We play an active role in the communities we serve.
The Education Department's role as a community partner take a variety of forms.
Child Development Center
Occidental's Child Development Center opened in 1993 and is licensed by the state to care for 42 children ages 2 to 5. The center is staffed by six teachers and offers a preschool curriculum.
Community Literacy Center
The Literacy Center provides individually designed language arts instruction for local K-8 children.
California Foreign Language Project
The L.A. Stars, a regional center of the California Foreign Language Project, is based in Thorne Hall Room 9A. The project is charged with improving California's K-14 foreign, second and home language programs. This project offers professional growth and teaching strategy improvement workshops for teachers in Los Angeles and neighboring counties.
The Teacher Education Advisory Board (TEAB)
The TEAB, comprised of teachers, administrators, and community members, provides an ongoing review for our Multiple-Subject and Single-Subject credential programs, and advises the department on matters related to the professional education of prospective teachers. The TEAB normally meets twice annually, once in fall semester and once in spring. Education Department students, faculty, staff and programs in leadership and teaching have greatly benefited from this mutually rewarding relationship since 1986.
TOPS
Since 1992, TOPS (Teachers + Occidental = Partnership in Science) has trained high school science teachers the latest biology, chemistry and physics concepts and provide their students with advanced scientific equipment for hands-on lab experience in the program's mobile laboratory.
Upward Bound
Each year, Upward Bound helps more than 100 low-income high school students become the first person in their family to attend college. Established as one of Upward Bound's original pilot programs, ours is one of the largest and most successful in California.