San Diego, CA: The Graduate School of Education, at Alliant International University, has been named for the Honorable Hufstedler, who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the first Secretary of Education when he established the Department of Education in 1979. The Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education (HSOE) is home to one of the largest intern teacher certification programs in California and is predicated on a trans-disciplinary approach to professional preparation. Dr. Karen Schuster Webb, the founding Dean of the Hufstedler School, has said, "From our inception, it was imperative that we explore a comprehensive and collaborative model of professional practice for a global society. For education is the cornerstone of community empowerment and vitality, and communities are the foundations of nations."

Mrs. Hufstedler has long held ideals of educational quality, equality and access that parallel those of the innovative school at Alliant. The spirit of the school may best be captured by a famous quote from Mrs. Hufstedler, who said, "If you play it safe in life, you've decided that you don't want to grow."

A tireless champion of quality and equality in education, Mrs. Hufstedler has been an advocate of social justice and the expansion of opportunity throughout her career. She has said, "The role of the teacher remains the highest calling of a free people."

The Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education:

Taking Risks and Opening Doors

The Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education at Alliant International University, a nonprofit, private university with six campuses in California, as well as in Hong Kong, Mexico City, and Tokyo, is noted for its innovative programs that have challenged the educational establishment to open wide the doors of opportunity. The following are examples:

* The Teacher Education program, Teachers CHOICE SM, was the first in the state to fully take advantage of legislation that allowed schools of education to offer an accelerated pathway to teacher certification. The Early Completion Option (ECO), allows qualified teacher candidates to demonstrate mastery of selected course content by passing California's Teaching Foundations Examination. Along with field mentor supervision and instruction occurring every other week, the required content is taught in executive format at selected school district locations. HSOE's ECO program has established partnerships with Teach for America, the Oakland Teaching Fellows, as well as with teaching internship programs in Los Angeles, San Jose, and other large urban school districts.

* Alliant-HSOE was also one of the first six universities to be approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing's Committee (CTCC) on Accreditation to offer the California Teachers of English Learners (CTEL) program last year. "Our CTEL certification program addresses the growing need for qualified teachers in diverse classrooms by providing teachers with the latest strategies and techniques for teaching English Learners," said Dr. Mary-Ellen Butler-Pascoe, System Director of the Program. According to the CTCC, 25% of all children enrolled in California public schools are designated as English learners, children attending school in the United States who come from homes where a language other than English is spoken.

* Last year, HSOE's Educational and School Psychology Program began offering the School Based Mental Health Certificate, which enhances the expertise of school psychologists and other health professionals in the areas of counseling and family services. This community oriented program addresses the concerns of school personnel as they encounter the challenges faced by today's youth and their families. Dr. Steven Fisher, a clinical and school psychologist, is System Director for Educational and School Psychology, and provided leadership for the development of this invaluable certificate.

* The need for community leadership is great, and HSOE's Educational Leadership and Management Program is providing professional development is this area with community focused master's and doctoral programs. The doctorate in Higher Education: Community College Administration, taught at Community College locations, and our master's focused on Community Leadership are two ways in which Alliant's systemic outreach benefits the locations surrounding us. Options for online instruction in the master's program provide the quality and convenience desired by today's professionals. System Director Dr. Suzanne Power brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the design and delivery of both programs.

A spirit of empowerment and inclusion characterizes the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education, which offers degree and credential programs in Teaching, Educational Leadership and Management, Educational and School Psychology and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in Fresno, Irvine (Orange County), Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Mexico City. CSOE's innovative programs have opened doors to those who might otherwise be disenfranchised, here and abroad.

* More than 1,000 teachers have completed the ECO program, and they now touch the lives of more than 70,000 primary and secondary student in California's traditional and charter schools.

* CSOE has developed innovative teaching and professional development projects in Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, and South Africa.

* Our diverse community of expert faculty has prepared alumni who hold leadership positions in California, and around the world in education, mental health, intercultural communication, and management.

More about Hufstedler

In addition to serving as the nation's first Secretary of Education, Hufstedler has had a distinguished career at the highest levels of legal and public service. She began her private practice in Los Angeles in 1950. From 1960 to 1961, she served as Special Legal Consultant to the Attorney General of California in the complex Colorado River litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1961, she was appointed Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position to which she was elected in 1962. In 1966, she was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. President Lyndon Johnson appointed her Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968, where she served for eleven years before President Jimmy Carter appointed her US Secretary of Education.

In 1981, Hufstedler returned to private life, teaching and practicing law. She was a partner in the firm Hufstedler & Kaus, now merged into Morrison & Forester. She is the recipient of 20 honorary doctoral degrees from American universities.

Quotes from Recent Alumni

Alliant 2008 Teachers CHOICESM alumnus George Bandley has been hired in an urban school in Los Angeles, and teaches in the kind of situation that typically leads to the high new teacher dropout rate. He recently wrote his professors at the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education to thank them for his excellent preparation:

It is impossible to put into words how great my classes are going. The kids are rising to challenges that they never thought possible. These kids amaze me every single day... I would like to thank each of you personally for shaping me into the teacher that I am!

An alumna, D Miralynn Malupa-Kim, who received a MAE in TESOL in 2005, has said:

The TESOL faculty were expert researcher-practitioners who enthusiastically supported my efforts and development. The program definitely opened several professional doors for me at renowned institutions.

Margaret Guercio, who graduated from the School Psychology Program and with the MAE in 2004, tells us:

My experience at Alliant is one that is invaluable and has made me confident in knowing that I am prepared for a successful and rewarding career.

The newly named Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education at Alliant International University - its professors, students, alumni, and staff -- are proud to put Ms. Hufstedler's ideals into practice. They are committed to creating new approaches for a nation that, in her words, "...can no longer afford to think about education in the traditional preschool, K-12, and higher education divisions. Human education is a continuum from birth through each step of the formal education process and beyond."

The HSOE community embodies that continuum of learning and Hufstedler's lifelong commitment to expanding access to equal education.