Horizons News Magazine | USD school of leadership and education sciences
Solving the math and science teacher shortage: SOLES finds a formula for success Page 2
Caster family gift to benefit nonprofit research | 4 Remarkable leaders in education: A new SOLES tradition | 5
Joi Spencer, Ph.D.
Horizons News Magazine | USD school of leadership and education sciences
Paula A. Cordeiro, Ed.D., Dean Steven Gelb, Ph.D., Associate Dean Linda Dews, Assistant Dean Gary A. Neiger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations Linda Siefert, Ed.D., Director of Assessment Tedi Kostka, Credential Analyst Rondi Stein, M.B.A., Budget and Operations Manager Michelle A. Tillman, M.A., Director of Outreach and Recruitment
F e at u r e s t o r y 2 | Solving the math and science teacher shortage: SOLES finds a formula for success
d e pa r t m e n t s 4 | Around Hill Hall • Center for Nonprofit Research receives Caster Family Endowment
• New SOLES Alumni Council being formed
• Remarkable Leaders in Education: A new tradition at SOLES
6 | Faculty News New faculty and administrative appointments 7 | Alumni Spotlight • Rabbi Laurie Coskey
• Alumni News
9 | Upcoming Events
5998 Alcalá Park San Diego, CA 92110-2492 Phone: (619) 260-4600 soles@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/soles
F ro m t h e D e A N March 2008 Dear SOLES Alumni and Friends, During 2007 several new faculty and staff members joined SOLES, and they are featured in this issue of Horizons. Coming from Canada is Dr. Catherine Hands, who is in the public/private school leadership specialization in the Department of Leadership Studies. We have our first Professor of Practice — Rich Thome — a former school superintendent. Rich is assisting us with outreach to local school districts. Dr. Marie Schrup, an administrator in the Sweetwater Union High School District, is supporting the Department of Learning and Teaching on issues of credentialing and education policy; her expertise is invaluable to the department. Another new colleague is Scott Himelstein, former California Deputy Secretary of Education and Acting Secretary of Education. Scott joined us as the founding director of the Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) which we will tell you more about in future publications. The Dean’s office has some very exciting changes as well. Last September, Linda Dews became our new Assistant Dean. Also, some of you many know Dr. Steve Gelb, from the Department of Learning and Teaching, who is now the Associate Dean.
Left to right: Msgr. William Elliott, Founding Dean School of Education; Paula A. Cordeiro, Ed. D., current Dean SOLES; and Edward DeRoche, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus School of Education
In this issue of Horizons we highlight the important work being done by our Math, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) program’s faculty and students. Drs. Buczynski, Hansen, Inoue and Spencer are the full time faculty in the Department of Learning and Teaching who are doing very exciting research with our students, and in collaboration with school district and communitybased organizations. Finally, we want to invite you and your families to participate in a new tradition at SOLES — and it’s free. On Friday July 4, 2008 we will be celebrating Independence Day on the West Terrace of Hill Hall. The terrace overlooks the bay and ocean and the view of the fireworks should be quite spectacular. So, please plan on joining us. We will have beverages and munchies for everyone and we will leave the building open for those of you haven’t seen it yet or want to show it to your family and friends. Happy Spring to all!
Paula A. Cordeiro Dean and Professor
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Math Science Teacher Education Program
Solving
Everywhere you look in the news these days, there’s something about the critical shortage of qualified teachers in mathematics and the sciences. In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush specifically called for the recruitment of 30,000 new math and science teachers. Meanwhile, the National Academy of Sciences and other high-profile groups are predicting that the teacher shortage, and the resulting poor quality of math and science education in our schools, will negatively impact the future economic well-being of the nation as a whole.
Nori Inoue, Ph.D.
