Sheri Atwater
Special Education and CounselingOffice: King Hall C4030
Phone: 323-343-4280
Fax: 323-343-5650
E-mail: satwate@calstatela.edu
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Atwater joined the faculty of the CSULA's Charter College of Education, School Psychology program in 2003. From 2006-2008, Dr. Atwater served as President of the School Psychology Educators of California (SPEC), a statewide collaborative organization composed of faculty from school psychology programs throughout California. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Multicultural Education in the Charter College of Education at CSULA and on the Advisory Board for Kushi Productions, Inc., a children's entertainment company created to harness the power of media by fostering racial and cultural awareness in young children. During the past decade of work in the educational psychology field, Dr. Atwater has worked in Oakland, Alameda, Pasadena and Berkeley Unified School Districts conducting and supervising psychological assessments and individual and group counseling; worked on research and program evaluations with Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International (Washington DC), the Bay Area Consortium for Urban Education (Berkeley, CA), and the Corporation for Research in Educational Networking (Washington, D.C.); and served as supervisor to clinical and psychology interns in Los Angeles area schools. Her most recent national workshop presentations focus on how educators can foster effective culturally-relevant dialogue in classrooms and schools. Dr. Atwater is also the creator of the SUCCESS individual counseling program in the Pasadena Unified School District, where for the past five years she has supervised CSLA graduate students as they mentor middle and high school students and help them prepare for post-high-school and college careers. Dr. Atwater received her B.A. from Stanford University and her M.A., P.P.S. Credential, and Ph.D. (School Psychology) from the University of California at Berkeley.
TEACHING INTERESTS
Dr. Atwater teaches graduate courses in the School Psychology program, including courses in developmental psychology, school counseling, personality/emotional disturbance and psychological assessment.
RESEARCH
Dr. Atwater's research interests focus on the multicultural attitudes, beliefs, and classroom practices of teachers working with diverse learners, specifically the use of the "color-blind" ideology and its effects on students of color.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Castro-Atwater, S.A. (2010). "From Tennessee, Here to Model" In R. Branstetter, The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants When Children Learn (Kaplan Voices Teachers) (Paperback: Release Date 2010) | 2010 |
| Castro-Atwater, S. A. (2009). Their Eyes are Watching You: The "Top 10" Ethical Lessons that Counselor Educators Should Teach Their Students." 1.5 Hour Workshop Presentation at the 5th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI. | 2009 |
| Castro-Atwater, S. A. (2008)."Did they Say What I think They Said?” A Multicultural Response Framework to Address Racial Comments in the Classroom. Journal of Education and Human Development vol.2, issue 1. | 2008 |
| Castro-Atwater, S. A. (2008). Confronting Color-Blindness: Teachers, Race, and Teachable Moments in the Classroom. Journal of Instructional Psychology. (vol. 35, 2 Summer 2008). | 2008 |
| Castro-Atwater, S.A. (2008). Responding Proactively to Prejudiced comments in the Schools. Three-Hour Workshop presented at the California Association of School Psychologists Conference, Burlingame, CA. | 2008 |
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Ph.D. Cognition and Development (School Psychology) 2003
- University of CA Berkeley
CA
P.P.S. Credential School Psychology 2002
- University of CA Berkeley
CA
M.A. Education 1999
- University of CA Berkeley
CA
A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) Psychology 1996
- Stanford University
CA