B.A. in English, 2000; Master of Arts in Teaching, 2003
School of Education
November 1, 2013
“My position combines my passions for education and using mobile devices and transforming instruction to fit the needs of every student.”
Crystal Turner’s earliest memories of UC Irvine are with her parents while attending the men’s basketball games.
“My parents have been annual season ticket holders for many years as they both graduated from UCI – Laurie, my mom with a B.A. in Classical Civilization, and Terry, my dad with a B.S. in Engineering. In fact while visiting UCI, my mom would often point out the park bench where she could always find my dad napping in front of the engineering building! When UC Irvine began recruiting me to run Track and Cross Country, it seemed only natural that I would also become an Anteater.”
Ms. Turner graduated from UC Irvine in the Spring of 2000 with an English major and Education minor. Upon graduation, she, like her mother before, was accepted into the then Department of Education’s Intern program for her teaching credential and subsequently earned her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in 2003.
As a student in the Intern program, Ms. Turner was hired by Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) to teach her own class.
At 21, I had my own 3rd grade class and could not have been more excited! I loved the Foothill Ranch community and stayed there for the first six years of my career as a teacher. After the sixth year, my principal, Jim Lee, encouraged me to apply for the open Assistant Principal position at the school.
After some debate, Turner took the administrative plunge and became an assistant principal. Two years later, a principal opening was available in SVUSD; Ms. Turner applied for and was chosen to lead Aliso Elementary in SVUSD.
Aliso Elementary was a Title 1 school and entering Program Improvement the year I was hired. I had a staff of willing, dedicated teachers who were teaching an increasingly large English Learner population. With Program Improvement as an impetus for change, the staff united to change their instructional practices. Concurrently, the iPod Touch was invented (yes, this is before the iPad was created!). I saw the potential to innovate the instructional practices and increase student engagement through technology.
Principal Turner chose a willing teacher, then piloted the use of 1:1 mobile devices in that classroom.
The transformation was “indescribable.” In less than a school year, this pilot classroom, went from 40% proficient in English Language Arts and Math to 100% proficient in both subjects. Renewed teaching practices, combined with increased student engagement transformed the learning environment. With this unarguable success, I expanded the use of devices to many of the classrooms in the school.
These student successes led to many visits at the school site by other educators, and Apple encouraged Turner to speak at their corporate facility in Cupertino, California.
At one speaking event, I presented to Fullerton School District. Their feedback was positive and after the event, a Director of Educational Services position was posted. I applied and was selected. This opportunity gave me the ability to expand the number of students that I could influence with the same techniques: a focus on student engagement and improved teaching practices through the use of mobile devices.
After a year in Fullerton, Director Turner was contacted by Tustin Unified School District (TUSD) to apply for the opening of Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services. This position would focus on the implementation of their newly passed $135 million dollar technology bond. The position combined Turner’s passions for education and using mobile devices and transforming instruction to fit the needs of every student. When Ms. Turner was offered the position, she happily accepted.
Currently Crystal Smith Turner is the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services for the Tustin Unified School District. She is also an Apple Distinguished Educator. Ms. Turner will become Dr. Turner upon completion of her Ed.D. in the area of K-12 Administration at the University of Southern California in December 2013.
Even with her busy schedule combining career, family, and doctoral study, Ms. Turner has found time to take her children to the UC Irvine Homecoming basketball game each year, and she and her husband, Tom (who also went through the UCI Intern credentialing program) are proud to be Anteaters. As she says,
Who knows, maybe there will be a third generation of Anteaters some day!