Opening Doors: 2013 Dean's Report

5998 Alcalรก Park San Diego, CA 92110-2942 Phone: (619) 260-4538 soles@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/soles

Opening Doors 2013 DEAN’S REPORT SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION SCIENCES

320 New Graduate Students starting summer/fall 2013

current as of August 30, 2013

Coming to San Diego

From 13 Countries and 26 States Ages Ranging From

T T

29 years average

T T

21 years

58 years •

44% Students of Color

8.8% Online Students $6,624 Average Merit Scholarship Amount 213 (34%) Students with Scholarship Awards in SOLES from USD or SOLES including merit, diversity and donor-funded scholarships*

37% Increase over summer/fall 2012 incoming class

*does not include university-sponsored need-based grants or loans for graduate students

A message from DEAN CORDEIRO This year we opened doors to many firsts for SOLES, including new programs, partnerships and possibilities.

The School of Leadership and Education Sciences houses academic departments, centers and institutes within Mother Rosalie Hill Hall on the campus of the University of San Diego. The nationallyaccredited, innovative and vibrant programs offered within SOLES are led by an administrative team, faculty and participatory advisory boards for the school and the centers.

We have harnessed the strengths of our faculty from two long-term programs within our school to create our new Department of School, Family and Mental Health Professions. In just one year this department has made great strides in using the synergies that exist among programs to deepen the educational experience for students.

Demonstrating our commitment to accessibility, we offered our first online master’s degree. The first cohort in the online MEd consists of students from across the U.S., and with our international partnerships, we expect future cohorts to draw students from across the globe.

In downtown San Diego, the first charter high school in a public library opened this fall, a project that the Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) has been working on for more than four years. This was a major milestone for both CEPAL and San Diego.

Thanks to generous donors Irwin and Joan Jacobs, the Mobile Technology Learning Center was able to expand, opening a new suite of offices in SOLES, and to begin the search for a founding director.

There is no other center across the U.S. at a university that combines research, program evaluation and professional development around mobile technology in K-12 education. The need for such a center has been obvious in the number of districts that have already enlisted MTLC’s expertise.

All of these ‘firsts’ offer opportunities for our students to engage on a deeper level, and for us to increase our impact. As the new programs grow and existing programs continue to expand, we look forward to many more firsts that build on our ever-expanding school.

Paula A. Cordeiro, EdD Professor and Dean, School of Leadership and Education Sciences University of San Diego

First High School Embedded Within a Public Library in the U.S. This fall, more than 260 students started class at e3 Civic High School, the first charter high school in the U.S. located within a public library. The SOLES Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) began working with the San Diego Public Library Foundation four years ago to conduct a feasibility study for the school.

Once the need was determined and the project was given approval to move forward, CEPAL facilitated a unique collaboration between the City of San Diego, San Diego Unified School District and the San Diego Public Library Foundation to work toward the shared goals of building a new public library for the community of San Diego and creating a school for downtown San Diego students.

CEPAL was then hired to write the petition for the charter school, design the learning delivery systems,

Photo courtesy of Matt Spathas.

Renderings courtesy of LPA Architects.

provide guidance on legal issues, and establish board governance. Using leadership and expertise from partnerships with the downtown community, businesses and library, the program was designed to leverage the students’ and the school’s urban location.

Working with LPA Architects, the newly appointed e3 Civic Board, the City of San Diego and San Diego Unified School District, the learning delivery system was translated into a design for the physical space. All of the spaces within e3 Civic are flexible and adaptive, built for collaborative learning and technology integration. This spring, months before the school opened for students, the project received a Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Award of Honor from the Coalition for Adequate School Housing and the American Institute of

Architects. CEPAL will continue working with e3 Civic, researching the effectiveness of the design and the effects on the students of the learning system and space, ensuring there is alignment between the pedagogy and the environment.

“E3 Civic High School is in existence thanks to CEPAL. Julie Cramer and CEPAL were instrumental in facilitating focus groups with stakeholders on what the community wanted from a new downtown school.”

– Mel Katz, Chairman of the Board, e3 Civic High School

Mobile Technology Learning Center: First University-Based Research Center of its Kind Using an innovative approach that aligns research, practice and professional development, the SOLES Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC) is the first U.S. university-based research center to focus on mobile technology implementation in K-12 classrooms. Established in 2011 by a generous grant from Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs and Joan Jacobs, MTLC provides the research, training, and services needed to support school districts in their efforts to significantly change the way learning is delivered through the use of mobile technology.

The center has been offering a fully-online certificate program and services to school districts across the country for more than two years, and this fall will open a new suite of offices and collaborative learning research center within SOLES. Modeled on a flexible, collaborative learning environment, the center will feature five adaptable zones and embedded technology. The center will house SOLES researchers and research assistants as they continue the projects underway and expand into new districts.

