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Greetings to all of the GSOE Alumni!
This past Sunday, Cal Lutheran formally welcomed Dr. Lori Varlotta to become its 8th,
and first woman, University President. President Varlotta arrived on our campus in
September, 2020 as we continued to reel from the effects of the pandemic, school closures,
and the stressful impacts that all of this had on our communities, work, and families...
not the easiest of times to assume a presidency! However, as the ceremony demonstrated,
we have much to look forward to in the months and years to come and we're blessed
to have Dr. Varlotta leading us forward.
I hope you will take a moment to browse through this edition of Engage as we highlight some of the recent developments across our community. Now in our
35th year as a school within the university, we are excited to celebrate our latest
achievements and ask that you continue to be part of the Graduate School of Education.
If there's any way that we can continue to be of service to you, please don't hesitate
to contact us.
Sincerely,
Mike Hillis
Dean & Professor
Featured Articles
The NEWBilingual Authorization is designed specifically for K-12 teachers. The bilingual authorization for students
earning preliminary teaching credentials prepares teachers to meet the needs of English
learners in all instructional settings, including bilingual programs. There is a critical
need for bilingual authorized teachers in California, which has the highest percentage
of English-language learners in the United States. English learners made up 19% of
the total enrollment in California public schools in 2017, according to the National
Center for Education Statistics.
Learn More about this program by Clicking this link.
The Autism and Communication Center was awarded a $90,000 grant from Ability Central Philanthropy (ACP). ACP awards approximately
$1 million annually in project-based grants in California. The Autism and Communication
Center will collaborate with Reach Every Voice (Maryland) and Autistically Inclined
(California) to develop a curriculum to train 50 communication partners in school
settings. Video modules will be developed with participation and input from autism
professionals and nonspeaking autistics. Once video modules are recorded, the curriculum
will be pilot tested with 10 educators who desire to build their skills and capacities
to become communication partners to nonspeaking autistic students using multimodal
text-based communication. After pilot testing and revising the curriculum and modules,
the training will be delivered to 40 educators in fall 2022. The three organizations
involved in creating the project plan to scale up the program by offering the training
to many more educators beyond 2022. In addition, the curriculum will be translated
into Spanish, allowing the team to deliver the training to educators who serve English
learners and students in Latin America. Preliminary discussions with educators in
Nicaragua and Chile have already begun. The Autism and Communication Center is proud
to supplement the $90,000 grant with $50,000 to complete the project.
Click here to learn more about the Autism and Communication Center.
Alison McCormick joined the California Reading and Literacy Project and the Department of Learning
and Teaching after a 32-year career in Pre K-8 public education, working across Los
Angeles and Ventura Counties. She served as a K-5 classroom teacher for 10 years before
earning a Reading Credential at California Lutheran University and spending the next
10 years as a site reading specialist and resource teacher. In between the move from
classroom teacher to reading specialist, she and her family spent a year and a half
living in Barcelona, Spain, where she worked to build her Spanish language proficiency.
She earned a Masters in Educational Leadership at California State University Northridge
in 2011, and went on to serve as principal of Mar Vista Elementary School for seven
years where she oversaw the implementation of a school-wide 50/50 dual language program.
Alison finished her career in Pre K-8 education as principal of Ocean View Junior
High School.
The new CRLP administrative assistant, Michele Schuerger holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA. She has worked in the entertainment
industry for many years as an advertising and marketing executive, planning and executing
media campaigns for numerous film studios. In addition to her media experience, Michele
has written three motivational books for teen girls published by Free Spirit Publishing,
The Right Moves, A Girl’s Guide to Getting Fit and Feeling Good, Gutsy Girls-Young
Women Who Dare, and Cool Women, Hot Jobs…and how you can go for it, too! Michele is
currently working on her fourth book which encourages young girls, particularly in
the arts, to find the courage to set goals and go for their dreams. She finds that
having the opportunity to work as an administrative assistant in CRLP fits right in
with her desire to inspire kids to believe in their dreams. If you can read, you can
do anything!
California Lutheran University is honored to celebrate the achievements of Dr. Maura Martindale, founding director of the university’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program, as
she retires. After teaching in public schools and leading a clinic at USC, Martindale
came to Cal Lutheran in 2005 with the goal of addressing California’s rising need
for teachers who specialize in serving students with hearing loss. In 2014, she was
given an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Graduate School of Education for her
work that will have lasting impacts on the education community and the lives of students
with hearing loss.
Under Martindale’s leadership, DHH at Cal Lutheran developed into a unique program
taking an innovative, auditory approach. Rather than emphasizing sign language, it
equips teachers to develop their students’ hearing and language acquisition skills,
with a focus on bilingual Spanish education. Martindale’s work to inspire future educators
coupled with a $1.2 million U.S. Department of Education recruitment grant has allowed
the university to supply teachers for new hard of hearing programs being developed
at school districts in Ventura County and beyond. Her new co-authored book “Listening and Spoken Language Therapy for Children with Hearing Loss”, a textbook guide for students and professionals in auditory based therapy, was
published December 2021. Join the book signing event at No Limits for Deaf Children
in Oxnard on March 11 at 4:00pm. Click here for more information.
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR IN RESIDENCE IN THE GSOE
The GSOE welcomes Dr. Jason Peplinski to Cal Lutheran, who has recently been hired to be a Distinguished Educator in Residence
starting in June.
Dr. Peplinski began his teaching career in Lancaster, California, where he taught
International Baccalaureate Spanish, biology, drama, and vocal music at Quartz Hill
High School. He moved to Ventura County California through Moorpark High School in
2000, where he taught AP Spanish and served in several different leadership capacities.
Dr. Peplinski coached both boys’ and girls’ volleyball for many years with several
top state teams.
The Simi Valley Unified School District welcomed Dr. Peplinski in 2004 when he accepted
a job as the Assistant Principal of Royal High School (2004-07). From there, he served
as Principal of Abraham Lincoln School in Simi (2007-09), Moorpark High School in
Moorpark (2009-11) and then Santa Susana High School from 2011-13.
In 2013, he accepted the position of Director of Educational Services at the Simi
Valley Unified district office. In 2014, he was promoted to Assistant Superintendent
of Educational Services. In October of 2014, Dr. Peplinski was named Superintendent
of the Simi Valley Unified School District.
Dr. Peplinski earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran
University in 2014. He also served as a Regent for the California Lutheran University
board from 2012-14.
Congratulations to adjunct faculty member, Cesar Morales on receiving the 2022 Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence from
Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 13.
Program Application Dates
- Educational Leadership
- Counselor Education Programs
- Teacher Education
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Cal Lutheran Cares Day
"Shoot for the Moon"
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Areas of Greatest Need
and
STRIVE Scholars
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"The STRIVE Scholars program is geared to helping first generation students find their
voice, feel a sense of belonging and achieve personal and academic success. This program
is preparing me for success in my career because it is providing me with academic
and personal knowledge to help me build my self confidence, navigate the educational
system and gain experience in counseling."
Norma Meza '22
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