September, 2024

Volume 2, Edition 18

Editor’s Letter 

Welcome to School of Education's first Fall 2024 Newsletter!

This is my first CSUCI SOE newsletter issue and I look forward to showcasing your accomplishments and outstanding achievements in this newsletter and those to come. You are an outstanding group of faculty, staff, and students! 

The SOE added four new staff this summer and have a few more starting soon, as well as two tenure-track faculty members. A warm welcome to all of you. We are looking forward to a big year that sees continued success of our credential programs in teacher education and early childhood, as well as a new credential in counseling and our Ed.D. programs which both started recently.

As the new Associate Dean, I am excited to be part of the School of Education. I come to CI from Kansas State University (K-State) where I was Professor, Director of the Rural Education Center (REC), and Coordinator for three programs (EDD, MAT, Online BA) in our Department of Curriculum & Instruction. Prior to K-State, I was an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at Utah State University. I have worked with teacher education programs and field experiences for 17 years in 4 states. In my role as faculty, I taught undergraduate courses in social studies methods, social foundations, and inquiry-based learning, as well as graduate courses in curriculum theory and development, research methods, historical and social foundations, and doctoral support courses. In my role as Director of the REC, I developed a network of research-practice partnerships, advocated for equity-based school funding, and oversaw $13 million in grant funding that we pushed out to rural schools in the form of resources and professional learning experiences for teachers. My work with rural schools brought together my teaching, research, and service to address equitable funding issues and teacher shortages in rural communities. Lastly, I coordinated three online programs that I either founded or co-founded with my colleagues to help increase enrollment in our department. I also enjoy engaging in collaborative research projects and have over 40 publications, including three books and most recently a biography for upper-elementary and middle grades students. My research has involved a range of topics, but is centered on the concept of agency in teacher professional learning, student learning, and history of education. I serve on the editorial board for two impact factored journals and am a regular reviewer for NSF grant programs.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rockhurst University in Literacy and Social Studies education. My doctoral degree is from Indiana University in Curriculum Studies and a Minor in History of Education. I taught elementary, middle, and secondary students in mostly suburban and urban contexts for over seven years. During my time in higher education, I have worked with mostly rural and urban schools and teachers in Indiana, Utah, and Kansas. I have also worked with teachers and faculty internationally from Afghanistan, Armenia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Malawi, North Macedonia, South Korea, and Turkey. 

I look forward to being part of the School of Education and learning more about the CSUCI community!



Spencer Clark

Associate Dean and Professor

School of Education

CSU Channel Islands



Announcements

School of Education Launches New MS in School Counseling in Fall 2024

Photo: CSUCI as seen from above.

CSUCI's School of Education is pleased to announce a new 60-unit Master of Science degree with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Counseling (PPSSC) under the Department of Educational Leadership and School Counseling and Psychology. This two-year program combines theory and practice to prepare public school counselors. Support for this new program is funding from a $3M Title V Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) federal grant which provides faculty development and candidate support for writing and career development, and scholarships. School counseling candidates will receive support and guidance from faculty advisors, an administrative support coordinator, and a credential counselor/navigator as they progress through their coursework and fieldwork/clinical experiences in vetted, diverse public schools. 

While Cohort 1 has already been selected and candidates begin coursework in Fall 2024, it's not too early to consider joining Cohort 2, which will launch in Summer 2025. For more information, visit the MS in School Counseling website and plan to attend a future information session. 

Teacher Preparation Financial Resources Are Now Live!

Photo: students raise their hands in a classroom

There are now financial support resources for teacher candidates and for teacher preparation programs that were developed by a state-level cross institutional workgroup and vetted by teacher candidates and program leaders. Please review and disseminate widely.



This fresh set of tools includes updates to the CTC’s Roadmap to Teaching in California, which invites visitors to explore differences in experience, time commitment, advantages and considerations, and financial support available for each of four major teacher preparation pathways.

MORE FOR ASPIRING EDUCATORS

• Funding Your Future in Teaching offers financial planning steps for every aspiring educator and sample funding packages for those considering a California-based teacher residency program.
• Teacher Candidate Funding Explorer is a searchable database of federal and state dollars teacher candidates may be eligible to collect to make their journey toward a teaching credential affordable or cost-free.

MORE FOR TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM LEADERS

• Teacher Residency Program Funding Scenarios identify realistic strategies for combining multiple funding streams to provide robust, durable support to develop and sustain a teacher preparation program of this type.
• Teacher Program Funding Explorer is a searchable database of federal and state dollars they may apply to make their teacher preparation programs more attractive and valuable.

These resources are also infused with research findings that may help programs and candidates plan their next steps. 

The Playbook Implementation Team will soon begin disseminating these resources using a robust suite of dissemination tools. 

Please find attached overview handouts for teacher preparation programs and teacher candidates and feel free to share widely.

School of Education Staff Participate in Retreat

Photo: School of Education Staff. Front (L to R): Liege Ayub, Evan Hill, Lyzette Cornejo. Back (L to R): Spencer Clark, Riley Crain, Jonna Lewis, Necole Ramirez.

The School of Education Staff participated in an offsite retreat on August 13th with the goal of participating in strategic planning and team building. The group utilized the Channel Islands Boating Center and were even able to get out on the water with the kayaking program that is offered.

Photo: Staff prepares to enter the water for their kayaking.

Photo: Staff participates in an ice-breaker activity.

Upcoming Information Sessions

All sessions will be held via Zoom. Registered participants will receive an email with meeting details.

Please register in advance. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming session.

Ed.D in Educational Leadership for Equity and Justice (DELEJ) Information Session

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2024, 4:30-5:30PM

Please register here

Teacher Credential Information Session

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2024, 3:00-4:30PM

Please register here

Upcoming Events

View our full School of Education Events Calendar