Michael B. Bennett, M.A.

Principal, Patrick Henry Middle School, Granada Hills, California

Professor Bennett has more than 40 years of experience as a teacher, adviser, assistant principal, principal, union officer and director of middle schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He earned his baccalaureate degree in history/political science and teaching credential from CSUN and his master’s degree in urban education from California State University, Los Angeles.

Richard Castallo, Ed. D.

Administrator-in-Charge, Elementary Education Department, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, CSUN

With considerable experience as an educator and school administrator, Professor, Castallo served as a consultant to hundreds of school districts across the United States on school personnel issues. He has also worked with thousands of teachers throughout the country in the area of curriculum mapping. He joined CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education faculty in 2002. Professor Castallo has been published in the areas of school organizational development and improving student achievement, and is the author of a school-personnel textbook. He earned a doctorate in school administration at Syracuse University, a master’s degree in Reading from State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, and a B.A. in Psychology from State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport.

Excellence of this Program’s Faculty

As with all CSUN online degree programs, this program is taught by the same group of full-time faculty and exceptional practitioners who teach in this highly regarded program on the CSUN campus.

Nathan Durdella, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, CSUN

Professor Durdella teaches methodological and topical courses in CSUN’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, including seminars in action research in education, applied qualitative inquiry in education, and curricular and instructional leadership. He utilizes active- and peer-learning strategies in his classes and facilitates the co-construction of a learning environment that supports the development of students’ critical thinking and research skills. Professor Durdella’s research interests focus on the effects of student-faculty and peer-peer interaction on undergraduate students. He has published work in the Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, Journal of Studies in Education, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, and Higher Education in Review (in press). He has a baccalaureate degree in Sociology and Political Science and two master’s degrees, one in Latin American Studies and one in Education. He has a Ph.D in Education from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Christine Hayashi, J.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, CSUN.

As a special education law attorney who has represented the rights of special needs children and individuals with disabilities, Professor Hayashi brings expertise to her instruction in areas such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Prior to becoming an attorney, she was an elementary and middle-school principal. She also served as an educational consultant, providing teacher/staff development courses in the areas of reading and reading assessment. Professor Hayashi earned a juris doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and holds master’s degrees in both Education and Educational Administration from CSUN.