The reason for the shortage seems obvious: Over the past two decades, student enrollments have been increasing, while qualified teachers are leaving the profession in ever increasing numbers. In response, we’ve seen a wide range of teacher recruitment programs being implemented, such as Teach for America, a Peace Corps-like program. Another recruitment strategy, financial incentives, includes everything from
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signing bonuses and student loan forgiveness to housing assistance and tuition reimbursement. But at SOLES, the Math, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) graduate program has adopted a more broad-based strategy. In addition to recruiting students who are just beginning their careers, MSTE encourages more experienced students to apply: career changers who may have always had a dream of
one day teaching, as well as existing math and science teachers looking to sharpen their skills. “We’re seeing more and more career changers who want to become teachers,” reports Sandy Buczynski, Ph.D., assistant professor of science education and MSTE program coordinator. “Just this semester we had two seasoned professionals enter the program, one a retiring engineer and the other a former physical therapist.”
the math and science teacher shortage:
SOLES finds a formula for
Veteran teachers are another group that’s being actively recruited by MSTE. Initially, scholarship funding for the program’s first cohort was provided through a California Math-Science Partnership grant aimed at helping existing math and science teachers become better at what they do. As a result, the first group of 25 students to receive their master’s degree through MSTE were all veteran teachers. “Teachers with a few years under their belt know where the challenges lie and are in a much better position to deepen their skills,” says Joi Spencer, Ph.D., assistant professor of math education at SOLES. “They’ve experienced the pain that comes when kids don’t ‘get it,’ and they’re highly motivated to find a solution.” According to Buczynski, making sure that teachers “get it” first is key. “We think it’s important for teachers to have an understanding of the basic concepts that underlie the content they’re teaching,” she says. “It’s this conceptual understanding that gives good teachers the confidence to become great teachers.” The two-year MSTE program uses a cohort model, where the same group of students start together, take the same courses together, and ultimately finish together. According to Spencer, the cohort model is a growing trend in graduate schools, especially in professions such as teaching, nursing or law. “Students are less likely to drop out when there’s an end in sight,” she points out. “In fact, MSTE’s first cohort had a zero attrition rate. Plus everyone is proceeding at the same pace, so there’s never the pressure of feeling either rushed or held back.” Before receiving a master’s degree in MSTE, each candidate is required to complete an action research project and present the findings in a public forum. Unlike a more traditional thesis project, where research is often based on a hypothetical question, action research uses a real life classroom problem as its focus. “Our MSTE candidates are developing as ‘teacher-scholars’,” says Buczynski, “expanding their insights regarding effective teaching practices.” “A number of research projects that our students have done have had an incredible impact on their students,” Spencer adds. As an example, she cites an ExcelTM program created by one MSTE student that helps children understand the concept of common denominators. “It’s very hands on, with teachers working with their own students,” she adds, “and the good news is, in the end, the kids benefit.”
success
Sandy Buczynski, Ph.D.
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Around
HILL HALL New SOLES Alumni Council being formed During the fall of 2007 a number of SOLES Alumni met to organize an alumni council that would help foster and enhance relations between current SOLES students and SOLES alumni.
Center for Nonprofit Research Receives
Caster Family Endowment S
an Diego-based A-1 Self Storage has awarded the Center for Nonprofit Research at SOLES a major endowment to enhance research efforts and further the study of critical issues affecting San Diego’s nonprofit sector. The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit Research studies issues of strategic importance to the nonprofit sector in order to identify and advance best practices in leadership and management. The results of these studies benefit those who lead nonprofits, as well as the millions of citizens they serve locally and nationally. “This generous gift ensures that we will continue the work first begun when we were established in 2004 with support from The Westreich Foundation and the Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation,” says center founder and co-director Pat Libby. “The nonprofit sector is growing exponentially and constitutes the 6th largest economy in the world. That leadership must have access to data and resources that will help strengthen the sector.” Since 2004, the Center for Nonprofit Research at SOLES has produced several significant reports affecting the nonprofit sector and has become a respected think tank for nonprofit leaders. “The Caster Companies enthusiastically support the high quality work produced by the Center. We understand the benefits of providing leaders of nonprofits with the highest quality education focused on training responsible, ethical leaders,” said Terry Caster, founder of the Caster Companies, owners of A-1 Self Storage.
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The SOLES Alumni Council will meet three times annually to review program and service offerings, social events and fundraising programs. Our thanks to the following alumni for their help in planning and organizing the Council: Diane Callahan Helen Eckmann Joe Raffa Lindsey McDougle Renee Herrell Teresa Gase Walt Heinecke Tom Cesarini If you are interested in participating in the Alumni Council please contact Mr. Gary A. Neiger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at (619) 260-7783 or via email at garyn@sandiego.edu for more information.
