Dr. Michael Cosenza has been a member of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) since 2006 and currently serves as an officer in the role of Vice-President-ATE. CCTE is the state affiliate of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and in this position, he serves as the liaison between the two organizations. Since taking office in 2018, Michael has strengthened the partnership between ATE and CCTE and spearheaded the first California Clinical Fellows Symposium, reproducing ATE’s national program at the state level. He also represents CCTE each year at the ATE National Delegate Assembly where all the association’s policies and procedures are adopted.
Other CCTE-related affiliations include the California Association of School University Partnerships (CASUP) which Michael a co-founded in 2010. He currently serves on the CASUP Board of Directors as its Treasurer. Meaningful partnerships between p-12 schools and universities are essential for the preparation of aspiring teachers. CASUP provides support, resources and opportunities to share best practices for the creation and sustainability of substantive partnerships and high-quality clinical field experiences. Outside of CCTE, Michael serves on the Board of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) and is its immediate past-president.
Dr. Cosenza holds a BA in American Government, an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. He has been a faculty member at California Lutheran University since 2006. At Cal Lutheran, he serves as the Director of the PDS-Residency program in the Department of Learning and Teaching. The residency program requires teacher candidates to participate in a year-long clinical placement at one of 4 partner schools in Ventura County. At Cal Lutheran, Michael also serves on the Faculty Senate, representing the Graduate School of Education.