Welcome to the Secondary Education Department
CSUN offers the California Preliminary Single-Subject English Credential. This authorizes the teaching of all middle school and high school English courses, including composition, creative writing, debate, grammar, humanities, journalism, language arts, language structure, literature, poetry, public speaking, speech, and yearbook.
All Single Subject Credentials include an English Learner-ELAS level, which allows the holder to teach English learners in their subject-matter classrooms. For authorizations to teach in English Language Development (ELD), English as Second Language (ESL), or bilingual classrooms, please see our Bilingual Authorization and CTEL/CLAD Certificate Programs.
For more information about CSUN’s English Credential program, contact Traci Dennis at traci.dennis@csun.edu.
Program Pathways
- Traditional Program
- Intern Program
- Accelerated Collaborative Teacher Education Program
- Four-Year Integrated Program
- Junior-Year Integrated Program
- Dual Single-Subject/Education Specialist Credential Program
English-Education Faculty
Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown has an M.A. in Secondary Education (English Focus) from California State University, Northridge and has his California Clear Credential in English. He taught junior high and high school English for 22 years and served as the English Department Chair and Academic Dean at Santa Clarita Christian School. At CSUN, he teaches the English “methods” credential course as well as the Computers in the Secondary Reading/Language Arts Classroom master’s-level course.He currently also serves as an associate professor and the single-subject coordinator in the Pearl C. Schaffer School of Education at the Master’s University. He is one of the co-directors of the Writing Project at CSUN, leading professional development workshops. Prof. Brown has also presented at several conferences during his career and has published articles in English Journal and California English.
Traci Dennis
Traci Dennis brings a strong record of teaching and leadership experience in underfunded PK-12 schools. Through teaching and scholarship, she aims to support teachers in translating antiracist theories into practice in PK-12 schools, classrooms, and curriculum. As Principal Investigator on a Gates-funded grant with the Antiracist Research & Policy Center, founded by Dr. Ibram Kendi, she codeveloped an antiracist teaching curriculum that was piloted in Summer 2021 with public-school teachers, with the goal of building a more antiracist teacher and leader workforce. Dr. Dennis presents her work at local, national, and international conferences and has been published in Education Week, the Journal of Negro Education and the Journal of Education and Social Justice. Her recent publications include a co-authored chapter in Antiracist Counseling in Schools and Communities and an Education Week opinion article: How to Train an Anti-Racist Teacher: 9 Practical Takeaways (Opinion) (edweek.org)
Mira Pak
Currently serving as Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Mira Pak is also an instructor for both credential and master's courses in secondary education. She has taught high school and community college levels and has served as a Literacy Coach in urban schools. Her research focuses on pre-service teacher learning, English learner literacy, and cross-content area literacy.
Jenn Wolfe
Jenn has her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies from the University of Southern California and her M.A. in Secondary English Education from Cal State Northridge. She has taught both middle and high school English as well as worked as a Literacy Coach. Jenn is also the Director of the CSUN Writing Project. Her research interests include open forum discussions in secondary English, the connection between writing and discussion, and antiracist teaching practices in English education.
For more information about CSUN’s English credential programs, contact Traci Dennis at traci.dennis@csun.edu