the College of Education have been granted membership within the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA). UCEA is a consortium of higher education institutions committed to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders for the benefit of schools and children. The Council fulfills this purpose by:

• Promoting, sponsoring, and disseminating research on the essential problems of schooling and leadership practice;
• Improving the preparation and professional development of educational leaders and professors; and,
• Positively influencing local, state, and national educational policy.

UCEA has a rich history, originally founded more than 50 years ago by 15 universities, the Kellogg Foundation, and the regional Centers for Educational Administration. Founding members recognized the need for inter-university collaboration to build a knowledge base of research and effective practice for the field of educational administration. Today, UCEA has become a collective of top research institutions with programs in educational leadership and policy and the leading professional organization for professors of educational leadership and policy. San Diego State is the 94th institution nationally to be granted membership in UCEA. Also, SDSU is the only university in California that is a current member of this distinguished organization.