HorizonsSpring 2010

News Magazine | USD ScHool of leaDerSHip anD eDUcation ScienceS

nonprofit students bring hopePage 4

elDa celebrates ten yearsPage 8

paula a. cordeiro, ed.D., DeanSteven Gelb, ph.D., associate Deanlinda Dews, assistant Dean pelema i. Morrice, Director of outreach and recruitment, (ph.D. cand.)Gary a. neiger, Director of Development and alumni relationspaula S. Krist, ph.D., Director of assessmenttedi Kostka, credential analyst rondi Stein, M.B.a., Budget and operations Manager

5998 Alcalá ParkSan Diego, CA 92110-2492

Phone: (619) 260-4538soles@sandiego.edu

www.sandiego.edu/soles

4 | Nonprofit Student Helps Bring Hope to Rural Kenya

8 | ELDA Celebrates Ten Years

12 | SOLES Alum Receives Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award

16 | NROTC Grad Wins Top Academic Achievement Award

17 | ELDA Grad is US Teacher of the Year Finalist

18 | Donor Spotlight

19 | Around Hill Hall – Alumni News, Faculty News

20 | Upcoming Events

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Horizons News Magazine | SprinG 2010

On the cover: Nonprofit student Scott Campbell working with Haitian refugees.

Dear SOLES Alumni and Friends,

On February 19, I attended the annual conference of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, where Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke of the need for a transformational change in the way institutions of higher education are preparing the leaders of tomorrow.

During my 12-year tenure as Dean, I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand that kind of transformational change here at SOLES. Our curriculum is now more action research based, and includes a global component in which students are required to have an international experience in order to graduate.

SOLES Centers and Institutes, most of which were not in existence a decade ago, provide a forum where students, educators, nonprofit leaders, therapists and counselors may interact and work together for the benefit of the communities we serve. Each year outreach activities at these centers and institutes are having a positive impact on schools, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations both here and abroad.

SOLES is truly a remarkable school and our alumni are making a difference around the world. In this issue of Horizons, we showcase just a handful of countless SOLES stories that have helped us to earn an international reputation as an exemplary institution for education, leadership development and human services.

Saludos,

Paula A. Cordeiro, Ed.D.Dean and Professor

Paula A. Cordeiro, Ed. D.

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nonprofit student helps bring

hope to rural Kenya

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When brothers Milton and Fred Ochieng’ left Lwala in rural Kenya to attend college in the US and began to fulfill their father’s dream of establishing Lwala’s first medical clinic, it literally took a village to make it happen.

“The people in the village sold their cows, chickens, goats and other livestock in order to raise the $900 needed for airfare,” recalls Susan Pyke, a graduate student in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at SOLES and vice president of the board of the Lwala Community Alliance, a grassroots international effort headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The group works with local constituents to identify and prioritize needs and programs to promote health and development for the people of western Kenya.

“The idea of forming an organization to help the Ochieng’ brothers build their health clinic started through meetings around the dining room table,” recalls Pyke. She and her husband were both at Dartmouth College when they were introduced to the two undergraduates through a student ministry group.

A dying father’s dream comes trueIn April of 2007, after two years of fundraising and construction, the Ochieng’ Memorial Lwala Community Health Center opened its doors. During that time, Fred was in college and Milton was attending medical school at Vanderbilt University when their father Erastus Ochieng’, who had helped write the proposal for the clinic, died of AIDS just two months before the groundbreaking.

Before the new clinic was built, poverty and the 30 km distance to the nearest hospital had resulted in a general lack of health care in Lwala, where as many as 30

Before the new clinic was built, there was a general lack of health care in lwala, where as many as 30 percent of the villagers may be infected with HiV.

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Horizons

percent of the villagers may be infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Today as vice president of the board of the Lwala Community Alliance, Susan Pyke is using an applied project component of her graduate work at SOLES to help the organization develop its governance capacity. “I took a Board Leadership course in fall 2009,” she says. “My research project centered around the issues of nonprofit governance and organizational structure. I developed a PowerPoint presentation that utilized the construction of a building as a visual metaphor to illustrate areas of fiduciary and strategic responsibility, legal structure and the importance of ongoing evaluation and assessment.”

