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> New dean of education welcomes controversy
New dean of education welcomes controversy
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September 3, 2003
American born and bred Paul Shaker is not easily shaken by controversy in a challenging educational climate. Simon Fraser University’s new dean of education will be at home shepherding his new flock of scholars through BC’s turbulent times in education. "My career has tended toward educational leadership and advocacy," says Shaker who was raised in a northeastern Ohio steel town and earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. at Ohio State University. "I have worked to influence political process, media and our professional organizations in education for the purpose of strengthening public education."
Shaker’s dedication to making all levels of public education accessible to minority and disadvantaged groups and his collaborative style left an imprint on education at several American post secondary institutions. Most recently, as the dean of California State University’s Kremen school of education, Shaker helped forge 70 collaborative projects with local public school districts. They used family counseling, an emphasis on science and math education, literacy and other supports to help students succeed in Fresno County, an area with high immigrant populations, child poverty and unemployment. "I am an advocate for community schools," explains Shaker. "That means providing a family of social services in each school neighbourhood so that the educative function of the school occurs in a supportive context for children."
Under Shaker’s deanship, the Kremen school of education has aggressively recruited teachers and attracted students from minority ethnic communities. People from minority groups comprise 40 percent of the school’s population and 30 percent of its faculty.
A proponent of the Internet as tool for making education more accessible, Shaker helped launch CalStateTEACH—a web-based, distributed learning, teacher education program. The initiative, among others, reduced bottlenecks in admissions and sparked a 60 percent jump in program registrations.
Contact
Carol Thorbes, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Paul Shaker, 604.291.3148, pshaker@sfu.ca
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(electronic photo available on request)
Shaker’s dedication to making all levels of public education accessible to minority and disadvantaged groups and his collaborative style left an imprint on education at several American post secondary institutions. Most recently, as the dean of California State University’s Kremen school of education, Shaker helped forge 70 collaborative projects with local public school districts. They used family counseling, an emphasis on science and math education, literacy and other supports to help students succeed in Fresno County, an area with high immigrant populations, child poverty and unemployment. "I am an advocate for community schools," explains Shaker. "That means providing a family of social services in each school neighbourhood so that the educative function of the school occurs in a supportive context for children."
Under Shaker’s deanship, the Kremen school of education has aggressively recruited teachers and attracted students from minority ethnic communities. People from minority groups comprise 40 percent of the school’s population and 30 percent of its faculty.
A proponent of the Internet as tool for making education more accessible, Shaker helped launch CalStateTEACH—a web-based, distributed learning, teacher education program. The initiative, among others, reduced bottlenecks in admissions and sparked a 60 percent jump in program registrations.
Contact
Carol Thorbes, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Paul Shaker, 604.291.3148, pshaker@sfu.ca
—30—
(electronic photo available on request)