California Compliance Disclosures

MLFC Faculty

Participation activities over the last three years with school districts

Casey Swingle 

Clinical Associate Professor Division Strategist

Fall 2023 to Present: Partnership Strategist The Partnership Strategist is charged with coordinating and supporting our local district partners with their alternative certification teachers. Their teachers enroll in our educator preparation program. The Partnership Strategist leads and oversees recruitment, enrollment, and orientation of new partnership students. Servicing as the primary liaison for district leadership, this role is the main point of contact and is pivotal in building strong relationships with district leadership. Working with the Division Director, the Partnership Strategist contributes to staffing each local district with an ASU faculty member who serves as the Partnership Lead. The Partnership Strategist provides support for the Partnership Leads, spearheading bi-monthly team meetings, segmented by program, cohort, and lead instructors to drive partnership success, including monitoring and facilitating partnership tiered systems of support to foster student retention and program effectiveness. As appropriate, the Partnership Strategist facilitates professional development for the districts’ teachers that are enrolled in MLFC’s alternative teacher preparation programs.

Leads the coordinated effort across four local partnerships

 ● Paradise Valley Unified School District

 ● Mesa Public Schools 

 ● Casa Grande Union High School District

 ● Madison Elementary School District

Kelly Brown

Clinical Professor

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024: Mesa Public Schools Secondary Partnership Lead

 Responsibilities:

 ● Design scope and sequence for Professional Learning Days held at the district 

 ● Facilitate in-person Professional Learning Days at the district ● Facilitate MLFC instructor communication

 ● Facilitate Student Success and Communication

 ● Connect/Team with other Partnership Lead Instructors

Silvia Aparicio 

Clinical Assistant Professor

Fall 2024 -Spring 2025 Mesa Public Schools Secondary  and Casa Grande Union High School District Partnership Lead 

Responsibilities:

• Design scope and sequence for Professional Learning Days held at the district 
• Facilitate in-person Professional Learning Days at the district 
• Facilitate MLFC instructor communication
• Facilitate Student Success and Communication
• Connect/Team with other Partnership Lead Instructors

Jenni Birrell

Clinical Assistant Professor

Fall 2023 - Spring 2025 Paradise Valley Unified School District Partnership Lead 

Responsibilities:

• Design scope and sequence for Professional Learning Days held at the district 
• Facilitate in-person Professional Learning Days at the district 
• Facilitate MLFC instructor communication
• Facilitate Student Success and Communication
• Connect/Team with other Partnership Lead Instructors

Katie Haltorp

Clinical Assistant Professor 

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024: Mesa Public Schools Special Education Partnership Lead  

Responsibilities:

• Design scope and sequence for Professional Learning Days held at the district 
• Facilitate in-person Professional Learning Days at the district 
• Facilitate MLFC instructor communication
• Facilitate Student Success and Communication

• Connect/Team with other Partnership Lead Instructors

   

Katie Bernstein

Associate Professor

Scott Marley

Associate Professor

Erin Rotheram-Fuller

Associate Professor

Lauren van Huisstede

Research Assistant Professor

EYEPlay ADAPT (All Different Abilities Participate and Thrive): A University-Theater-School District Partnership

Grant Award Start Date 09/01/2023 - Award End Date 08/31/2025

This project, EYEPlayADAPT (All Different Abilities Participate and Thrive), builds on Early Years Educators at Play (EYEPlay), a 10-year partnership between Arizona State University and Childsplay Theatre Company that has developed, implemented and evaluated high-quality, drama-based early literacy experiences for Arizona students in more than 100 preschool classrooms and 10 school districts.

Pamela Kulinna

Professor

Healthy Eating and Living in Phoenix

Grant Award Start Date 04/01/2022 - Award End Date 06/30/2022

Healthy Eating and Living in Phoenix, initiated by Professor Pamela Hodges Kulinna and through a partnership with San Marcos Elementary School, addressed these shortcomings through an after-school program designed to improve student health. The project provided additional physical activity, social and emotional learning activities, and healthy eating programming to students at the Title I elementary school in Chandler, Arizona. The school’s student population is 75% Hispanic, 12% white, 6% Black, 4% two or more races, 3% Asian or Pacific Islander and 1% Native American, and 90% of students are eligible for a free or reduced lunch. 

Nicole L. Thompson

Professor, Vice Dean 

Preparing Early Childhood Educators for Arizona’s Indian Communities

Grant Award Start Date 08/01/2021 - Award End Date 07/31/2026

Preparing Early Childhood Educators for Arizona’s Indian Communities (PEAIC), spearheaded by Nicole Thompson, vice dean of the Division of Teacher Preparation and professor, will address the critical shortage of Indian teachers in Arizona, especially in Indian communities. The project will prepare 20 teachers to serve Indian students in grades PreK–3, who reside and attend schools on or near reservation lands in central Arizona.