How nonprofit research at SOLES benefits communitiesMost graduate courses in Nonprofit Management at SOLES include an applied learning component that allows students to function as consultants to nonprofits on real, value-adding projects. “Last term we did a team project for San Diego grant makers, creating governance policies as required on the Form 990 that nonprofits have to file. They’ve approved these policies and they’re using them, so we’re actually doing something that directly benefits the community.”

It was this hands-on leadership component that attracted Pyke to the Nonprofit Management program in the first place. “In my previous experience with nonprofits, both as a professional and a volunteer, I always felt there was room for improvement in management,” she recalls. “The people who work at nonprofits, as well as those who volunteer or provide financial support, have a deep personal commitment, a passion for the cause. It takes intentional, well-informed management and leadership practices to sustain that commitment and passion so that people don’t burn out or simply stop giving.”

According to Pat Libby, director of the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at SOLES, Pyke’s experience is not an isolated case. “Since the inception of our program in 2002, our students have completed more than 500 applied projects for nonprofit organizations as part of their coursework. These projects allow our graduate students to put their knowledge immediately into practice and are a distinguishing feature of our program.

Not incidentally, student projects often make a significant impact on the nonprofits for which they are developed.”

Scott Campbell, nonprofit program student, making a difference in Haiti. This photo was taken in the Petionvill Club camp where 50,000 refugees are gathered.

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“Since the inception of our program in 2002, our students have completed more than 500 applied projects for nonprofit organizations as part of their coursework.” - pat libby, Director institute for nonprofit education and research

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USD’s educational leadership Development academy celebrates a decade of innovation and exemplary accomplishment.

In just ten short years, USD’s Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA) has become one of the most highly respected principal preparation programs in the nation, earning a reputation for innovation and exemplary accomplishment in redefining educational leadership.

In his February 19, 2010, address to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan pointed out the critical need for programs like ELDA’s. “Why, as a nation that exalts outstanding teachers, do we continue to do a spotty job of preparing teachers and principals to lead in the classroom?

“Great teachers and passionate principals… change the trajectory of children’s lives for the better,” Duncan explained. “They stir curiosity and illuminate the power of learning.” According to Duncan, the biggest influence on student academic growth is not socioeconomic status, nor family background, but the talent of the teacher, which is directly tied to the leadership skills of the principal.

After citing new educational leadership initiatives at Stanford, Harvard and Vanderbilt, Duncan singled out ELDA as being among the “top-notch programs” in the nation in the field of educational leadership preparation.

ELDA Celebrates Ten Years

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the February 19, 2010, AACTE conference singled out ELDA as being among the “top-notch programs” in the nation in the field of educational leadership preparation.

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How elDa got started: the need for changeThe Educational Leadership Development Academy at SOLES was created in 2000, in partnership with the San Diego Unified School District, and funded by a grant from the Eli Broad Foundation. Newly arrived Dean Paula Cordeiro and then San Diego Unified Schools District Superintendent Alan Bersin shared a vision for a program that would address the shortage of principals in the district by attracting exceptional teachers to the principalship, who would in turn go on to improve teacher expertise and eventually raise student achievement. Accomplishing this goal, they knew, required a full-fledged redefinition of the roles and responsibilities of principalship.

First ELDA executive director Elaine Fink (2000 – 2004) remembers those early years as “utopian.” “We had a new vision for a paradigm shift, along with the financial impetus needed to make it happen,” she recalls. The first order of business was to remove the disconnect between what future principals were being taught and what was actually required of them as instructional leaders of teachers in today’s more challenging and diverse classroom environments.

Fundamental to the new concept of principalship was the idea that principals must be instructional leaders, as opposed to just operations managers. Early ELDA participants would be apprenticed to an exemplary principal for the entire school year in order to gain hands-on experience in effective instructional leadership practices and decision-making.

