The faculty of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, regionally focused and nationally recognized, is committed to excellence, innovation, and social justice. Excellence includes the acquisition of professional dispositions, skills, and research-based knowledge, and is demonstrated by the development of ethical and caring professionals—faculty, staff, candidates—and those they serve. Innovation occurs through the leadership and commitment of faculty, and through collaborative partnerships among communities of diverse learners who engage in creative and reflective thinking. We are dedicated to promoting social justice and becoming agents of change in schools and our communities.
The College of Education
The College of Education is composed of the departments of Deaf Studies, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Educational Psychology and Counseling, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education, and offers 27 credential programs. All programs are accredited.
California State University, Northridge, one of the largest of the 23 campuses of The California State University system, is located twenty-five miles northwest of central Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb with a multi-ethnic population of over one million people. The university enrolls approximately 28,000 students (20,500 FTEs) of which one-half are ethnic minorities, supported by approximately 4,000 faculty and staff. Eight Colleges offer baccalaureate degrees in 51 disciplines, master's degrees in 44 fields, and 27 credentials in the field of education.
Points of Distinction
- Our SIMPACT Immersive Learning program received the “Innovation in Education” award from the Valley Economic Alliance
- Our alumni include many esteemed educators, including LAUSD, California-state, and national teachers of the year.
- The College has partnered with UC Berkeley and the Compton Unified School District (CUSD) to launch a three-year pilot program to improve the retention rates of male teachers of color
- The College is a member of the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s landmark Teachers For a New Era Initiative
- The College received a major gift from the Eisner Foundation to establish the Center for Teaching and Learning and an Endowed Professorship
- The Michael D. Eisner College of Education is the largest public college of education in California
- The College offers multiple pathways to the California teaching credential
- College programs have the recognition of holding multiple accreditations: CTC, NASP, CED
- The Deaf Studies program is one of only several in the United States
- The College offers some of countries largest subject specific master's of education degree programs in science, mathematics, technology, and English education
- The College was invited by Vanderbilt University to join the IRIS Consortium
- College faculty helped to found the Arnold Schwarzenegger Chime Charter School which was California Charter School of the year in 2007
- The College sponsors deaf theatre productions and is a gathering place for the deaf community of Southern California
- Northridge Academy High School is a LAUSD College partner school and is located on the Northridge Campus
- The College received the Urban Impact Award from the Council of Great City Schools for outstanding urban teacher preparation
- College faculty have a profound commitment to urban teaching and learning
- The College has state of the art facilities and technology resources
The primary mission of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education is to prepare teachers, counselors, administrators, and other professionals to serve the diverse educational needs of the region.
To fulfill this mission, faculty:
- design, deliver, and continually improve highly effective programs for pre-professionals through advanced graduate and professional levels;
- promote and are influenced by the reciprocal relationship between scholarship and practice;
- collaborate with colleagues across the campus and in other professional and community settings as partners in the mission; and
- provide leadership in teaching, learning, assessment, and professional development for diverse community within and outside the University.
In all of these endeavors, creativity and excellence of practice is rewarded, the potential of all learners is recognized, and critical inquiry and reflection are valued.
The Faculty vision for the College is that of a dynamic organization vital to the growth and development of Southern California, particularly the greater San Fernando Valley. In addition, the College shall be nationally and internationally recognized as being at the forefront of efforts to shape and improve teaching and learning. College students and faculty will reflect the diversity of the local community, be well-prepared to meet their professional responsibilities, experience pride and satisfaction in their accomplishments, and commit themselves to life-long learning.
Adopted May 2018
The faculty of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, regionally focused and nationally recognized, is committed to excellence, innovation, and social justice. Excellence includes the acquisition of professional dispositions, skills, and research-based knowledge, and is demonstrated by the development of ethical and caring professionals—faculty, staff, candidates—and those they serve. Innovation occurs through the leadership and commitment of faculty, and through collaborative partnerships among communities of diverse learners who engage in creative and reflective thinking. We are dedicated to promoting social justice and becoming agents of change in schools and our communities. We continually strive to achieve the following competencies and values that form the foundation of the Conceptual Framework.
- We value academic excellence in the acquisition of research-based professional knowledge and skills. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Acquire in-depth knowledge of subject matter (aligning with state and national curriculum standards when applicable);
- Acquire professional and pedagogical knowledge;
- Acquire pedagogical content knowledge;
- Use professional standards and empirical research to develop and evaluate programs and guide practice;
- Capitalize on advancements in technology to promote learning;
- Communicate effectively using multiple modalities, including speaking/signing, writing, and digital media, in professional and community settings; and
- Understand, apply, and engage in scholarship and research.
- We strive to positively impact schools and communities. Therefore, we foster a culture of evidence to determine the impact of our programs, to monitor candidate growth, and to inform ongoing program and unit improvement. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Develop knowledge and skills that research and evidence have shown to positively impact schools and communities;
- Acquire knowledge and skills in assessing those we serve, using various indicators including national, state, and institutional standards;
- Acquire knowledge and skills in identifying and selecting assessment approaches and measures that are reliable, valid, and fair;
- Develop skills in analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data for the purpose of informing practice;
- Use evidence from multiple assessments to inform and improve practice that will promote learning and growth of all pupils; and
- Engage in cycles of understanding, learning, application in the field, reflection, and revision of practice.
