2019_December

Greetings from the Graduate School of Education!

As I’m sure all of you are aware, the past few weeks have been devastating for Cal Lutheran and the Thousand Oaks community. The horrific violence of a mass shooting at a local restaurant followed by the intense Woolsey and Hill fires left our community in mourning, in despair, and numb. Although gut wrenching on so many levels, the community has also rallied to support each other in this time of both physical and emotional need. I want to thank each of you for keeping the Cal Lutheran community in your prayers, in your thoughts, and close to your hearts – we all appreciate it.

While it’s difficult to transition back to the day-to-day life of work, transition we must and so I encourage you to explore the following stories that highlight a few of the activities in the Graduate School of Education over the past three months. Also, please don’t forget that we are currently admitting students for all of our programs that have 2019 summer and fall start dates. A link to our program offerings can be found here.

I wish you all the best and please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Mike Hillis

The Autism and Communication Center at Cal Lutheran (ACC) is celebrating its third year of activities this summer. The center is growing and is busier than ever.

This summer, ACC offered its first Family Connections Camp. The camp brought six families (totaling over 20 individuals) together to engage in academic and social games, build communication skills, and bond over fun activities. Families from as far away as Florida joined the four-day camp. Camp activities were led by Julie Sando, Cal Lutheran alumna and founder of Autisticaly Inclined, and Amanda Johnson of Children's Developmental Milestones.

The Summer Communication Camp registered 10 students and their communication partners. Camp registration filled up in less than two days, resulting in a long waiting list! Camp activities were led by Amanda Johnson alongside Ali Steers, a local speech language pathologist who specializes in augmentative and alternative communication.

Finally, ACC is excited to have offered the first ever national College Bound Academy four-day transition program. The program was tailored to autistic students who use letter boards and keyboards to communicate. Students from across six states visited Cal Lutheran to learn about resources and self-advocacy skills to transition successfully to college.

The GSOE was excited to host the Find My Genius camp this summer with the assistance of Master of Arts in Educational Leadership alum Isabel Pelayo-Ryan'16, Southeast Ventura County YMCA, Conejo Elementary, Bell University, and Lennox Foundation. The Ventura County Star wrote about helping studewnts fight the 'summer slide'.

CIS Network Supports 3,500 future teachers – and it’s growing

Over the past two years, Deans for Impact has supported one of the largest ever cross-institutional improvement efforts in educator preparation: the Common Indicators System (CIS) Network, a national effort to gather evidence of teacher-candidate knowledge and skill using common measures. In August 2018, and for the first time, leaders from a dozen educator-preparation programs came together for the inaugural “Inquiry Institute” to explore data on 3,500 aspiring teachers, and to use this information to develop action plans for their programs. “The transparent sharing of similar experiences and challenges is especially powerful,” one participant said afterward. Another described the CIS Network as being unique in fostering “the spirit of collaboration among all the participants” and “the ability to make assessment and program improvement sustainable.” And now six new institutions, including Cal Lutheran’s Graduate School of Education with Mike Hillis as a member dean, will be joining the CIS Network for the 2018-2019 academic year.

The CIS Network is proof that diverse educator-preparation programs can come together to learn, inquire, and improve in pursuit of a shared goal: to ensure all children have access to great teachers. Learn more here.

Susan Greiser Price Arts and Learning Symposium: From STEM to STEAM

Over 200 participants attended the 2018 Susan Greiser Price Arts and Learning Symposium, which included an amazing keynote presentation by Dr. Lorenzo Ramirez, Director of the ALLIES in STEM program, 20 breakout sessions, interactive art stations, and an art exhibit. Participants indicated that they gained valuable insights related to arts integration and STEAM, and many plan to apply what they learned in their classrooms.