Philosophy & Vision

Philosophy

The ACT Preparation Program reflects the philosophy and guiding values of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. This philosophy is expressed in the conceptual framework adopted by the College:

The faculty of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, regionally focused and nationally recognized, is committed to Excellence through Innovation. We believe excellence includes the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions and is demonstrated by the growth and renewal of ethical and caring professionals - faculty, staff, candidates - and those they serve. Innovation occurs through collaborative partnerships among communities of diverse learners who engage in creative and reflective thinking. To this end 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 professional knowledge and skills.
• We value the use of evidence for the purposes of monitoring candidate growth, determining the impact of our programs, and informing ongoing program and unit renewal. To this end we foster a culture of evidence.
• We value ethical practice and what it means to become ethical and caring professionals.
• We value collaborative partnerships within the College of Education as well as across disciplines with other CSUN faculty, P-12 faculty, and other members of regional and national educational and service communities.
• We value diversity in styles of practice and are united in a dedication to acknowledging, learning about, and addressing the varied strengths, interests, and needs of communities of diverse learners.
• We value creative and reflective thinking and practice.

Vision

The values that the ACT Program promotes are reflected in the College's Conceptual Framework and following vision statement:

We are a collaborative, supportive, empowering community comprised of LAUSD, other cooperating districts, and the University. We are united in the commitment to invigorate ongoing teacher education and utilize research and assessment that will inspire best teaching practices to meet the diverse needs of students and to significantly affect student achievement.

Our goal as a Collaborative is to create and sustain a learning and teaching community that fosters collaborative planning, teaching and inquiry among teacher candidates, university faculty, and the PreK-12 community.