Megan Guise, professor in Cal Poly’s School of Education, has been honored with the Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award by the California State University. She was recognized for her continuous record of innovative and successful projects that promote the success of all stakeholders in the School of Education and in the larger K-12 communities in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

Guise’s dedication to preparing future teachers has been the driving force behind her many efforts to bring reform to coursework and the clinical experience, which have led to strong partnerships with local school districts. Her research into the effectiveness of co-teaching as a strategy within clinical practice settings has led to campuswide modifications to credential programs.

Now in her 12th year at Cal Poly, Guise teaches in the School of Education’s Single Subject program, designed for teaching candidates interested in teaching sixth through 12th grade and in the Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction program, which is geared toward current K-12 teachers. Guise also works on a federal $4.1 million Teaching Quality Partnership grant, which allows her to build partnerships between teacher preparation programs and local schools. Her work through the grant focuses on ensuring teaching candidates are effective, diversifying the teaching workforce and building continuity and support for teachers.

The CSU award includes $10,000 allocated to the awardee and their department to support their academic activities. Guise and her colleagues in the School of Education plan to utilize the additional funding to support students in the School of Education.

“I love working with and learning from students, and I feel grateful to have the opportunity to further support them and their projects,” Guise said. “I’m humbled that my colleagues would nominate me for this honor, and I’m excited to keep working and building off the projects we already have in motion.”

J. Kevin Taylor, director of the School of Education called Guise an excellent role model for her students and faculty colleagues alike.

“She is an amazing ambassador for Cal Poly and for the CSU,” he said.

The Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award recognizes CSU faculty accomplishments associated with student success or the implementation of innovative practices that improve student outcomes or eliminate equity gaps. The award acknowledges faculty who have demonstrated leadership at the program, department, college or university level to improve student success and outcomes in courses with traditionally low success rates or persistent equity gaps.

For more information on the Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award, visit https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/why-the-csu-matters/graduation-initiative-2025/FILA/Pages/default.aspx.