“This was a totally new and different concept, where principals were being held accountable for what was happening in the classroom,” Fink points out. “It required that the university and the school district work hand-in-hand to create a professional development program where a school leader’s performance would be directly tied to the accomplishments of the students.”

teaching teachers how to teach: a new role for school principals “Adult learning has always been a major piece of the ELDA program,” says former ELDA executive director Ann Van Sickle (2004 – 2007), referring to how principals, in effect, teach teachers how to teach. “Problem solving around the various learning issues in the classroom requires that the principal have a strong vision of what teaching and learning for understanding actually looks like and sounds like.” According to Van Sickle, this involves walking into classrooms and looking at videotapes, in addition to analyzing the hard test data, to identify what teachers need in order for their students to succeed.

times change, elDa’s vision has notAlthough the ELDA program would eventually be streamlined, with apprenticeships occurring during school vacations, program fundamentals remain the same. In fact, pre-service apprenticeships, state-of-the-art professional development and other innovations have been key to ELDA’s ongoing success, making ELDA one of the most highly respected programs in the nation.

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A recent report commissioned by The Wallace Foundation bears this out. The report rated ELDA among the top eight “exemplary” principal development programs in the nation – and the only one in California – to be actively addressing the unique challenges facing contemporary school administrators:

“Tremendous expectations have been placed on school leaders to cure the ills facing the nation’s schools. The critical part principals play in developing successful schools has been well established: committed leaders who understand instruction and can develop the capacities of teachers and of schools are key to improving educational outcomes for all students.”

Preparing Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons from Exemplary Leadership Development Programs

Linda Darling-Hammond et al, © 2007 Stanford Educational Leadership Institute

The report goes on to cite pre-service preparation (apprenticeship and mentoring) and in-service professional development programs like ELDA as significant contributors to success shared by all eight exemplary programs.

transforming educational leadership for the classrooms of tomorrow While the fundamental concept of principals as educational leaders remains at the core of ELDA’s mission and values, the program itself is constantly evolving in response to new and different challenges and opportunities.

According to visiting associate professor Dr. Rose Linda Martinez, “ It’s all about finding ways we can more creatively expand educational leadership into something that becomes a valuable resource for the whole community.” It’s this kind of expansive thinking that drew Martinez to ELDA fin the first place.

She goes on to explain: “The idea that leadership extends beyond the classroom, and that principals

should be community leaders with a strong voice in shaping educational policy, demonstrates the kind of outside-the-box thinking that tomorrow’s educational leaders must have. That’s where I feel the real future potential of ELDA lies.”

A leadership consultant with many years of corporate experience, Martinez sees many of the innovations being implemented at today’s more forward-thinking companies as strikingly similar to what’s happening at ELDA. “They’re doing away with the old, fear-based models of leadership. Instead you’ll find more openness, more transparency, more sharing of ideas,” she points out. “That’s exactly what’s happening with the cohort model at ELDA.”

An ELDA cohort is a group of educators with different backgrounds and diverse perspectives, who remain together throughout the full two-year program. “They start out by sharing thoughts and experiences, and they end up scaffolding ideas off one another,” says Martinez. “It’s all very synergistic.”

What new challenges lie ahead for tomorrow’s educational leaders? According to ELDA Executive Director Melinda Martin, “The principal’s role and responsibilities are more complex than ever before. Principals play a key role as the instructional leader of their school. They are required to lead school reform, meet the goals of state and federal accountability programs, manage a shrinking school budget, lead schools that are increasingly diverse,

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“the idea that leadership extends beyond the classroom, and that principals should be community leaders with a strong voice in shaping educational policy, demonstrates the kind of outside-the-box thinking that tomorrow’s educational leaders must have.”

Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Rose Linda Martinez

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and prepare students to build and use 21st century learning skills while using 21st century technologies.” Martin predicts that professional development programs like ELDA’s Spotlight on Education speaker series will play a pivotal role in preparing tomorrow’s educational leaders for the new challenges they will face.

“The transformational potential of the new digital universe is huge,” adds Martinez. “Going forward, programs like ELDA must become ever more nimble, leapfrogging over older models as they become outdated, to create leaders who have the capacity for social imagination needed to mentor, coach, be creative and resourceful, and think systemically, all the while standing at the epicenter of a monumental shift in educational culture.”

We aSKeD US teacher of the year nominee Kelly Kovacic, an elDa grad student, to comment on her reasons for choosing elDa.

I teach at the Preuss Charter School at UCSD. I just started the ELDA program in fall of 2009. What drew me to the program is ELDA’s strong reputation. I know quite a few principals who went through the program and spoke very highly of it. Then when I attended the orientation, I was very much impressed with the coursework and the structure of the program. Plus it fits with my schedule as a full-time teacher. Classes usually don’t start until 4:30 or later.

