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Charter College of Education
Darlene Michener
Office: KH C 2058
Dr. Michener came to CSLA in 1985 with ten years of teaching and administrative experience, holding Elementary and Early Childhood teacher certifications from Florida and Illinois. In 1997, Dr. Michener was a recipient of the Charter College of Education’s “Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award” and in 2001, she received the California State University, Los Angeles 2000/2001 “Outstanding Professor Award.” Dr. Michener was the California State University, Los Angeles representative to the Chancellor’s Office “Center for the Advancement of Reading” and one of six California State University system-wide members selected to serve on the Chancellor’s Office Advisory Panel for that group (along with members representing the California Board of Education, School District Superintendents, PTA presidents, and others). At CSLA, she successfully coordinated the Charter College of Education’s highly respected triple Graduate Reading Program (Master of Arts in Education: Option in (K-12) Reading; Reading & Language Arts Specialist Credential; & California Reading Certificate) for over 15 years, bringing its enrollment from approximately 75 students to over 450 students within any academic year. Under her leadership, that program became one of the first in nation to earn triple certification, being recognized by the International Reading Association (IRA), National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Educators (NCATE), and California Commission on Accreditation (COA). In the Fall of 2002, by special request from the Glendale School District, she began an on-site “Special Sessions” CSLA/Glendale Graduate Reading Program successfully graduating both a two-year and a three-year cohort (over 60 new Reading & Language Arts Specialists). Then, again by special request, in the Fall of 2002, she coordinated a similar on-site “Special Sessions” Graduate Reading Program in the Garvey School District for two cohorts of Garvey Reading & Language Arts Specialists. Dr. Michener currently coordinates field work placements and projects for all CSLA Graduate Reading Program students. She directs the annual “CSLA Literacy Conference” which has offered approximately 30 individual sessions each year, free of charge, to enhance the teaching skills of new teachers, and the tutoring skills of area reading tutors from America Reads, AmeriCorps, Reading by Nine, and other literacy support organizations. All CSLA Graduate Reading Program students now practice their in-service presentation skills by presenting reading/writing improvement workshops (in their choice of 3 languages: English, Spanish, or Cantonese) for parents and their children at the CSLA/Garvey School District Literacy Conference which Dr. Michener co-directs with a local school principal each year.
Dr. Michener has taught over 24 different courses since arriving at CSLA, with an average student evaluation score for teaching ability of 1.25 (one being highest). Dr. Michener currently teaches courses in Elementary and K-12 reading/language arts including the graduate level Reading/Language Arts Across the Curriculum & the graduate level Teaching Writing course. Additionally, Dr. Michener supervises field placement projects where CSLA Graduate Reading Program students work with individual teachers who have requested one-on-one assistance to update and enhance their reading/language arts teaching skills. Dr. Michener designed and updated programs and courses for each of six (6) Accreditation Application Documents which she wrote over a ten (10) year period; leading the CCOE successfully to gain full accreditations for each of those literacy related program accreditations (2001; 1999-2000; 1998; 1997; 1996;1991). Dr. Michener also founded the very successful CCOE “Literacy Resource Lab.” Since its inception, the Literacy Resource Lab has supported and extended the education of over 9,500 CSLA Teacher Candidates, Graduate Degree Candidates, & others, including the offering of Free RICA tutoring for CSLA teacher education candidates. The Literacy Resource Lab currently houses over 8,000 K-12 children’s literature selections, a complete set of K-12 diagnostic/remediation materials, reading/language arts software, teacher reference materials, sample lesson plans, journals and current reading/language arts textbook programs which are available for check-out and use by students and beginning teachers in order to help them enhance their learning/teaching skills for their current and future students’ learning of K-12 reading and language arts.
In 1994, Dr. Michener founded the first CSLA Charter College of Education “cluster” – now known as the CSLA CCOE “Literacy Collaborative.” Over the years, this Literacy Collaborative has brought together efforts of CCOE professors from all Charter College of Education divisions, with professors from 4 sister CSU campuses, teachers, administrators, students and community representatives of the LA County Office of Education, and over 20 Area School Districts including Alhambra, Arcadia, Baldwin Park, Burbank, Duarte, El Monte, Garvey, Glendale, Los Angeles, Mountain View, Monrovia, Montebello, Pasadena, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Temple City, West Covina, Whittier and others. Special projects have included: the “On-Line Communications Network for Literacy,” the “Distinguished Literacy Teachers in Residence” program, “Enhancement of Student Teacher Supervision in Literacy,” “Support of the CSLA Reading & Writing Clinics,” an “Early Literacy Field Support” program, the “Beginning Teacher Support Network for Literacy,” programs to enhance “Parent Literacy,” “RICA Rescue,” and many more programs. In 1987, Dr. Michener initiated “The Westhoff Project.” This Walnut Unified School District /Business Community /University grant project designed and developed from scratch, a Demonstration School for Excellence in Reading and Language Arts Education. The seven year longitudinal study related to that project produced valuable data leading to a School Board Commendation by the Walnut Valley Unified School District. Dr. Michener has been a Clinical Professor for the Crenshaw Teacher Training Magnet High School and a Lincoln/DELTA Literacy Coach for LA Unified School District. She was co-coordinator of the 20/20 Inner City School Improvement Grant Project through CSLA & Temple University, and she directed the Governor’s CSU-Community College Reading Development Partnership Grant. Representative Professional Activities
Ph.D. Elementary Language Arts 1985 MA Curriculum & Instruction 1982 B.S.Ed. Elementary Education 1979 A.A. Early Childhood Education 1972
Fall, 2006 SCHEDULE
OFFICE HOURS
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University of South Florida