Quiet Research Zone and Director’s Workstation

Researchers’ Workspace

movable

Project Room

non- movable

Movable furniture: depicted in white, the majority of furniture in the space is on wheels so each space can be arranged to fit the use.

Very little is unmovable­; shown in blue. technology Technology and connectivity throughout: installed technology is shown in gray, and wireless access is available throughout. huddleboards

Collaboration Lounge

Center staff with Dean Cordeiro, donor Irwin Jacobs, and President Mary Lyons. Pictured left to right: Jodi Tudor, Julie Cramer, Roxanne Ruzic, Rich Thome, Kai Thomas, Scott Himelstein, Paula Cordeiro, Irwin Jacobs, Mary Lyons, Andria Shook, Polly Traylor, John Franey

Huddleboards, shown in purple, can be used throughout the space or mounted to the wall.

Learning Lab

SOLES Launches First Online Master’s Program This fall, SOLES launched its first fully online master’s degree in education. The program is designed to broaden our outreach to K-12 educators who seek a high quality, relevant and flexible learning expereince.

We are currently enrolling educators from 16 areas of California and six states across the country.

By taking the program online, degree-seekers are able to continue their teaching full time while working toward a degree. This means that their learning has an immediate impact in the K-12 classroom. Professor Sandy Buczynski comments that students enrolled in the program, “are already making meaningful connections between course content and their own teaching practice.”

The online program responds to both SOLES core values and current trends in K-12 education. All students take core courses in equity and social justice, learning and cognition, and classroom

research. Additionally, degree seekers can select from specializations such as 21st century literacies and STEAM. Recognizing that learning is strengthened within collaborative professional communities, online assignments are intentionally designed to invite students to work together. Google docs, video chats, voice thread, blogs and discussion boards foster student-to-student communication and collaboration.

Early reports indicate that online MEd students are enthusiastic about the online platform and eager to apply their learning experience to their own teaching. Seventh grade math and technology teacher Claire Dumlao states,”I plan to use what I learn in order to update my teaching style and fully bring my classroom into the 21st century.”

“My students are my driving force, they are the reason I enrolled in this program. They are all excited for me and cannot wait to see and hear about my progress.”

– Melissa Diaz, 6th grade teacher

Interview with First Department Chair for our Newest Academic Department After a national search, Professor and Department Chair Ann F. Garland, PhD, joined SOLES from the University of California, San Diego in 2012 and became the inaugural chair for the Department of School, Family and Mental Health Professions. Her immediate task was to integrate the three separate academic programs and specializations of Marital and Family Therapy, School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling into a coordinated academic unit promoting excellence in teaching, scholarly research, and community engagement.

What are the department’s goals for upcoming year?

completely focused on becoming the best counselors and therapists possible.

The main goal for this year is to continue building on the synergies discovered in our first year. We will further develop departmental projects and events that capitalize on our complementary expertise, adding new professional development workshops for current students, alums and community partners.

Has anything surprised you?

What were the major accomplishments of the first year?

Stepping back into the classroom in the second semester. After a first semester primarily focused on administration, it was refreshing to connect with the students and be reminded of our purpose for being here. The energy and enthusiasm of the students is so refreshing and grounding because they are

Recognizing the synergies and shared priorities across the programs around how we educate our students and prepare them for their future careers was the most foundational accomplishment for our department.

Our faculty are very diverse in terms of background and experience. Recognizing shared goals and taking advantage of complementary areas of expertise makes us stronger as a department as we work to impact complex societal problems such as mental illness, child and family trauma, school bullying and violence, and academic under-achievement, which require all the knowledge that can be gained from all the disciplines and expertise available.

Photo: Counseling students in Madrid, Spain

In addition, we’ll expand the special interest groups created for students across our programs addressing important topics such as services for military families and cross-cultural counseling. We also intend to submit new proposals for innovative training and research focusing on global mental health, school counseling innovations and multi-cultural training for counselors and therapists.

Do you have a favorite moment from your first year?

Actually, no, just the opposite; the reality has really matched the rhetoric. USD’s mission, values and priorities are clearly laid out, and my experiences this year have reinforced that clarity of purpose. For example, social justice and community engagement are two stated priorities for the university, and they drive decision making and resources across the university. The top priority is the quality of the experience for the student. This is especially relevant when working with the faculty. They are so committed to getting to know the students and what they need, tailoring the education experience so it is as high quality and meaningful as possible for each individual student. Throughout this process they have shown so much patience, good humor, and flexibility in working together for the first time, coming together in this time of transition, and welcoming me into the department while maintaining focus on the university’s priorities.