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Education
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- Written by: Editor
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In response to the growing need for special education teachers, the Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE) and the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) have teamed up with the North Coast School of Education, or NCSOE, to offer a two-year credential program for mild-to-moderate special education.
The “Be A Teacher” Intern Program allows people to work during the day while attending evening classes for their credential.
“We are looking for prospective teachers who are committed to Lake and Mendocino counties. We hope to grow our own teachers,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
Mendocino County Associate Superintendent Paul Joens-Poulton added, “People who want steady employment with competitive salary and benefits, a family-friendly schedule, and the opportunity to do fulfilling work with special needs children should seriously consider enrolling in this program.”
He noted that it is a pilot program, so if it gets enough enrollment, it will continue. “I hope we can not only continue, but grow the program to offer additional credentials in the future,” he said.
Those enrolled in the NCSOE program are required to work as paid interns for local school districts with students who have special needs under a provisional credential, and take classes two nights a week plus some online classes to obtain their credential.
“We are deeply invested in building certified teachers from within our community to meet the needs of local schools. Interns in this program will have the opportunity to invest both in themselves and in their community while working and serving our region's children,” said NCSOE Program Coordinator Jamie Buckner-Bridges said.
She continued, “Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and have passed the CBEST by the time the program begins in late January.”
Informational meetings about the program are scheduled in Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Lakeport as follows.
Mendocino County Office of Education
- Oct. 25, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
- Nov. 2, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
- Nov. 9, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Fort Bragg High School
- Nov. 13, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Lake County Office of Education
- Nov. 14, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
- Nov. 15, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Those interested in registering for one of the sessions can do so online at https://goo.gl/HmrTLX.
California employs more than 300,000 teachers to educate its 6.3 million students, more 700,000 of whom are students with disabilities who receive special education services.
According to www.kidsdata.org, in 2015 Mendocino County served approximately 1,500 students enrolled in special education programs, while Lake County served approximately 1,100.
Both districts, like others around the state and the nation, currently have openings for special education teachers.
The day-to-day work of a special education teacher includes working with students individually or in small groups to provide additional support according to their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
The special education teacher provides specially designed instruction and related services to meet the unique needs of students whose educational requirements cannot be met by simply modifying the regular instructional program.
Related services often include coordinating resources for students, and working with families and general education teachers to facilitate completion of the students’ IEP requirements.
With the closing of Dominican University’s Ukiah Campus last year, students interested in obtaining a teaching credential must either complete coursework entirely online or travel to Sonoma County for the closest in-person classes.
The program is structured with an initial “Framework” session that allows students to complete prerequisites. Then, they must work as interns while completing two years of instruction to obtain the special education credential.
“We’ve priced the program to be affordable,” said Buckner-Bridges. “There is a non-refundable $250 application fee. The Framework session is $1,050 and each full year of instruction is $4,700. These rates are really competitive among teacher credentialing programs because we’re not in this to make money, we are in this to serve our community and build our local workforce.”
Buckner-Bridges hopes those interested in a mid-career change, those returning to the workforce after raising children, or college graduates who have struggled to find work might be interested in enrolling in the program.
Superintendent Falkenberg reminded those who may be interested that, “as a teacher, you have the ability and responsibility to positively impact our communities, our counties, and our world.”
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
This conference, titled “Autism: What Works? Evidence-Based Practices Across the Lifespan,” is a collaborative effort by the Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt County Offices of Education, the Redwood Coast Regional Center and local family resource centers.
“We’re so pleased to be able to offer these incredible speakers locally. Dr. Aubyn Stahmer from the U.C. Davis MIND Institute is an autism researcher who focuses on helping community providers like teachers and therapists support children with autism and their families. Patty Schetter, MA, DCBA, is the author of Learning the R.O.P.E.S. for Improved Executive Function and The Autism Program Development and Review Protocol. And Jo-Anne Matteo, MS, CCC-SLP, is a senior consultant and trainer with Pyramid Educational Consultants. They’ll provide practical, proven ways to help people who work with children who have autism,” said Barbara Bloom, director of the Mendocino County Office of Education Special Education Local Plan Area.
The workshop is part of the ongoing education provided by the California Autism Professional Training and Information Network, or CAPTAIN, and it will include seven evidence-based interventions for autism.
The cost of the conference is $30, which includes lunch and materials.
Registration opens at 8 a.m.
