Helen K. Foster, Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, leverages more than two decades of experience in educational administration to improve student performance. Active in her professional community, Helen K. Foster belongs to several organizations, including the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO).As part of its efforts to support and promote excellence among school business professionals, CASBO offers scholarships to its members to help cover the cost of training and continuing education.Open to current members who did not receive it during the previous year, the CASBO Annual Conference and California School Business Expo Scholarship is given to 15 returning attendees at the conference and 15 first-time attendees. It covers only the cost of conference registration; recipients must still cover lodging and travel.The Robert “Bob” Reeves Scholarship is available to a single CASBO member who has not won the scholarship in the past five years. Applicants must be either enrolled in an education program relating to school business, an employee in the education field who wants to further their education in the school business profession, or a postgraduate pursuing school business. Recipients of this scholarship receive $1,000 to offset the cost of their education.Finally, CASBO maintains three section-based scholarships. The Central Section Pat Kraft Memorial Scholarship gives $1,000 to CASBO Central Section members, while the Eastern Section Scholarship awards up to $2,000 to Eastern Section CASBO members who want to participate in approved study programs. Members attending a CASBO Academy or CBO program in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties can receive one of two $500 Southern Section Scholarships.
Dr. Helen K. Foster serves as the Superintendent for California Central Valley's Coalinga-Huron Unified School District. In addition to two bachelor’s degrees in speech and drama as well as in chemistry, and two master’s degrees in environmental engineering and educational administration, Helen K. Foster holds a Doctorate of Educational Administration from St. Mary’s College of California. St. Mary’s Ed.D. program through the Kalmanovitz School of Education is designed to allow professionals in educational roles to enhance their leadership skills. The educational system in the US today faces many challenges that require capable leaders. Funding is often limited and the achievement gap between students of varying race, gender, and socioeconomic status continues to widen. Leaders must find creative solutions to address diversity in the classroom and help each and every student succeed. The educational doctorate program has graduated twelve groups of students thus far. Diversity of the cohort is a major aspect of the program’s learning environment, as the students--whose average age is 48-- bring their own unique set of experiences into the classroom. In general, the program has been composed of about equal numbers of men and women, with almost half of them being students of color. Further, St. Mary’s College values social justice and community principles, and the Ed.D. curriculum encourages students toward reflection. It works from the premise that those who look at themselves and their own value set will be better able to build the skills to apply communication and creativity to the problems they face in their role in the educational system.
An experienced administrator with more than two decades of experience in the California educational system, Dr. Helen K. Foster serves as Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District in Coalinga, California. In addition to her everyday work, Dr. Helen K. Foster remains active in the state’s educational community at large through membership in the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).ACSA recently highlighted a study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress that shows improvements in the achievement gap for students of color when they have access to teachers of color in their school environments. The data, presented in a report called “Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color,” shows that there is still a disparity in achievement between students of color or from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds compared to white children and those from affluent backgrounds. More diversity in teacher hiring can help mitigate that gap.The data also reveals that, while teachers of color are being hired at a higher frequency, the rate of increase is actually slow and much of its effectiveness is being offset by ongoing attrition in the profession. Students of color are far more likely to graduate, earn better test scores, and go on to college success when they have teachers of color in high school, which is why the study authors stress the need to continue to find ways to get them into the classroom.
The recipient of an Ed.D. from St. Mary’s College of California, Helen K. Foster brings more than two decades of education experience to her position as the Superintendent of Schools for Coalinga-Huron Unified School District in Fresno County, California. In addition to her leadership role with the district, Helen K. Foster coaches other education professionals who are seeking the California Administrative Services Credential.All school administrators in California must hold Clear California Administrative Credential from the state. The credentialing system ensures that administrators are qualified for their positions and allows credential holders to undertake duties such as developing and coordinating instructional programs; managing fiscal services for schools; and overseeing student support services such as extracurricular activities.The state manages a two-stage process for obtaining a Clear Administrative Credential. The first stage involves obtaining the preliminary credential, which is approved for applicants who meet the basic application requirements as outlined by the state’s credentialing board. They may either take classes, or pass a comprehensive test to qualify. This preliminary credential lasts for five years, during which time the applicant must complete additional requirements to ultimately receive their Tier 2 portion of their administrative credential. Among other things, these requirements include completing both two years of experience as a California school administrator, and an approved administrative induction course.
As the Superintendent of Schools, Helen K. Foster serves the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District in Coalinga, California. Helen K. Foster is a member of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). The ACSA holds a variety of workshops to help school administrators further their professional development, including a workshop called Power Dynamics and School Culture. School culture is critical to the success of a school, and the power dynamics in play can either enhance or destroy school culture.Dynamics that lead to power struggles can become debilitating, which makes leaders who understand how to maintain team unity critical to success. ACSA’s Power Dynamics and School Culture workshop equips leaders with the skills to identify and eliminate power struggles. The workshop’s content is divided into two parts, with speaker and author Janice Case leading the first part. Dates for the workshop are forthcoming.
Helen K. Foster leads as Superintendent of Schools for the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District of California. Since accepting the role in the summer of 2015, Dr. Foster has increased the number of career and technical education opportunities available to district students.Career and technical education, or CTE, provides students with skills that can be directly applicable to the contemporary workforce. It offers focused training for students who hope to seek employment directly after high school, yet it can also provide highly beneficial pre-professional experiences to students who plan to pursue a post-secondary education.Unlike vocational training of the past, which targeted students unlikely to attend college, CTE blends academic learning with career education. This balanced perspective not only increases a student's likelihood of continuing their education beyond secondary school but may also lead directly to a greater chance of employment and to higher wages in one's first year following high school graduation.Relevant to students with a broad range of interests, CTE offers opportunities in 16 different career categories, from manufacturing to arts and communications. Connections to job opportunities as well as certification and degree programs provide pathways to continuing success while strengthening connections between high schools and their surrounding communities.
An accomplished educator and administrator with more than two decades of experience in the California school system, Helen K. Foster, EdD, serves as the superintendent of the Coalinga-Huron Joint Unified School District in Coalinga, California. Active in her field, Dr. Helen K. Foster maintains membership with numerous professional organizations, including the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS).In an effort to help meet the needs of diverse student populations, NASS is partnering with the Association of California School Administrators on a professional development initiative called the Equity and Social Justice Certification. Educators who participate in the program will be trained on best practices when it comes to being culturally proficient in the classroom and engaging with the community when dealing with hurdles like racial inequality, different types of bias, and other obstacles that students have to overcome when they come from a minority background. The online certification program is expected to conclude in October 2018. To learn more about this and the other certifications that NASS offers, visit www.nass.us.
