Alvarado Principal

Alvarado Intermediate School: Principal

Ying L. Tsao became principal of Alvarado Intermediate School in July of 2006 with over 35 years of educational experience. Prior to becoming a middle school principal, Mrs. Tsao had 20 years of teaching and administrative experience at Sacred Heart High School in Taiwan, taught two years in the Alhambra Unified School District and served at the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District for the past 16 years, including one year teaching at Wilson High School, seven years as a District Bilingual Program Specialist at Multilingual School Program Office, five years as a Vice-Principal at Mesa Robles School (K-8), and three years as the Assistant Principal of Instruction at Glen A. Wilson High School.

As an educator for thirty-eight years, Mrs. Tsao has always held high expectations for her students and staff, and she certainly expects no less of herself. She graduated from National Taiwan Normal University with a B.A. degree in History. After she moved to the United States , she continued to advance her academic training by completing her single subject teaching credential in Chinese and History from California State University , Long Beach , a M.A. degree in Educational Administration, as well as a Professional Administrative Service Credential from California State University , Los Angeles .

Mrs. Tsao believes that all students can achieve at high levels, under the right circumstances. Professional development is essential for ensuring educational equity and achievement. While she served as the District Program Specialist, she provided extensive trainings to teachers in the areas of second language acquisition, English Language Development, Sheltered Instruction, Cooperative Learning, and multicultural understanding. Because of her extensive background in Chinese culture and language, she developed a comprehensive course of study for Mandarin language course and assisted teachers successfully implemented the course at both Wilson and Los Altos High schools in 1990. In addition, she served as Professional Expert for the Los Angeles County Office of Education to provide CLAD and BCLAD training for districts in the Los Angeles County area from 1995 to 1998.

“Equity and access for all students” is Mrs. Tsao's firm belief. In order to help students feel valued and connected to the school, she successfully implemented the Asset Building , Welcome Everybody and Character Counts programs at the Mesa Robles School while she served as the vice principal. Under her leadership, she also assisted Mesa Robles School in receiving recognition as a California Distinguished School in 2000. She continued her efforts on the equity and access issue when she became the assistant principal of instruction at Glen A. Wilson High School . She worked closely with the department chairs and counselors to establish a student-centered master schedule and open the door of IB (International Baccalaureate), AP (Advanced Placement), and Honors courses to accommodate students' needs. In addition, various intervention programs were provided for students who needed additional support to pass the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) exam.

Mrs. Tsao loves working at Alvarado Intermediate School . Alvarado's longstanding motto, “Matadors motivated by the spirit of excellence,” melds well with her beliefs. She has thoroughly enjoyed working with the excellent staff, students, and parents to continue to build on the outstanding academic programs, promoting teamwork and creating experiences that connect children to school. With the support and collaboration of the entire staff, Alvarado now is on the path from good to great. Improvements include furnishing the state-of-the-art Library Lab and Computer Lab, expanding the AVID program for the 7 th and 8 th grade levels, implementing “Write for the Future” and “Thinking Maps” programs, aligning counseling services with national counseling standards and continuing to refine our Golden Bell award-winning program – After School Academy – to increase students' academic achievement. As author Jim Collins said in his book, Good to Great , “Good is the enemy of great. Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.”

For more information about Alvarado Intermediate School , visit the school's web site at www.alvarado.rowland.k12.ca.us.

California League of Middle Schools
6615 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 120, Long Beach, California 90803
Voice: 562/430-3136 or 800/326-1880 . . . FAX: 562/430-5607. . . E-Mail: info@clms.net