In many ways, Marlene Canter’s career has come full circle. Canter, who served on the Los Angeles City Board of Education from 2001 to 2009 — including a term as Board President from 2005 to 2007 — started out as a special-education teacher working mostly with autistic children. Today, the Los Angeles native is once again actively involved with autistic youngsters and other children with special needs.
While working with a group of autistic youngsters who participate in an after school musical theatre and film program at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services during “National Autism Awareness Month”(April) Canter, who has served on Vista Del Mar’s Board since 2009, observed, “I think most people don’t understand that children with autism, although they may not speak, are deep in spirit and intelligence and—given the proper environment—as we provide at Vista, they can grow and develop as full and capable humans.” Canter’s involvement with Vista Del Mar brings her back to her teaching roots as part of her training to teach children with special needs was at Vista Del Mar’s Julia Ann Singer Center.
In addition to serving as Vice-Chair on Vista’s Board, Canter is an enthusiastic supporter of the agency’s Vista Inspire Program (VIP) for children with autism and other special needs. “I’m continually struck by the quality and variety of programs that Vista offers for children with autism,” she says. Adding, “I’m especially impressed with the Nes Gadol program, which always blows me away.” Canter said referring to a VIP program that provides Bar/Bat Mitzvah training to those with autism and other special needs. Earlier this year, Los Angeles’ Sinai Temple started offering VIP’s Nes Gadol as part of its religious education programs, and Canter hopes that similar partnerships will be forged with other temples in the coming months.
When Canter isn’t working to improve the therapeutic services available to youngsters with autism and other special needs, she’s actively engaged with a variety of educational initiatives, which shouldn’t be surprising given that she spent 30 years in education; first, as a special-education teacher, then as co-founder of a successful teacher-training company (Canter & Associates, now Laureate Education, Inc.), followed by eight years on the Los Angeles City Board of Education.
During her tenure on the Board, Canter authored resolutions to ban sodas and junk food in LAUSD schools, and in the process set a good-nutrition precedent that has since been adopted by other districts statewide. She also created the Board’s Human Resources Committee, which led to impressive improvement in the recruitment of highly qualified teachers. Canter additionally chaired the Board’s Charters and Innovation Committee that oversaw District efforts to create innovative partnerships, provide oversight for charter schools, and to facilitate District reforms.
Those education roots remain strong, as Canter recently was named Chair of the Green Dot Public School Board. Commenting on her role with Green Dot, Canter says, “We have the opportunity to impact the lives of 10,000 students in Los Angeles. My focus is on pushing achievement upward and creating a template for success that not only can be replicated throughout California, but nationwide as well.”
In addition to her Green Dot responsibilities, Canter’s current educational involvement further extends to serving as a Board member with Education Pioneers, Fielding Graduate University, and City Year. On the civic front, Canter has been serving on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission since September of 2009.
While Canter has said that “being a teacher was in my DNA,” being a student also is apparently in her DNA. Specifically, in September of last year, Canter began pursuing a master’s degree and certification in chaplaincy at the Academy of Jewish Religion, while simultaneously completing an internship at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills. “I want to minister to people in a spiritual realm,” she explains. Noting, “There’s a lot of alienation in society today, and I think that many people need a chaplain to help them navigate daily challenges.”
While Marlene Canter is no longer a special-education teacher, it’s clear that her commitment to children of all abilities remains steadfast.
About Vista Del Mar:
Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services was established in 1908 and, over the course of more than a century, has evolved from an orphanage to a union of five specialized agencies working together to provide comprehensive, therapeutic, as well as educational programs and services for children and their families on a picturesque, 18-acre campus in West Los Angeles.
For more information: http://www.vistadelmar.org