ELDA FActs: a decade of exemplary resultsn Since the program’s inception in 2000, eighty-

five percent of ELDA graduates have assumed administrative positions locally, thus fulfilling the program’s original promise to address the shortage of qualified principals in the area.

n Performance evaluations by district supervisors consistently rank the leadership performance of ELDA graduates as “good to excellent.”

n In 2005-2006, of the thirty-eight San Diego schools led by ELDA graduates, thirty-one (81 percent) showed improvement on the California State Academic Performance Index, some by as much as 78 points.

n In a 2007 study conducted by Linda Darling-Hammond and others for the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute, and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, ELDA was highlighted as one of the top eight principal preparation programs in the nation.

elDa’s 2010-2011 Spotlight on education speaker series will focus on providing participants with hands-on tools and strategies that they can apply as practitioners in order to improve student achievement through application of digital learning, social networking and curriculum design, student engagement and instructional delivery.

The speaker lineup is as follows: • October 14, 2010 Alan November • November 18, 2010 Michael Fyrdyk • February 24, 2011 John Couch • March 29, 2011 Mike Schmoker • May 12, 2011 Yong Zhao

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Fulbright Teacher Fellow Rich Newman, Ed.D., earned his doctorate from SOLES in 2005. He subsequently joined the nationally recognized Wallace Foundation, where he participated in a large-scale $250 million initiative to improve educational leadership across the United States. Dr. Newman began his education career as one of the early Teach for America Corps members chosen to work in underperforming inner city schools. He went on to serve as principal of Edison Elementary School, a Title I school in Torrance that was designated a California Distinguished School during his tenure. Dr. Newman is currently the principal at Monterey Ridge Elementary School in Poway, CA. He received USD’s Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award on May 1 for his contributions to the field of educational leadership. We spoke to Dr. Newman about his innovative methods for closing the achievement gap and building a successful school.

SOLES alum receives Author E. Hughes Career Achievement

Rich Newman

Award

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Tell us about your experience with the Wallace Foundation initiative.You have to understand that this was one one of largest educational leadership initiatives ever undertaken in the US, at one of the largest foundations in the country. The somewhat daunting goal was to fundamentally improve both the training of educational leaders and the conditions that support or inhibit their ability to significantly improve student achievement.

What did you take away with you from your work with the Wallace Foundation that has subsequently helped you to be a better educational leader?The experience provided me a unique opportunity to work at the national level developing effective educational leaders across the country. I saw firsthand the deep disconnect that exists between schools, districts and states. I also gained insight into what school leaders at all levels need to be: courageous yet collaborative, able to fill the knowledge gaps, committed to ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and connected in a cohesive vision for the future. At my school today I work extremely hard to ensure that the vision we create is clearly understood and that everyone is invested in ensuring its success.

I understand that in both California elementary schools where you’ve served as principal, Edison in Torrance and Monterey Ridge in Poway, you had the largest growth in student achievement across the district. How were you able to achieve that?First and foremost, let me say that it is always a team effort, where the focus is on educating the whole child. We look at teaching and learning from a holistic perspective. Part of this work involves hands-on leadership, which is my own personal style of leadership. I spend a minimum of three hours a day in classrooms because I believe I need to connect with all students on a personal level and set a good example as the lead learner on campus.

Secondly, I have a strong belief in collaborating closely with my staff and other school leaders. I realize I don’t have all the answers. And one of the ways I keep on learning is by engaging with my staff, listening to their thoughts to ensure that we are making smart decisions. After all, the more ideas you have on the table, the better the end result.

Technology is another piece of the puzzle that helped create an engaging learning environment at both schools. We use technology to ensure that our students are prepared for the digital age. Monterey Ridge is probably one of the most high-tech elementary schools in the state, with a variety of technologies at our disposal: smart boards, MP3 players and Active Expressions that allow students to text in their answers. We are also piloting a 1:1 computer program whereby each student has his or her own laptop.

