BRIEF VITA
DR. SHAREEN ABRAMSON
Department of Literacy and Early Education
Kremen School of Education and Human Development
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, California, 93740-8025
Phone: (559) 278-0226; FAX: (559) 278-0376; e-mail: shareen_abramson@csufresno.edu

Academic Degrees

1981 Ph.D., Early Childhood Education. George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

1978 M.A., Curriculum and Instruction. Antioch University, Columbia, MD. 1973 CA Teaching Credential. CSU Northridge, CA.

1972 B.A., English. University of California, Los Angeles, CA.

Professional Experience

2003- D, Paul Fansler Endowed Chair for Leadership in Early Childhood Education (ECE). Fansler Institute for Leadership in ECE at the Kremen School of Education and Human Development (KSOEHD), California State University, Fresno, CA (Fresno State).

First endowed chair in education in the CSU system.

1994- Director. Joyce M. Huggins Early Education Center, Fresno State.
A demonstration, training and research center in ECE serving 120 children (infant, preschool, after-school programs, NAEYC accredited). Includes school district collaboration to include fully children with special needs.

2001- Program Coordinator. ECE Graduate Program – MA, Specialist, Fresno State.

1981- Professor. Literacy and Early Education- ECE Program. http://education.csufresno.edu/facstaff/abramson_s.htm.

1975-1978 K-1 Teacher, Laurel Ridge Elementary School, Fairfax County, VA.

Certifications

California Mentor Director, Program for Infant-Toddler Caregivers (PITC) Trainer
California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
California Program Director Permit
California Mentor Director

Publications

Abramson, S. DOCUMENTATION – COMMUNICATION – ACTION: Co-Inquiry meetings for facilitated interchange. Co-Inquiry Journal, 1 (1), 5-18.
Abramson, S.(December 2005). Co-Inquiry blogs: a semiotic resource for teaching and learning. Paper presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Abramson, S. (Fall 2004). One, two . . . A hundred languages: Semiotic competence and the Reggio Emilia approach. Innovations in Early Childhood Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange, vol. 11 (4), pp. 6-16.
Abramson, S & Atwal, K. (2003). Teachers as co-inquirers. In J. Hendrick (Ed.), Next Steps in Teaching the Reggio Way (pp. 86-95). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill.
Abramson, S. (2002). What Happened After: HLC as a Catalyst for Professional Development Proceedings of the Symposium in Honor of Dr. Lilian Katz, ERIC Urbana-Champaign, Nov, 01.
Abramson, S. (2002) Constructing Ourselves: A Search for Interpretation in a Diverse US Setting. Proceedings of Australian Early Childhood Education Association Symposium--Unpacking Interpretation: De-constructions from Australia, America and Reggio Emilia.
Abramson, S. Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care (book review). Innovations in Early Childhood Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange and First Years (New Zealand early childhood journal), 2002.
Abramson, S. May 1999. “Exhibition of the Hundred Languages of Children,”Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition News and Views.
Abramson, S. February 25, 1999. The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibition: A Unique Early Education Professional Development Program. Final Evaluation Report. Retrieved by ERIC # ED 429 685.
Tompkins, G, , Abramson, S. & Pritchard, R. Spring 1999. A multilingual perspective on spelling development in third and fourth grades. Multicultural Education, 6, 12-18.
Abramson, S., Ankenman, K. & Robinson, R. 1997. Project work with diverse learners: Adapting curriculum based on the Reggio Emilia approach. In Paciorek, K. M. and Munro, J. H. (Eds.), Annual Editions: ECE 97/98. (18th ed.). Madison, WI: Dushking, 1997 (previously included in the 96/97 edition).
Abramson, S., Ankenman, K. & Robinson, R. Summer 1995. Project work with diverse learners: Adapting curriculum based on the Reggio Emilia approach. Childhood Education, 72, 197-201.
Abramson, S. & Pritchard, R. Summer, 1993. Teacher education and limited-English-proficient students: Are we meeting the challenge? Teacher Education Quarterly, 20, 53-65.
Abramson, S., Seda, I. & Johnson, C. Winter, 1990. Literacy development in a multilingual, kindergarten classroom. Childhood Education, 67, 68-72.
Seda, I., & Abramson, S. 1990. English writing development of young, linguistically-different learners. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 5, 379-391.

Other

Editor and Web Development, Co-Inquiry Journal

Banner Exhibition, Northern California Reggio Roundtable

Grants

2005-2008 Fansler Institute for Leadership in ECE. Professional Development Initiatives. Children’s Services Network/First Five of Fresno County, $30,000

2005-2008 Fansler Institute for Leadership in ECE. PITC Director Training. Children’s Services Network/First Five of Fresno County, $15,000

2005-2008 Huggins Center Teacher Workshops/Environments for Early Learning. Children’s Services Network/First Five of Fresno County, $30,000

2004 Bambini: Creating Responsive ECE Programs for Very Young Children (professional development institute, co-coordinated with local community college and sponsored by 10+ ECE agencies). Presenters: Ron Lally and Lella Gandini. First Five of Fresno County, ECE organizations and business partners, $13,000.

