Linda Darling-Hammond

California is on the cusp of great educational change as new Common Core standards are implemented in schools across the state, while efforts are being made to strengthen its teaching workforce.

Noted education scholar Linda Darling-Hammond, chair of California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing, will discuss these and other changes on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the next Education on the Edge lecture series presented by California State University, Northridge’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

“Dr. Darling-Hammond is a well-known researcher and prominent figure in the area of education reform,” said Wendy Murawski, executive director and Eisner Endowed Chair at the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Dr. Darling-Hammond has been named one of the most influential people in education reform and has served as a consultant to President Obama. As the current chair of the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing, she has a unique insight into what she terms ‘California on the edge.’”

Rebecca Mieliwocki, 2012 National Teacher of the Year and a Cal State Northridge alumna, will introduce Darling-Hammond at the event, which is scheduled to take place from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Northridge Center of the University Student Union, located on the east side of campus off Zelzah Avenue.

Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, where she launched the School Redesign Network, the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. She is the author and editor of more than a dozen books and more than 300 articles on education policy and practice.

Her work focuses on school restructuring, teacher education and educational equity. She has served as an education advisor to President Barack Obama and was reportedly among the candidates for Secretary of Education in the Obama administration. In 2012, she received the Grawemeyer Award for Education from the University of Louisville.

Murawski said she expects Darling-Hammond’s presentation will get people thinking about the changes ahead in education.

“At the Center for Teaching and Learning, our focus is on what really works in education,” she said. “We know that the only way we can truly identify what really works is to have individuals who are willing to look at what is going on out there, question if it really works and then share what they’ve learned.”

The Education on the Edge speaker series is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required. To reserve a seat, register at http://ctlhammond.eventbrite.com.

CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning is the research, collaboration and professional development arm of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Faculty from departments across the college are conducting cutting-edge research and professional development to address the needs of schools in collaboration with K-12 teachers, administrators and community members.

The center was established in the summer of 2002, thanks to a generous gift from the Eisner Foundation, the family foundation of Michael and Jane Eisner. The center initially focused on neurodevelopment and how knowledge of those constructs can be taught to teachers and ultimately impact the way they teach and the way students learn. During the past few years, the center has broadened its scope. Faculty and affiliates are researching and analyzing multiple innovative approaches to teaching, counseling, educational therapy, administration and professional development.

Center for Teaching and Learning, Michael D. Eisner College of Education