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Serving Adults with Special Learning Needs

First Teacher Completes the Credential!

by Michelle Janysek

The Texas Adult Education Credential Project reached a milestone on Friday, September 22, 2006 when Brenda Dunlap became the first teacher to complete the Texas Adult Education Credential! Brenda fast- tracked her way through the submission of her written reflections in only six months!

Brenda works for the Harris County Department of Education, where she teaches ESL in Katy. She currently teaches an intermediate ESL class two evenings a week and a multi-level ESL class two mornings a week. She has worked in Adult Education for eight years.

Brenda Dunlap exemplifies many of the best characteristics of an effective adult educator. While seeking the Credential, she demonstrated time and again her belief in the value of professional development and the role a teacher’s professional Brenda Dunlap development plays in affecting student learning in the classroom.

The focus, time, and commitment she dedicated to pursuing the Credential are amazing. In addition to teaching and completing the Credential in only six months, Brenda provided technical assistance to other teachers who were pursuing the Credential and provided valuable feedback to the project staff.

Many of the suggestions made by Brenda have been incorporated into the processes and procedures used in the project. Brenda has truly been a pioneer and an inspiration to others. Congratulations to Brenda!

The Texas Adult Education Credential Project is a state leadership project funded by Texas Education Agency and supported by Texas LEARNS. The pro-ject is operated by The Education Institute, College of Education, Texas State University - San Marcos, a member of the Texas State University System. For more information on the Texas Adult Education Credential, visit the project website.

About the Author

D. Michelle Janysek has worked in the field of educator certification for more than 10 years, first as Texas State University’s Certification Officer, then with the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) where she worked as a Program Administrator focusing on educator preparation program development, educator assessment and new teacher mentoring and induction. More recently, Ms. Janysek served as the Interim Director of Educator Quality and Accountability for the SBEC, before joining the Texas Adult Education Credential Project as Grant Coordinator in 2005. Ms. Janysek earned a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts at Texas State University. Currently, she is working on her doctoral dissertation at Texas State University in the area of Adult, Professional, and Community Education.