For questions and registration information, call 707-467-5166 or register online at http://mcoe.k12oms.org/1709-139310.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The goal of the event was to bring together educators, workforce development specialists and other student support agencies to create pathways for adult students to transition from education or training programs to jobs.
The event focused on careers in three industry sectors, business, construction and trades, and health care.
Employers from each industry sector attended a Workforce Connection session, where they were able to talk about education and training needs for their companies. Event participants used information from employers to inform their afternoon work, which consisted of mapping all education, workforce and support services available to adults to prepare them for jobs. The participants then used the asset maps to identify gaps, priorities for future work and create action plans.
“This event is all about connecting the agencies and programs that exist in our community so that students can more easily navigate the system and get better jobs,” said Judy Harwood, Director of MLACE and event organizer. “Each of our agencies do excellent work in our individual areas of expertise,” she explained “our English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers are great at teaching English, our sustainable tech program at Mendocino College is good at training students to install solar panels and electrical systems. However, it would be to all of our advantage for all of these organizations to be connected to one another and to employers in order for students to move from that beginning ESL class through a College Certificate program and into a job that will provide a better life for their families and themselves.”
MLACE, the organization that co-planned the event is a consortium of adult education providers that includes Mendocino College, Lake County Office of Education, Mendocino County Office of Education, and Ukiah, Anderson Valley, Kelseyville, Round Valley, Ft. Bragg and Willits Unified School Districts. The consortium plans on using the asset maps and identified priorities to help guide their work going forward. “We hope that this is just a first step to start working together with our larger community towards common goals”, said Debra Polak, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mendocino College and MLACE member. “MLACE has been doing great work towards breaking down historical and institutional boundaries to create seamless pathways for our students, we are excited to bring more agencies into this effort and build on what we have started.”
For more information about MLACE or the Curriculum to Career Summit, please contact Judith Harwood Director of MLACE by calling 707-468-1015 or e-mailing
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- Written by: Nicholas Phipps
Be sure to come to school and earn the credits that you need.
We would like to give a shout out to Kyle Fehr, the owner of DJ’s Pizza, for his constant support of Carlé and the schools in our district.
On Oct. 11, DJ’s will hold a fundraiser in which the money raised will be used for Carlé’s student council’s planned events such as prom, Harvest Fest or our gold level trips.
Thank you to the students who participated in the school clean up class period. Thank you to Adam Morganbesser, Jose Carrillo, Ashton Legg, Donovan White, Cataleena Steward, Adrian Carpenter and Vanessa Bigelow. We really appreciate you guys helping to keep Carlé a clean environment.
On Sept. 27, Chef Robert Cabreros of Woodland College hosted another job shadow for Carlé high school students. This is the third time he’s held this opportunity for our school.
Jessica Teixeira, Stacey Clemons, Aileen Landeros, Estefania Cuevas, Jacqueline Hernandez all attended this job shadowing event.
I asked Cuevas about her experiences during this job shadowing. “When I first got there I was nervous but after partnering up, my partner and I learned to make some really delicious food which we even got to eat,” she said. “I would do it again and recommend it to anyone interested in learning to make some delicious food.”
Thank you to both Bruno Sabatier and Chef Cabreros for all you do for Carlé’s students, opening up the world of education for our youth. Carlé students and staff can’t show enough appreciation.
In addition, 13 students currently enrolled at Carlé High School are also enrolled in Woodland college courses. We have students taking courses such as culinary, water treatment, and welding.
Great job earning credits faster for your high school graduation because one college credit is three high school credits.
It’s a really great opportunity and we are extremely glad our students are so committed to furthering their education. Once again we truly appreciate the wonderful Woodland Community College for this opportunity.
With a new school comes new student council representatives. On Friday, Oct. 6, Carlé held an election to decide our student council officers. Individuals will each have time to give a speech to tell the students of Carlé what ideas in particular they have to offer.
Students running for president are David Bejar and Cindy Ramirez. Students running for vice president are Ashton Legg and Ray Azevedo.
Students running for secretary are Teagan Tompioner and Caiden Harvey. Students running for treasurer are Donovan White and Abbreanna Gonzalas. Finally, the student running for activities director is Tarah Denson.
We are really pleased with all the students running to help make decisions for our school.
Due to the time of the election, winners will be announced in next week’s article.
Nicholas Phipps is a student at Carlé Continuation High School.