But it’s not just about teaching today’s technology. We want to make sure our students are prepared for the jobs of the future, some of which may not even exist today. We have to help them develop a set of skills that will allow them to succeed at anything. So instead of teaching just facts and skills, we’re teaching students how to learn.

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You’ve personally either designed or implemented learning programs for non-general ed students in multicultural settings – at-risk special needs, limited English proficient, gifted and talented education (GATE) and special education elementary school students. Can you give me an example?My current site, Monterey Ridge Elementary, is a great example. For our gifted and talented students we developed a unique program, “The Wheel of Experts,” that provides three five-week rotations that focus on science, math and creating a project-based game. In addition, we have implemented a blended model at our site that integrates special and general education students. All students blend together during the day, instead of being separated and isolated as they are in many schools. At Edison Elementary we implemented a learning center model whereby all special education students were in a general education class all day long.

Innovative programs like these are successful in large part because we focus on meeting each and every student at their point of need. The end result is that students are enthusiastic, parents are engaged, and teachers are empowered.

You talk about teaching students to be reflective learners. What does that entail?It means involving students in their own personal achievement at every level: individual, classroom, grade and school. Students need to be clear on what they are striving to achieve and how they are progressing. Students work with teachers to set goals based on formative assessments, and then monitor their own progress. As students gain responsibility for their own learning goals and progress, they become reflective learners and eventually move past being dependent on the teacher. It’s rather incredible to watch.

Can you give me an example of individual goal setting?Sure. Traditionally we expect students to conform to state standards and learn only the skills the teacher is presenting to the whole class, regardless of individual student needs. By contrast, individual goal setting allows each student to have a customized learning plan. At Monterey Ridge, we go a step further, meeting with every child individually to help them develop and set their goals. In a fifth grade classroom, for example, after student and teacher review the results of a formative assessment, the student might set a goal to improve literal comprehension or inferencing. In a kindergarten class, the goal might be putting a space between words, using a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, or adding punctuation at the end of a sentence.

Didn’t you offer some kind of special “incentive” for your Monterey Ridge Elementary students to raise their achievement scores?Last year I challenged our school to score in the top 10% of all California elementary schools, and close the school’s achievement gap in language arts and math. And the teachers offered me a challenge in return, that if they achieved that goal – and they did, with a 36-point performance index

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As a reward for students raising their scores on the state’s standardized tests, Monterey Ridge Elementary School Principal Rich Newman kept his promise to have his head shaved.School Facts

Monterey Ridge Elementary SchoolPoway Unified School DistrictSan Diego, CA

Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768Free/Reduced Lunches 11%ELL 17%White 38%Asian 29%Filipino 14%Hispanic 7%African-American 3%Other 9%

ImplementationK–5; Odyssey Reading/Language Arts and Odyssey Math; Unlimited-User Access for all students

ChallengeAchieving growth across all student groupsMonterey Ridge Elementary School in San Diego, California, opened in 2006 to serve the growing population in the area Its parent district, Poway Unified School District, represents a cross-section of the nation, spanning a diverse range of student populations from low-income groups to highly affluent communities Monterey Ridge has used CompassLearning Odyssey campus-wide for intervention and mainstream students since the fall of 2008

The school’s new principal, Dr Rich Newman, confronted a challenge faced by schools and districts across the country: How does one marshal limited resources to tackle the varied needs of students from disparate backgrounds? “We wanted to see increases in all student groups — across every category — and increase the number of Proficient and Advanced students at every grade level,” said Newman “But in addition, we wanted to do much more We really wanted to reduce the achievement gap with key subgroups ”

The four key subgroups the school chose to target were African-American students, the English language learners (ELL), students from low socio-economic families, and the special education population Newman acknowledged that these groups were already further behind than other students and would require targeted, intensive instruction and close monitoring of progress to close the achievement gap

Monterey Ridge Elementary School Achieves Highest API Growth in DistrictCompassLe arning odyssey heLps boost performanCe among aLL student groups

Photo: Superintendent Don Phillips cuts the first lock of hair from Monterey Ridge Elementary School’s principal, Dr Rich Newman Photograph by Karin Lundquist

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improvement – I would have to shave my head. We were thrilled that we had such huge academic growth. So the following September, at a special assembly with students chanting “Shave it!,” our District Superintendent Dr. Don Phillips took the first snip, before passing the shears to the students, one from each grade. It was a great day of celebration and one I will never forget.