Remarkable Leaders in Education:
A new tradition at SOLES SOLES marked the opening of Hill Hall in October of 2007 by creating a new tradition — Remarkable Leaders in Education — to honor legendary contributions to the field of education made by individuals in San Diego and Imperial Counties.SOLES was pleased to recognize six dynamic and outstanding individuals as our inaugural honorees: Roger Revelle, Ph.D., heralded as the father of UCSD Cherrie Sevick, a pioneer in the field of special education who helped develop the California Master Plan for Special Education Hector Lopez, Ed.D., years of exemplary work in college counseling at Imperial County Community College Ellen Browning Scripps, philanthropic efforts in establishing the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Thomas H. Watts, founder of the Elementary Institute of Science, for his work with middle and high school students Mary Catherine Swanson, for her work in founding the AVID program, an international program designed to help students prepare for and successfully achieve a college education
Please help us
continue this wonderful
tradition
by nominating a remarkable leader in education for our 2008 honors. Nomination forms can be found at www.sandiego.edu/ academics/soles/ remarkableleaders/ 2008rlie.pdf
Receiving their Remarkable Leaders awards are (top to bottom) Cherrie Sevick, Hector Lopez with Professor Reyes Quezada and Mary Catherine Swanson with San Diego City Council President pro tem Tony Young, USD alumnus and former AVID teacher.
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FACULTY
NEWS
New SOLES Faculty and Administrative Appointments
Scott Himelstein, Director Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) Scott Himelstein previously served as California Deputy Secretary of Education, and subsequently Acting Secretary of Education. He was chief policy advisor to Governor Schwarzenneger for K-12 and higher education. Formerly Mr. Himelstein was chairman and CEO of both the National Even Start Association and San Diego Reads. He currently serves as president of the William D. Lynch Foundation for Children and is on the board of directors for the San Diego Council on Literacy, Sweetwater Education Foundation, Partnership for Success Foundation and California Coast Credit Union. Richard Thome, Professor of Practice Department of Leadership Studies Richard Thome retired after serving 37 years as a teacher in the California school system. He is now a partner in Leadership Associates, California’s largest superintendent search firm, and is an executive coach for Springboard Schools. Locally, Mr. Thome served as superintendent of South Bay and Cardiff School Districts. At the University level, Mr. Thome has served as adjunct professor at California State University, Long Beach, San Marcos and San Diego State University. He was awarded the 2006 Willie Velasquez Community Service Award for outstanding contribution to the San Diego Latino community. Marie G. Schrup, Ed. D. Department of Learning and Teaching Marie Schrup is the director of New Teacher Support Programs in Sweetwater Union High School District, where she oversees the BTSA/Induction program and university interns. She spent ten years working in school districts across San Diego County as a teacher, program specialist and administrator and twelve years as a consultant at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Schrup is a member of the statewide special education credential workgroup and the California Improving Special Education Services (ISES) group. Linda Dews, Assistant Dean Linda Dews has more than twenty years of experience in higher education administration. She previously served as an assistant dean in student services at California Western School of Law. She consulted and advised in admissions and diversity issues for a local independent college preparatory school and has served in various committee and executive board 8=leadership positions for national legal education organizations. Ms. Dews recently held the position of interim executive director for the San Diego Women’s History Museum and Educational Center. She has frequently served as a speaker and panelist at national and regional conferences. Catherine Hands, Ph. D. Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA) Department of Leadership Studies Montessori teacher Catherine Hands returned to academia to earn graduate degrees in educational administration from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral dissertation on partnerships between schools and communities received an AERA Special Interest Group Outstanding Dissertation award. Hands went on to teach educational leadership courses at the University of Toronto, and has worked as an educational consultant. She was an executive member of the Canadian Association of Montessori Teachers and is currently a program committee member and co-chair for the AERA Family, School, and Community Partnership Special Interest Group. 6
ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT
Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Ed. D., Executive Director, San Diego Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice Ordained as a rabbi in 1985, Laurie Coskey entered the doctoral program in leadership studies at SOLES more than a decade later. “It was my calling as a rabbi that led me to the teachings of the prophets, who were passionate advocates for profound and meaningful social change,” she recalls. “ I was looking for a doctoral program with a strong ethical foundation that was also focused on community and leadership.” According to Rabbi Coskey, the leadership skills she gained at SOLES and the work she did there helped prepare her for her current role as executive director of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (ICWJ) of San Diego – a position she assumed in 2001, shortly after earning her Doctorate in Education at USD. “ Our mission at ICWJ is to educate and mobilize the San Diego religious community and people of faith to lift up the issues facing low-wage
workers and their families and help to end poverty in San Diego through improved wages, benefits and working conditions,” she says. “It’s the on-site jobs that can’t be exported – janitorial, caretakers, child care workers, and service industry workers – where you’ll find the most low-wage workers who are being forced to choose between rent and food or medicine for their children. No religious tradition accepts this kind of poverty,” Coskey points out. The San Diego ICWJ was established in 1998 to help lowwage workers and their families to live sustainable lives with dignity. As advocates for the working poor, ICWJ members from more than a dozen faith traditions utilize such tactics as letter writing campaigns, meetings with workers and management,
and organizing and participating in delegations and vigils. Coskey is convinced that her work at USD helped lay the groundwork for her success at ICWJ. “My dissertation at SOLES studied the properties of collaboration and shared vision among community leaders in San Diego,” she recalls. “It was a critical stepping stone toward the advocacy work I’m doing today. “ Rabbi Coskey has been selected to receive the Arthur Hughes Career Achievement Award, to be presented at the Alumni Honor Awards banquet on April 26, 2008.
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Alumni News Susan E. Mitchell, Ed. D. ‘94, associate vice present for Student Academic Support Services (emeritus) recently retired after 32 years in the California State University system. During her tenure, she served in Student Affairs at San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos and was active in several professional organizations in higher education. Kevin McClure, M.A. ’04, is executive director of the San Diego Prevention Coalition, a local nonprofit that seeks to reduce drug abuse across the region. He was involved in promoting an unprecedented media event with eight local channels broadcasting “Crystal Darkness,” a documentary highlighting the dangers of methamphetamine. McClure’s initiatives were also the subject of a cover story, “Speed Limits,” in the December 2007 issue of KPBS On Air Magazine.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS 2007-2008 8
James Otis, M.A. ’04, is working as a seventh grade teacher in Ghana. His school recently hosted the annual AISA (Association of International Schools in Africa) conference, which was attended by over 600 teachers and administrators from more than 35 African countries. David Herrera, Ed. D ’05, as a result his participation in the IAFEP (International Association for the Economics of Participation) conference in June 2006, Dr. Herrera was invited to give talks to students in classrooms, faculty members and the community at large at Messiah University in Pennsylvania. In addition, Dr. Herrera was invited to join the newly formed Mondragon Cooperative Academic Community (MCAC). Funded by Mondragon University (Spain), the MCAC is concerned with research related to “bridges that might exist among applied ethics, cooperative enterprise, and sustainable community and human development”.
Tricia Bertram Gallant, Ph. D. ’06, UCSD academic integrity coordinator, authored “The Complexity of Integrity Culture Change: A Case Study of a Liberal Arts College” that recently appeared in The Review of Higher Education. Her ASHE Monograph “Academic Integrity in the 21st Century: A teaching and learning imperative” will be published in Summer 2008. She is also collaborating with USD political science professor Patrick Drinan on several manuscripts, and is co-authoring a book with Pat and Steven Davis on student cheating.
CORRECTION: In the fall 2007 issue of Horizons, Alumni News, Tricia Bertram Gallant is collaborating with professor Patrick Drinan, not Pat Libby.
Victoria Baron ’94 Licensed Family Therapist
Wendy Gillespie Principal, Frontier Trading, Inc.