2003 Multiple Dimensions of Program Quality for Infants and Toddlers; Site Visit to a PITC Demonstration Center; Tour of a Reggio-Inspired Preschool (professional development institute, co-coordinated with local community college and sponsored by 10+ ECE agencies). First Five of Fresno County, $25,000.

2001 Endowment for Leadership in ECE (D. Paul Fansler Endowed Chair, D. Paul Fansler Institute for Leadership, Marlene M. Fansler Infant and Toddler Program) Fansler Foundation, $1.5 million.

2001 Hundred Languages of Learning: Series of Professional Development Programs. Fresno Area Child Development Consortium, $14,000.

2001 Child Development Training Consortium. Sponsor Hundred Languages of Learning Institute, $18,946.

2001 D. Paul Fansler Preschool, Fansler Foundation, $192,000.

2001 State Farm Insurance. Aquatic study area at Huggins Center, $10,000.

1998 Child Development Training Consortium. Hundred Languages Exhibition, $30,651.

1998 California County Superintendents Educational Services Association - Central Valley Region, Professional Development Institute, $10,000.

1998 State Center Consortium Demonstration Project in Career Guidance and Curriculum Integration (Grades 13+), $25,000.

1998-2001 Bonner Family Foundation. Creative education for young children, $32,657.

1998- State Department of Education, School Age, $18,000.1995- State Preschool, 191,349 (annual, continuing), General Child Development, $254,700 (annual, continuing), Title IVA, At Risk Families, $216,242 (annual, continuing).

1985-1994 Fresno Amicus Program, a Child Abuse Prevention Research and Demonstration Project. Funding: National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect, DHHS, California Office of Child Abuse Prevention (AB 1733), Child Welfare Fund (Title XX), $250,000.

Awards

2003 D. Paul Fansler Endowed Chair for Leadership in ECE

2000 Bud and Jan Richter Award for Teaching Excellence (First recipient of KSOEHD award)

2000 Innovative Programming Award, “Hundred Languages of Learning: The Expressive Arts in Early Childhood Education,” University Continuing Education Association—Western Region

1999 Distinguished Non Credit Program, “Hundred Languages of Children,” National Association of Continuing Higher Education and Exemplary Program Award, The Hundred Languages of Children, University Continuing Education Association

1989 Outstanding Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program to Fresno Amicus (CASA Program), Fresno Juvenile Justice Commission

1986 Victim Services Program Award (to Victim Services Certificate Program), California Office of Criminal Justice

Recent Presentations
International

Co-Inquiry Meetings for Facilitated Professional Interchange, NAREA Annual Conference, Calgary, Canada
Australian ECE Association Pre Conference Symposium--Unpacking Interpretation: De-constructions from Australia, America and Reggio Emilia" Sydney, Australia,
July, 01(invited keynote address)

National

Creating ECE Leadership Networks, NAEYC, Washington, DC, Dec. 05
Using Technology Applications for Co-Inquiry: Blogs and Video chat, NAEYC, Washington, DC, Dec. 05
Co-Inquiry: Creating a Culture of Professional Development. NAEYC, Anaheim, Nov., 04
Making Culture Visible: Diverse Images of Children, Teachers and Parents, NAEYC, Chicago, Nov. 03
One, Two . . . A Hundred Languages, RITE Group, Columbus, Oct. 02
Playground Projects, NAEYC, Anaheim, Nov. 01
Early Childhood Teacher Education and Reggio Emilia, NAEYC, Atlanta, Nov. 00

State

Documenting and Dialoguing: Co-Inquiry Meetings for ECE Professional Development, California Association for the Education of Young Children, San Jose, March 07
Teachers as Co-Inquirers: Documenting to Understand the Learning Process, Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers—Advanced Graduate Conference, Oakland, Oct. 03
The Image of the Child: Making Culture Visible, California Reggio Roundtable, Fresno, April 03
Early Literacy at the Huggins Center, California Reads, Long Beach, May 01 (invited)

Current Service Activities and Memberships

Member, CDE/ECE Faculty Advisory Initiative
Member, Fresno County Infant and Toddler Consortium Member, Child Development Department Advisory Board, Fresno City College
Board Member and California Membership Coordinator, National Alliance of North American Reggio Educators (NAREA)
Member, Reggio Inspired Teacher Educators (RITE)
Member, National Association for the Education of Young Children