It sounds as if your approach to school leadership is definitely not “all work and no play.”I firmly believe that school should be a place for both learning and fun for students and staff. That’s what makes kids really want to come to school and stay at school. When students are having fun they’re engaged, they’re learning and developing the skills they will need in the future plus they want to come back the next day. At the same time, the staff enjoys coming to work at a place where they feel valued, supported and challenged to keep learning and improving their skills.

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NROTC grad wins top academic achievement award Midshipman Michael Sass, a graduating senior in the NROTC program at USD, will receive the AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) Educational Foundation’s 2010 Commissioning Award for outstanding academic achievement.

Midshipman Sass, who is currently the battalion commander, is also one of just a few midshipmen nationally who have been selected to work at Naval Reactors headquarters in Washington, DC, immediately following their commissioning.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Midshipman Sass grow into such an exceptional and inspirational leader,” says recently retired NROTC commanding officer Captain Mark Wooley. “Knowing that that we have young men and women like Midshipman Sass about to be commissioned as Naval officers gives me every reason to be optimistic about the future of our Navy and our country.”

Established in 1991, the annual Commissioning Awards recognize the top-performing ROTC graduate in each branch of the armed services. This is the first time since the award’s inception that a University of San Diego student has been so honored.

The NROTC program at USD is housed academically at SOLES, with SOLES providing academic oversight. NROTC graduates are commissioned as either Ensigns in the US Navy or Second Lieutenants in the US Marine Corps.

Currently San Diego’s NROTC unit, which includes over 300 students at University of San Diego, San Diego State University, University of California San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University and Cal State San Marcos combined, is one of the largest in the nation.

“Knowing that we have young leaders like Midshipman Sass about to be commissioned as Naval officers gives me every reason to be optimistic about the future of our Navy and our country.”

– Captain Mark Wooley Retired Professor of Naval Science Commanding Officer NROTC

Horizons

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After being named one of five California Teachers of the Year, ELDA grad student Kelly Kovacic was one of only four state title winners to be selected as a finalist in the national competition. The announcement of the national winner, Sarah Brown Wessing from Iowa, was made in late April at the nation’s capital, where Kelly and the three other finalists had gathered to represent their respective states and to meet with President Obama.

Kovacic teaches advanced placement history and government at Preuss, a UCSD-based charter middle and high school for motivated students from low-income families. About 60 percent of the school’s 820 students are Latino. “All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college,” she says.

As Kovacic wrote in her nomination papers for the competition, “Many of my students’ parents do not speak English. These parents do not know how to navigate our nation’s complex educational system, but most sense the singular importance of education in our society. So they entrust me with their children’s education; not only to teach lessons found in books, but to lead the way down a rugged, uncertain path out of poverty to a better life. The parents may not necessarily be thinking about college for their children, but I do.”

Kovacic also teaches a college preparatory class where the same group of students meets together every year, starting with grade six up until graduation. Last year, 24 of her students graduated and went on to college.

According to Kovacic, the need for more effective and professional school leadership was what drew her to the principal preparation program at ELDA in the first place. “Parents expect professional performances by teachers but don’t view them as full-time professionals,” she says. “And yet they entrust their child to us throughout their most formative years. We have the power as teachers, administrators, parents and community members to make a difference. But it won’t happen without exemplary educational leadership.”

Established in 2000, ELDA has since become one of the most highly respected principal preparation programs in the nation, earning a reputation for innovation and exemplary accomplishment in redefining educational leadership. In his February 19, 2010, address to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), Secretary of Education Arne Duncan singled

ELDA grad student Kelly Kovacic is US Teacher of the Year finalist

out ELDA as being among the “top-notch programs” in the nation in the field of educational leadership preparation. (See related story, page 8)

Apparently, ELDA’s national reputation as an exemplary programs was another draw for Kovacic. “I know quite a few principals who went through the program and spoke very highly of it,” she recalls. “Then when I attended the orientation, I was very much impressed with the coursework and the structure of the program.” Now after completing her first year of a two-year masters program in ELDA, Kovacic is still impressed. “The ELDA program is everything I expected – and more.”

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

with Kelly Kovacic at the White House.

