Coordinator of English Learner Assessment, and Program Evaluator

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Dr. Marsha Thicksten became involved with the multifaceted challenges of Social Justice and Multicultural Education when she began her academic career studying Sociology at University of Redlands and at Louisiana State University.  She focused on Preschool and Kindergarten Education at Southeastern Louisiana University, and as Founder and Director, opened a Title Four A State Preschool in Bogalusa, Louisiana. She transitioned the preschool to the first Head Start Center in Bogalusa and remained a Board member until she taught Kindergarten in the same city.  Later in California, Dr. Thicksten was director of Carmenita Childcare Center in South Whitter School District.  Dr. Thicksten attained her California Teaching Credential at the University of California, Riverside, and is a certified bilingual teacher.  She taught students from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in her roles as: English as a Second Language, bilingual teacher and bilingual resource facilitator instructor at  the K-1st level, and at the adult level at  Orange County Community College District  and Rancho Santiago College.

 

Dr. Thicksten received her Master of Science in Administration from California State University, Fullerton and was Bilingual District Coordinator in Anaheim City School District.  Two years later, she became a Research Fellow and Teacher Educator at Claremont Graduate School where she coordinated the Literacy program for one year, eventually obtaining her Doctorate in Education Curriculum Diversity in 1996.   Dr. Thicksten taught at Chapman University in various capacities as Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator, Multiple Subjects Coordinator at Palm Springs and Ontario, Full time Instructor, Faculty Advisor and Evaluator.  She was a faculty member at California State University, Long Beach, and coordinator of the undergraduate CLAD culture coursework.   She taught Early Childhood Education coursework related to international education including the development of preschool sites. She assisted in the writing and editing of a book  about Preschool in Kursk, Russia, during the time she  directed the  Russian Roundtable  which she created with a Russian counterpart for 5 years.  A published Author, Dr. Thicksten’s  articles include “Democratic School Policy, Procedures and Practice in Southern California” and “Teachers Idealized Identity and Immigrant Students” as well as her dissertation “Teacher  Acceptance and Resistance to Bilingual Education”.

 

Dr. Thicksten has worked as an assessor and program evaluator at Wexford since 2016.