CLU Partners with a Moorpark Magnet School

California Lutheran University and Moorpark Unified School District have joined forces to pilot a professional development school.

The community is invited to attend the kick-off for the partnership at Flory Academy of Sciences & Technology’s back-to-school picnic from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at Arroyo Vista Community Park. The park is located at 4550 Tierra Rejada Road in Moorpark.

The partnership program, which began in spring, gives students in CLU’s School of Education experience in an elementary classroom while providing Flory Academy of Sciences & Technology (FAST) with additional resources.

The goal of a professional development school is to promote high-quality learning experiences through collaboration between school and university faculty. CLU students earning teaching credentials work with teachers in their classrooms, and some of the University’s courses will be taught on FAST’s campus. This format provides an opportunity for student teachers to see how theory and practice are interrelated. The partnership also helps CLU faculty by putting them back in touch with a classroom.

The magnet school students benefit from higher adult-to-student ratios and the use of the latest research-based teaching techniques such as electronic portfolios.

“A professional development school works like a clinical hospital,” said Kristine Calara, Director of Development for the School of Education. “It’s basically creating a learning and training lab for the students, faculty and teachers.” CLU received a grant from Amgen to train FAST’s staff in science and math.

FAST, a forward-thinking California Distinguished School, is a Title I site that serves a high number of low-income students. It provides an ideal setting for CLU student teachers to work with a diverse student body, Calara said.