“All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college.”

Horizons

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$100,000 Caster Family endowment to fund student scholarshipsA-1 Storage, a San Diego-based Caster Family Company, has made a very generous gift of $100,000 to endow a student scholarship fund to provide financial support for Catholic school educators. The new fund will be available to support teachers, school counselors and individuals seeking to become principals of Catholic schools within the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese. These funds match an earlier gift from one of the University’s trustees who had made a similar sized gift on condition that it be matched by others in the community.

“I am overwhelmed at Mr. Caster and the Caster Family’s generosity to SOLES and USD,” stated SOLES Dean Paula A. Cordeiro. “This gift will be a tremendous help in our work supporting Catholic education here in San Diego and will provide opportunities for more students to pursue their educational goals while improving the quality of Catholic education.”

Mr. Caster is again challenging other friends and alumni of SOLES to match his gift and increase the scholarship fund in support of Catholic educators.

Grant and Inez Parker Foundation gives $20,000 to support San Diego school counselor professional developmentThe SOLES Counseling Program has received a generous grant of $20,000 from the Grant and Inez Parker Foundation to provide professional development opportunities for school counselors throughout San Diego County. This gift will allow school counselors to participate in a variety of SOLES programs and professional development opportunities provided through the Center for Student Support Systems (CS3) during the 2010 and 2011 academic years.

“We are grateful for the Parker Foundation’s visionary support,” stated Lonnie Rowell, Director of CS3 and program director for SOLES counseling programs. “Their generous gift will enable us to help foster opportunities for growth and sharing of our action research results as they impact student achievement.”

SOLES alumni continue to stay connected Despite an ugly economic environment, SOLES alumni continue their generous support of students and programs. In the fall we saw a general increase in alumni giving in support of SOLES annual fund raising efforts. Donations from Counseling Program and Marital and Family Therapy Program alumni both showed marked increases over previous years.

“We are thrilled at this increase in alumni participation this year, particularly given the economic environment,” stated Gary A. Neiger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations. “It shows that our alumni recognize the value of our programs and are committed to helping future SOLES graduates achieve their own educational and professional goals.”

Friends and alumni continue their generous support of students and programs here at SOLES

Stay connected to SOLES!Click here

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Alumni NewsChristina Piranio, M.A ’09, has been offered a position as Community Services Manager for First Place for Youth in Oakland, California.

James Otis, M.A. ’04, has been appointed Head of Upper School at The Sage River School in Reno, Nevada.

Danielle Berg, M.Ed. ’09, continues to teach at San Diego High School and has recently published a unit plan with ReadWriteThink.

Yvonne Duncan, M.Ed ‘05, has been selected as a recipient of the San Diego Science Alliance Award for outstanding contribution to improving science education in the classroom.

Robert J. Gravina, M.Ed ’89, has been selected as one the San Diego Business Journal’s Information Technology Executives of the Year. Gravina has served as the Chief Technology Officer for Poway Unified School District for the past five years.

Midshipman Michael Sass, ROTC ’10, will receive the AFCE Educational Foundation’s Commissioning Award. This award, established in 1991, recognizes ROTC graduates for their distinguished service and academic achievement. Midshipman Sass is the Navy’s national winner.

Mary Searcy Bixby, B.A. ’70, M.A. ’86, is founder, president and CEO of the Altus Institute Network of Charter Schools in San Diego, which acts as a national resource for innovative methodologies regarding

alternative education. Ms. Bixby was the recipient of the 2009 “Women Who Mean Business” award from the San Diego Business Journal.

Lori O’Connor, ELDA ’07, has been accepted into the University of California, Berkeley’s education doctoral program.

Emalyn Leppard, B.A. ’98, hasbeen selected the 2010 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the San Diego Unified School District. Emalyn is a special education teacher at Montgomery Middle School.

Faculty NewsRebecca Gemmell, Adjunct Professor in Learning and Teaching, has been named Escondido Teacher of the Year for 2010 in the Escondido Union High School District.