Janice Mak

Assistant Director and Clinical Assistant Professor

Weaving our CS Vision

Grant Award Start Date 10/01/2023 - Award End Date 09/30/2024

With the input and collaboration of Native American educational communities, the project team will adapt these approaches specifically for these schools and communities. The toolkit project encompasses the development of a facilitator guide and a revised set of tools, guiding questions and vision statements. The project takes a participatory and co-development approach whereby the team will advise with state leaders in Arizona and New Mexico Departments of Education from their respective Offices of Indian Education.  

The toolkit would be disseminated through national and regional partners, including the University of Arizona Data Sciences Academy, Computer Science Alliance, Computer Science Teachers Association, and the Arizona and New Mexico Departments of Education.

Lauren Harris

Associate Professor

School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies

Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation

Project ACCLaIM: Advancing Civics Curriculum Learning through Instructional Microcredentials

Grant Award Start Date 10/01/2023  - Award End Date 09/30/2026

Project ACCLaIM: Advancing Civics Curriculum Learning through Instructional Microcredentials focuses on professional development for K–12 teachers in the areas of American history, civics and media literacy via a comprehensive microcredential program. A microcredential is defined by the National Education Association as a “short, competency-based recognition that allows an educator to demonstrate mastery in a particular area.” The project will impact 175 teachers who complete the program and who teach approximately 21,875 students. Up to 300 additional teachers (100 per year) will complete at least one microcredential, with the potential reach to an additional 10,500 students. 

Year 1 will concentrate on teachers from the Mesa Unified School District, which is the largest district in Arizona state with more than 64,000 students and 79 schools. The majority of students in the district are considered “underserved” by the U.S. Department of Education definition. 

Year 2 will expand Project ACCLaIM throughout Arizona, targeting teachers from rural parts of the state and schools with large populations of underserved student populations. 

Year 3 will expand Project ACCLaIM nationwide, again targeting teachers who work with underserved students.

Dr. Alexandria Estrella-Bridges

Clinical Associate Professor

Equity Minded Classroom Connections (EMCC) 

As teacher educators it is essential to understand relevant and timely experiences of current practitioners. More opportunities to be present in the classroom is a powerful asset to guiding teacher education with informed practice. 

This project is centered on mutual mentorship where teacher and teacher educator learn from each other working to break down hierarchies and come together with children! Another area of focus for this working group is to dismantle inequities in the classrooms and in teacher preparation, and reflect on transformational practices, experiences, and policies that support inclusive excellence.

EMCC is focused on connecting to P-12 classroom experiences and practitioners in effort to develop a deeper understanding of our craft as teacher educators. This socially embedded focus is not only to understand the changing landscape of P-12 classrooms but to also seek opportunities to implement change, transform practices, build networks, and curate resources across various spaces of education.

Dr. Abby Brown

Clinical Associate Professor

Assistant Division Director, Undergraduate

MLFC PK-12 Support Partnership

The purpose of this project is to establish a partnership model in which in-service PK–12 teachers receive targeted support from MLFC faculty members who can provide instructional assistance directly within classroom settings. This initiative aims to create mutually beneficial relationships with schools and districts: PK–12 educators gain access to additional professional support, while MLFC faculty engage in meaningful service that deepens their understanding of current classroom realities and instructional needs.

Deb Martinez

Clinical Assistant Professor

MLFC Early Childhood Initiatives

This project aims to design and implement engaging experiences for early childhood students and the broader community that foster relationships, promote a sense of agency, and provide authentic connections between coursework and professional practice. The initiative is designed to enrich the early childhood major and minor, supporting students’ learning journeys through meaningful, community-embedded activities.

Fall Semester Focus:
In partnership with the Education Leadership & Innovation Division, this initiative will highlight diverse professional pathways available to early childhood students. Through webinars, career panels, and resource sessions, students will be introduced to a range of career options—including roles such as family support specialists, consultants, curriculum developers, and others outside of traditional classroom teaching. The sessions may also include professional development resources such as mock interviews and résumé-building workshops to help prepare students for the workforce.

Spring Semester Focus:
In alignment with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and its local affiliate (AzAEYC), the project will lead efforts to celebrate the Week of the Young Child (WOYC). This celebration will spotlight the importance of brain development during early childhood and will include a range of in-person and online activities across campuses and courses. Planned events may include a university-issued proclamation, student engagement activities, and a culminating reception for MLFTC students and faculty. Collaborations with NAEYC-accredited preschools and childcare centers will also offer students the opportunity to tour high-quality early childhood programs and apply program concepts in real-world settings.

Ongoing Engagement:
Throughout the year, the project will coordinate visits to a variety of early childhood learning environments, including Head Start programs, infant/toddler centers, and other community-based early education settings where students may not typically complete internships. Additionally, social and community-building events will be developed to strengthen connections among early childhood students and faculty.