Unit

The unit has developed an infrastructure that supports ongoing communication, collaboration, and efficiency.  The Interim Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Carlos Ayala serves as the school leader with Department Chairs as faculty/academic leaders and the Administrative Manager, Gayle Graff, as the staff leader. He was appointed to this position on 8/1/10.  Dr. Ayala works openly and effectively with department chairs, program leads, and faculty members in the School of Education and with Deans and representatives of schools across campus to enhance the mission of the school and resolve issues related to the preparation of educators and other school professionals.  The School of Education also has a part time Director of Accreditation and Assessment, Dr. MaryAnn Nickel, and faculty are assigned as assessment coordinators within each department.  The Dean of Social Sciences, Elaine Leeder, oversees the Pupil Personnel and School Counseling program and the interim Dean of Science and Technology, Lynn Stauffer, oversees the Adapted PE program.

An organization chart provides an overview of the structure within the School including the three departments, Student Services and the Credentials Office. The Graduate Studies Office and Office of the Provost also work closely with the School to support its mission and programs.  A School of Education Policy Manual is the repository of School and Department policies; University policies and procedures can be found at the SSU policies website.

Within the unit, several positions exist to support programs, faculty, staff, and candidates.  The Coordinator of Field Placement is responsible each semester for secondary and elementary field placements.  In addition, each department has assigned faculty to coordinate the on-site experience of candidates.   The Educational Leadership and Special Education Programs have assigned time for their own field placement coordination since their placements are specialized.  The Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jennifer Mahdavi oversees all SOE graduate programs, monitors and schedules core courses, and chairs the Graduate Studies Committee.   Administrative Coordinators deal with procedural work associated with scheduling courses, purchasing, managing paperwork for the RTP process, support for recruitment and hiring, and much more.
 
The office of Student Services of the School of Education includes both the Credentials Office and the Admissions Office and provides support and assistance related to programs offered by the School of Education.  Advising is done by faculty in each department.   Other departments in the University from which future teachers may emerge, work in collaboration with the School of Education and provide advising services for future teacher candidates (credential program advisors).  Administrative Coordinators complete the procedural work associated with scheduling courses, overseeing faculty teaching load; managing the paperwork for Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion cycles each year; coordinating faculty recruitment, hiring and evaluation; corresponding with candidates and others; and department work.  Work/study students are assigned by the Administrative Manager to assist Administrative Coordinators and others as needed. A School of Education Handbook for Chairs provides information and forms to be used for handling such department issues as the hiring and evaluation of part-time faculty, grade appeals, grievances, and reporting of faculty teaching load.

The committee structure within the school forms a strong base of support for the institution’s commitment to reflective practice, joint governance and accountability.  The Council of Chairs , is considered the leadership team within the school and consists of the Dean, Department Chairs, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Accreditation and Assessment, and Administrative Manager.  The Council meets two to three times a month and considers issues involving coordination of programs, school policy, program and unit assessment, and financial decisions.  The Council of Chairs agenda and minutes are available on the SOE website.  The Assessment and Accreditation Committee consists of the Director of Assessment and Accreditation, and faculty members from each department chosen to serve as representatives.  SOE Curriculum Committee oversees, School of Education curricular decisions and consists of elected faculty representatives from each department and follows the Curriculum Procedures and Guidelines policy document.  The Technology Committee plans and allocates resources for the technological needs of the School of Education and works in concert with the University Instructional Technology unit.  RTP committees at the department, school, and university level make decisions regarding retention, tenure and promotion. 

The school is committed to encouraging the professional community to participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs and candidates. Each program has an active Community Advisory Committee that meets on a regular basis. Typically each advisory committee consists of cooperating teachers, school counselors, field supervisors, school administrators, and/or former students.  The unit also provides a survey to all student teacher and administrative candidate supervisors immediately after completing coursework.  Graduates themselves are also surveyed by the CSU one year after graduation.  The School is also committed to working with our school partners to share professional development opportunities as a way to strengthen our programs.  One such example is the participation of SOE faculty in a consortium of districts in examining Teaching Rounds.  For the past 3 years, the university has sponsored a “Faculty in Residence”; whereby a faculty member lives in a residence hall advising and interacting with students. 

The School is committed to ensuring that candidates have access to student services at the department, school, and institutional levels. The University provides a variety of faculty and candidate support programs. Furthermore, the School works with the Office of the Provost to ensure that catalogue entries, academic calendars, program publications, grading policies, appeal processes, and student discipline are accurate and current.  Unit policies are updated on a regular basis and are clearly defined in the university catalogue as well as department handbooks.

Summary: The school provides the leadership and effective coordination of programs that prepare teachers, administrators, school counselors, and other school professionals to work in schools. An infrastructure is in place to involve school partners and the professional community in program design, implementation, and evaluation of the unit and its programs. The unit works to ensure that policies, procedures, and publications are updated and reflect current practice.