Brian Bright Partner, Educor Capital Partners
Todd Gutschow Founder, Todd and Mari Gutschow Family Foundation
Jeff A. Carlstead ’04 Owner, Hampton Inn Christopher Carstens, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Rodney F. Dammeyer President, CAC LLC Laura Stanley DeMarco Former Partner, Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management
Rebecca Haddock Smith ’93 Regional Director of Communications and Outreach, High Tech High Mel Katz President, Manpower Brian E. Kinsman President, Kinsman Capital
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Substitute Teacher Training Program
5th Symposium on Action Research in Schools
10th Annual Conference on Character Development
Saturday, April 5 and 19, 2008 8:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Southern California Teacher Recruitment & Support Center Warren Auditorium, Hill Hall, Rm 116 Contact: (619) 908-3600, or go to www.teachsocal.org/sub.asp
• Friday, May 16, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. • Saturday, May 17, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cosponsored by CS3 and the Department of Learning and Teaching Hill Hall Contact: Lonnie Rowell, Director, (619) 260-4212, lrowell@sandiego.edu or cs3.usd@gmail.com
June 30– July 1, 2008 The Three C’s for Safe Schools: Caring, Civil, Challenging Sponsored by The Character Development Center USD Institute for Peace and Justice Contact: Edward DeRoche, Director, (619) 260-2250, deroche@sandiego.edu
LEAP (Leaders Exploring Administrative Possibilities) Open House Sunday, April 27, 2008 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sponsored by ELDA Hill Hall, Room 102 Contact: Carmen Valencia, (619) 260-8839, elda@sandiego.edu
Annual SPARC Awards Friday, May 9, 2008 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Support Personnel Accountability Report Card Sponsored by the Center for Student Support Services (CS3) Institute for Peace and Justice (rooms A & B) Contact: Lonnie Rowell, Director, (619) 260-4212, lrowell@sandiego.edu or cs3.usd@gmail.com
SOLES Global 2008 Summer Study Courses South Africa K-16 Comparative Education May 29–June 11 Shanghai, China Global Leadership May 30–June7 Mondragon, Spain Participatory Leadership July 7–July 11 Costa Rica Educational Leadership in Peace and Sustainability August 2–9
Peter Sibley CEO of EDmin.com, Inc.
William D. Lynch Founder, William D. Lynch Foundation
Dorothy Smith Former Member and President, Board of Education, San Diego City Schools; Professor, San Diego City College (retired)
Vince Mudd CEO, San Diego Office Interiors Jim F. Mulvaney, Jr. Vice President, Driver Alliant Insurance Drew Schlosberg Community and Public Relations Manager, San Diego Union-Tribune
July 8-11, 2008 University of San Diego Contact: Carmen Valencia, (619) 260-8839, elda@sandiego.edu
CCLDI Summer Academy July 27 – 31, 2008 Sponsored by Community College Leadership Development Initiatives (CCLDI) University of San Diego Contact: (619) 260-7605, ccldi@sandiego.edu
Contact: Whitney McIntyre Miller, (619) 260-7443, globalcenter@sandiego.edu
Stevan Laaperi ’76 Director of Schools, Diocese of San Diego
Jean H. Miller Community Volunteer
ELDA Summer Institute
Darryl Solberg Managing Partner of Hecht, Solberg, Robinson, Goldberg, & Bagley Richard Sulpizio President and Chief Operating Officer, Qualcomm (retired)
Richard Thome Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Technology, San Diego County Office of Education (retired) John Yochelson President, Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST) John Zygowicz Managing Director, Private Client Group, US Bank
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The Ackerman Challenge Grant
Step up to the
challenge! Nonprofit salaries in San Diego County are far below private and public sector compensation levels. To meet this challenge, The Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation has approved a challenge grant that, when met, will create $1 million in endowed scholarships for Nonprofit Leadership and Management students at USD to help to defray tuition costs. For every $3 donated to the SOLES Nonprofit Leadership and Scholarship Fund, the Ackerman Foundation will make a matching $1 donation. Help us reach our goal of $600,000 in new donations by the June 30, 2008 deadline. Total donations to date: $362,850.00 Amount needed to reach our goal: $237,150.00 Challenge weeks remaining: 16 weeks To make a donation, or for more information, visit our website at www.sandiego.edu/soles/ackerman
Or contact Gary A. Neiger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations (619) 260-7783 garyn@sandiego.edu PRESORT FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT 365 SAN DIEGO, CA
School of Leadership and Education Sciences 5998 Alcalรก Park San Diego, CA 92110-2492