About Pacific Oaks Continued

The style of learning emphasized at Pacific Oaks is unique. In most colleges, a teacher lectures, students take notes, and learning is evaluated by examination. We have a different approach. Pacific Oaks students are encouraged to work together and to learn from each other. The faculty works with students to help each individual obtain an education that meets personal needs. At Pacific Oaks, the process of learning is valued as much as what is learned.

Experiential learning, or "learning by doing," is at the heart of Pacific Oaks' curriculum for adults as well as for children. We believe that both theory and practice are learned through action and interaction, and we encourage students to value doing as well as talking, reading and writing.

Pacific Oaks College, dedicated to children, families and the professionals who serve them, has led pioneering efforts to challenge bias and address issues of social justice and respect for diversity. Pacific Oaks' anti-bias commitment applies to all areas of discrimination, including that based upon race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender, age and physical ability. We expect respect to be shown towards all persons, both generally and as individuals.

This commitment to diversity opened the doors of Pacific Oaks to non-traditional and un-evenly prepared students. As a result, for several decades Pacific Oaks College has helped many returning students successfully accomplish their academic goals. It has also contributed to the demand for quality professionals to work with children and families of the increasingly diverse backgrounds that characterize our communities today.

Students report that attending Pacific Oaks College is a transforming experience, enabling them to emerge empowered to stand up for themselves, for their cultural heritage, and for the rights of children and families. Our graduates have gone on to become teachers, counselors, policy-makers, college instructors, early childhood program directors, and parent education specialists.