- We value ethical practice and what it means to become ethical and caring professionals. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Engage in inquiry about what it means to be an ethical and caring professional;
- Adhere to a code of ethics appropriate to professional practice and recognize its relationship to the realities of the contexts in which practice occurs;
- Assume personal responsibility for developing, demonstrating, and refining the values, beliefs, and assumptions that guide professional practice; and
- Demonstrate attitudes, dispositions, and behaviors of caring and ethical professionals in daily practice.
- We value collaborative partnerships within the Michael D. Eisner College of Education as well as across disciplines with other CSUN faculty, P-12 educators and related professionals, and other members of regional and national educational and service communities. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Participate in intra- and interdisciplinary partnerships including the Michael D. Eisner College of Education and the university;
- Participate in external partnerships with schools, community agencies, other universities, and local, state, and national agencies with common interests;
- Collaborate with all stakeholders to support the learning and growth of faculty, staff, candidates, and those they serve; and
- Identify and use professional and community resources.
- We value people from diverse backgrounds and experiences and are dedicated to addressing the varied strengths, interests, and needs of communities of diverse learners. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Foster a climate in which the meaning and implications of diversity are continuously defined, examined, and addressed;
- Move from acceptance of diversity, to appreciation of diversity, to becoming agents of change for social justice;
- Respect and understand the conditions and contributions of communities and schools, and of families from all backgrounds;
- Develop, use, and promote positive interpersonal skills in an open and inclusive process for making decisions and achieving consensus; and
- Participate in and be accountable for shared decision making within the academic and service communities in a manner that contributes to supporting diversity.
- We value creative, critical, and reflective thinking and practice. We commit ourselves to, and expect our candidates to:
- Engage in continuous and critical reflection;
- Participate in ongoing professional development;
- Accept feedback and consider implications for practice and program renewal;
- Refine and apply professional competencies through collegial interaction, including for candidates a variety of clinical practice experiences; and
- Solve problems, make decisions, facilitate change, and produce knowledge in new and creative ways.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 1 Provide exemplary professional education programs that prepare highly qualified educators to meet the challenges of urban education in a changing society.
- Strengthen curriculum & instruction through faculty collaboration:
- Review conceptual framework & strategic plan
- Strengthen collaboration including university faculty & community members.
- Strengthen & support partnerships that improve services to schools.
- Develop partnerships in one area high school, middle school, elementary, and charter school.
- Review and update how technology is used and taught throughout the unit.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 2 The College will regularly and systematically utilize data to identify and make needed changes in courses, programs, clinical experiences, and unit operations.
- Ensure that assessment of students, faculty & programs informs program development, modification & improvement.
- Ensure that the relationship between quality of its teachers and the academic performance of pre-k – 12 students is documented.
- Identify ways to ensure that faculty are knowledgeable about current assessment tools and issues in California and the nation.
- Identify ways in which programs can infuse knowledge and skills of assessment in coursework and fieldwork.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 3 Address critical need for a larger and more diverse workforce of teachers and related school professionals.
- Review the outcomes of the implementation of the current plan to recruit qualified women and men of differing ethnicities & cultures into these professions.
- Develop a plan to support and retain students for all programs.
- Develop strategies to support graduates in their professional roles, particularly during induction.
- Secure funds and implement plans for recruitment, support and retention of students.
- Identify ways to strengthen students’ identity with COE
- Provide a forum for COE students to express their views about COE and its programs.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 4 Develop and maintain a strong professional community among our faculty, staff, administrative personnel & alumni committing & collaborating to realize the College mission.
- The College will provide appropriate time, mechanisms, and opportunities for the faculty to a) exchange information and ideas regarding teaching, scholarship, and service; b) interact socially; and c) examine and discuss issues related to their quality of life as faculty.
- Address the college goals through such strategies as teaching load differentials, stipends, assigned time, teaching assistants, professional development, and funded research projects.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 5 The College will recruit, nurture, and retain a diverse faculty who regularly demonstrate best practice in teaching, are engaged in scholarly activities, and apply their knowledge in service to the College, community, and profession.
- Continue to recruit faculty from diverse backgrounds with competency in both teaching and scholarship.
- Institute a mentoring plan for probationary faculty that will assist them in successfully addressing requirements for retention, tenure, and promotion.
- Institute a professional development planning process for tenured faculty that will help them in their ongoing professional advancement.
- Through the Retention, Tenure, and Promotion process, reward faculty who address the mission, vision, and goals of the College through work that meets a broad definition of scholarship that is congruent with the University personnel policies and the collective bargaining agreement.
STRATEGIC GOAL # 6 The College will foster an administrative environment that ensures shared leadership and is reflective, open, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving mission and vision of the College.
- Develop a committee structure that engages faculty in policy & administrative decision-making that will sustain collaborative, dynamic, and responsible College growth, and will disseminate information to the faculty about ongoing operation of the College.
- Implement and assess the new committee structure by formally obtaining feedback from the faculty, administration, and staff.