MFt Alumni Mixer thursday, June 3, 20105:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Bishop Buddy Sala, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Contact: Erin Weesner (619) 260-4539 erinw@sandiego.edu Sponsored by SOLES Office of Alumni Relations

ELDA 10th Birthday celebration Wednesday, June 9, 2010 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Bishop Buddy Sala, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Contact: Carmen McBride (619) 260-8839 carmenmc@sandiego.edu Sponsored by Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA)

community college Leadership Academy (ccLA) conference June 13 – 16, 2010 Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Contact: Derek Abbey (619) 260-7605 ccla@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers/ccla Sponsored by Department of Leadership Studies/CCLA

character Matters: Promoting student Responsibility and character by teacher EffectivenessMonday & tuesday, June 28 - 29, 2010 Executive Classroom 102, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Contact: Edward DeRoche (619) 260-2250 character@sandiego.edu www.charactermatters@sandiego.edu www.usdcharacter.blogspot.com Sponsored by Character Development Center (CDC)

Leadership for changefriday - Sunday, July 16 - 18, 2010Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Contact: Beth Yemma (619) 260-7790 byemma@sandiego.edu www.leadership.sandiego.edu Sponsored by Leadership Institute

Horizons

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Upcoming EventssOLEs summer 2010 Global study coursesThe SOLES Global Center offers one-to-three week international study courses with SOLES faculty.

June 23 - July 1: Global Study in tokyo, JapanEDUC 500, Research Design and Methodology COUN 525, Group Dynamics COUN 515, Multicultural Counseling

June 24 - July 11:  Global Study in nairobi, KenyaEDUC 579, Literacy and Learning in Developing Countries

June 26 - July 13:  Global Study in Guadalajara, MexicoMFTS 532, Human Diversity

June 28 - July 12:  Global Study in australia/new ZealandCOUN 508, Research Methods in Counseling COUN 515, Multicultural Counseling

July 5 - July 9:  Global Study in Mondragón, SpainEDLD 535, Models of Participatory Leadership

Contact: Cindy Martinez (619) 260-7443 globalcenter@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers/global_center/

spotlight on Education speaker series was a selloutELDA’s popular Spotlight on Education speaker series sold out again this year – and much earlier than in previous years. The 2009 – 2010 speaker series, entitled “Transforming Education: Digital Learning, Creativity, and Student Engagement,” featured Ken Kay, Marc Prensky, Sir Ken Robinson (pictured at left), Alan November, and Milton Chen.

Frank ArringtonPresident and Owner, San Diego Funding

Victoria Baron ’94Licensed Family Therapist

Brian BrightVice President for Business Development, Liaison International

Jeff A. Carlstead, Ed.D. ’04Owner, Hampton Inn

Christopher Carstens, Ph.D.Clinical Psychologist

Rodney F. DammeyerPresident, CAC

Sue Ebner, B.A. ’78, M.B.A. ‘87Worldwide Partner, Mercer

Wendy GillespiePrincipal, Frontier Trading

Todd GutschowFounder, Todd and Mari Gutschow Family Foundation

Brian E. KinsmanPresident, Kinsman Capital

Stevan Laaperi ’76Director of Schools, Diocese of San Diego

William D. LynchFounder, William D. Lynch Foundation

Jim F. Mulvaney, Jr.Vice President, Driver Alliant Insurance

Drew SchlosbergCommunity and Public Relations Manager, San Diego Union-Tribune

Peter SibleyCEO, EDmin.co

Rebecca Smith ‘93Vice President, Communications, San Diego Workforce Partnership

Dorothy Smith, Ed.D.Former Member and President, Board of Education, San Diego City Schools Professor, San Diego City College (Retired)

Darryl O. SolbergPartner, Hecht, Solberg, Robinson, Goldberg & Bagley

Matt SpathasCEO, Bandwidth Now Partner, SENTRE Partners

Linda P. SpuckCTFA, Vice President, Union Bank of California

Richard ThomeAssistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Technology, San Diego County Office of Education (Retired)

Adam WardGlobal Campus Recruiting Manager, QUALCOMM

Sheryl WhiteCommunity Volunteer

John YochelsonPresident, Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST)

John ZygowiczManaging Director, Private Client Group, US Bank

Advisory Board Members 2009-2010

schOOL OF LEADERshiP AnD EDucAtiOn sciEncEsMother Rosalie Hill Hall5998 Alcalá ParkSan Diego, CA 92110-2492

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