Dr. Grace Cho is honored to be a member of the CCTE Board of Directors. She has a strong passion for and commitment to the field of teacher education. She earned a Ph.D. in Education, specializing in Language, Literacy & Learning from the University of Southern California and is currently a professor in the College of Education at California State University, Fullerton.
For the last 24 years of working in the institution of higher education, she has served as a faculty member, as an administrator, and a program coordinator at an array of positions, including Department Chair, World Language Single Subject Credential Program Coordinator, Professional Development District director and Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) coordinator at both CSUF and Biola Universities. Through these experiences, she has developed management skills as well as deep understanding of policies, budgets, program standards and practices affecting teacher education programs.
While serving as the Department Chair of Secondary Education at CSUF for five years, she provided leadership in the development of new programs including Korean, Mandarin and Vietnamese bilingual authorization programs and the new English language development credential. Recently, She also developed a study abroad program for graduate students to experience language immersion in Spain.
As a former LAUSD teacher and a federal Title VII Bilingual Fellow, her teaching and research focused on preparing educators in supporting culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She continues participating in statewide committees, organizations and special interest groups working collaboratively with educators, parents and community members to enhance educational opportunities, experiences and learning for all students. She provided leadership to the CA teacher education community on many grounds to support, encourage and advocate the efforts of teacher educators across the state that impact teacher preparation programs, especially in the area of bilingual education. She currently serves as an executive board member for the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education (CABTE).
Grace has been attending regularly and presenting at CCTE annual meetings. Recently, she volunteered to serve as a CCTE conference proposal reviewer. Through learning about CCTE’s goals and purposes, she continues to witness the important role this organization plays on the enhancement of teacher education programs. She believe that her experiences in program development and administration, teaching experiences and my involvement with several professional organizations are an asset to CCTE and it is a great privilege to have the opportunity to service this organization.