Seven Teacher TRAC Students Selected for National Teaching Scholars Partnership Program

For Immediate Release: December 5, 2001

NORWALK, CALIF – The success of the Teacher TRAC program at Cerritos College continues to grow and be recognized. To kick off the fall semester, Teacher TRAC Director Sue Parsons announced that Cerritos College was selected by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) as one of the winners in the AACC Teaching Scholar Partnerships (TSP) project. Furthermore, Cerritos College was one of only 10 community colleges in the nation selected to participate.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, co-sponsored by AACC, The Council of Independent Colleges and the Independent Colleges Office, the project awarded the 30,000 two-year grants to 28 community colleges and four-year colleges. The TSP Project aims at enhancing science and math instruction in K-12 classrooms while encouraging undergraduate students to consider teaching in the areas of math and science.

"We are pleased that [Cerritos College has] chosen to invest time and energy into a project that will showcase the benefits of partnership between community college and K-12 academic communities," wrote Lynn Barnett, AACC director of Academic, Student and Community Development and Faith San Felice, AACC-TSP Coordinator.

"The TSP Project came along at the right time," stated Parsons. "It allows the College to add a science/math emphasis to the already growing teacher preparation program – Teacher TRAC."

Teaching Scholars graduating from the Teacher TRAC-TSP project at Cerritos College will be able to transfer directly to California State University, Long Beach for completion of their degree with a concentration in math or science.

Cerritos College has a long, successful history of partnership with local school districts and other colleges and universities. Two years ago, the College began a partnership with CSULB that launched the Cerritos College Teacher TRaining ACademy (Teacher TRAC). Teacher TRAC gives prospective K-8 teachers the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree and multi-subject teaching credential in four calendar years.

"The original Teacher TRAC program has a reading focus to its fieldwork that does not emphasize mathematics and science," said Cheryl Shimazu, Teacher TRAC co-director. "The TSP Project will require Teaching Scholars to declare mathematics and science concentrations early on, and will focus their fieldwork on these critical areas."

Cerritos College has selected seven Teaching Scholars from the Teacher TRAC program’s pool of second-year students. The first four students, Martha Bello (Long Beach resident), Cristina Hernandez (Paramount), Anita Maxon (Lakewood) and Maria Routt (Bellflower), will focus on science, while students David Laboranti (Long Beach), Ankur Luthra (Buena Park), and Dianne VanBeek (Artesia) will concentrate on mathematics.

"Targeting second-year students ensures that the Teaching Scholars will be grounded in the basics of teacher education," explained Parsons. "As second-year students, the Teaching Scholars also have been exposed to pedagogical standards as well as concepts of curriculum development using educational technology."

The Teaching Scholars gain their hands-on experience in the Intensive Learning Center (ILC) at the Bellflower Unified School District. The students will undergo a total of 150 hours of fieldwork, working with their TSP mentors and elementary teachers to enrich the content of mathematics and science in elementary schools.

In October, the Teaching Scholars mentors - Cerritos College Chemistry Professor Jeff Bradbury, Susan Hart and Tina Moskowitz of the ILC - as well as Parsons and Shimazu attended the California Science Teacher Association Conference. The conference was the first professional experience for the seven students. While at the conference, the group met with Dr. Laura Henriques, of the Science Education Department at CSULB, for a private dinner that provided an opportunity for the students to ask questions and exchange ideas.

Cerritos College is excited about this expansion to the Teacher TRAC program, as well as the increased desire for teacher preparation across the nation.

For more information about the Teacher TRAC program, please visit the website http://www.teachertrac.com/, or call the Teacher TRAC Center at 562.860.2451, extension 2212.

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