2017 Outstanding Faculty
Education, and Professional and Applied Sciences
Ruth H. Yopp-Edwards, Ph.D.
California State University, Fullerton
Professor of Elementary and Bilingual Education
Major Accomplishments
- Developed programs and courses for CSU Fullerton’s Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education
- Helped revise the California Standards for the Teaching Profession
- Serves as a leader for a Robert F. Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, the CSU Preparing a New Generation of Educators for California Initiative, and the CSU Transitional Kindergarten Project
- Co-authored six books, authored or co-authored 41 articles, presented more than 100 papers or workshops at professional conferences, and serves on several national and international editorial advisory boards for professional journals
Ruth Yopp-Edwards, Ph.D., joined the Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education at California State University, Fullerton three decades ago. Since that time, Dr. Yopp-Edwards has been a mentor and role model to scores of future and current teachers and has created and transformed learning experiences to ensure California’s teachers are prepared to meet the needs of all.
At CSU Fullerton, Yopp-Edwards has played a significant role in program and course development for the Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education; she designed and developed the Computing Certificate for Elementary Teachers, Intern Credential Program and Clear Credential Program. She was also selected by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Department of Education to serve on a statewide panel to revise the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, which guides teacher preparation and induction programs throughout the state. Additionally, for more than two decades, until 2015, she was a leader in the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment/Teacher Induction community, working with district leaders, new teachers and experienced teacher support providers.
A dedicated educator, Yopp-Edwards works in and out of the classroom with prospective and current teachers as they pursue their credential or graduate degree or engage in other professional learning experiences. She teaches courses in literacy development and integrated curriculum and instruction, and conducts annual workshops for hundreds of preschool-through-12th grade teachers. She is also involved in recruiting future teachers, especially from underrepresented communities, as well as STEM teachers to work in urban districts.
Yopp-Edwards has co-written and led multiple grant-funded programs that aim to improve educational experiences for California’s youth and that build relationships among colleagues at CSU Fullerton and in local schools. Yopp-Edwards currently serves as a co-principal investigator on a Robert F. Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which supports math teachers’ professional growth and prepares them to mentor and support teacher candidates. She also provides leadership for the Preparing a New Generation of Educators for California Initiative, supporting systemwide activities that assist CSU campuses in transforming teacher preparation. Additionally, as a member of the leadership team for the CSU Transitional Kindergarten Project, Yopp-Edwards develops modules and resources for teachers and site administrators across the state to ensure excellence in teaching young learners. Yopp-Edwards conducts research and writes primarily on topics of literacy, serves as a reviewer for several prestigious literacy journals, and is an inductee into the California Reading Hall of Fame.
Yopp-Edwards received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside and her master’s and bachelor’s from CSU Fullerton.
“Education changes lives and is critical for thoughtful participation in a just, democratic society and a diverse and interconnected world," says Yopp-Edwards. "My professional life has been focused on empowering future and current teachers with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to positively impact preschool through grade 12 students’ learning and life trajectories and engaging students at all levels in meaningful and relevant educational experiences. I am deeply committed to ensuring that my students—and their students—are enabled and inspired to achieve their personal goals and contribute wisely to the public good.”