CSU Dominguez Hills Dean Lynne Cook Receives National Award for Excellence in Teacher Education

April 11, 2008 - PRLog -- (Carson, CA) – Dr. Lynne Cook, dean of the California State University, Dominguez Hills College of Education, was honored with the TED/Merrill Excellence in Teacher Education Award by the Council for Exceptional Children’s Teacher Education Division on April 4 at the Council’s annual meeting in Boston.

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) advocates for and promotes the educational successes of students who have disabilities or who are gifted and talented. Its Teacher Education Division (TED) supports those who educate future special education teachers. CEC is the largest professional education organization of its kind.

The Excellence in Teacher Education Award is presented by TED and Merrill Publishing to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary commitment to special education teacher education, preparation of future leaders, or leadership in scholarly work and legislative advocacy.

In selecting Cook for the award, the awards committee said it was impressed with the high level of dedication and passion Cook has for special education. She fulfilled not only one but all of the criteria for the award.

This is the first time in the 35-year history of the TED/Merrill Excellence in Teacher Education Award that it has been given to an individual from a non doctoral-granting institution, reflecting Cook’s commitment to providing outstanding special education programs at CSU Dominguez Hills.

Cook has more than 30 years of experience in the field of special education, as a special education teacher, researcher, consultant, advocate, and teacher educator. She and colleague Dr. E. E. Boe have produced the primary research in the area of special education teacher retention, and her book, Interactions: Collaboration Skill for School Professionals, which she co-authored with Dr. Marilyn Friend, is considered the definitive text on working collaboratively to ensure the success of special needs students.

She was the first and one of only a few educators to serve as a Congressional Science Fellow, advising U.S. Congressional leaders on disability and education issues, and while working for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in that capacity, assisted with the first draft of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Cook has also served as the director of the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education and as a senior research analyst for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs.

“I'm tremendously honored to receive the award,” said Cook, who became dean of the CSUDH College of Education in 2006. “This organization and its members have been central to my professional development. It was at TED where I met Marilyn (Friend) with whom I've written, collaborated and presented for so many years. It was here that Ed Boe and I presented the first findings of our teacher career path research. TED members have been the critics, supporters, and the insightful colleagues who have helped me to examine my assumptions, explore new ideas and expand my thinking. It’s truly humbling to be recognized by them in this manner.”

For more information on the Council for Exceptional Children, visit http://www.cec.sped.org. For information about the CEC’s Teacher Education Division, visit http://www.tedcec.org.

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About the College of Education -- The College of Education offers professional programs that prepare teachers, curriculum specialists, counselors, school psychologists, technology specialists, and school administrators to work in urban multicultural communities. Programs are designed to meet the needs of undergraduate and graduate students, with many courses offered during the day and evening to accommodate working professionals. www.csudh.edu/coe.

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