Renato C. Nicolai, Ed.D.

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A   Short   Biography

I was born in San Francisco, California, of immigrant, Italian parents on May 6, 1939, and grew up in The City and in various suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula. 

My entire elementary and secondary education was at parochial schools in San Francisco and on the peninsula.  I attended Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco as a freshman and sophomore but finished my high school education at St. Joseph’s High School in Mountain View, California.  I graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a major in English and completed a fifth year of college and the requirements for a Secondary Teaching Credential at USF in preparation for teaching high school.  Continuing to take education courses at USF, I achieved a Master of Arts degree in Education in 1966 and finished the requirements for three additional education credentials by 1969: Elementary Teaching, School Administration, and Pupil Personnel Services (Counseling).

My first full-time position was as a 9^th and 11^th grade teacher of English at El Camino High School in South San Francisco, California.  After teaching full-time for two years, my assignment changed to teaching half the school day and counseling the other half.  In my third year as a teacher, I was elected President of the local teachers’ union, and the following year Chairman of the School District Negotiating Council.  In my fifth year, I was appointed Assistant Principal of Parkway Junior High School (grades 7-9).

During the seven years I held this position, I enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Southern California (1969-1972) and achieved a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Administration and Secondary Curriculum.  My doctoral dissertation is titled The Administrative Behavior of the Superintendent of Schools as Perceived by High School Principals.  It was the first dissertation sponsored by the newly formed Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). 

In 1974, I was selected Principal of Isaac Newton Graham Middle School (grades 7 & 8) in Mountain View, California.  I remained at Graham for five years and then moved on to an opportunity in southern California as the Superintendent/Principal of a private school (Chatsworth Hills Academy) in Chatsworth, California.  I preferred serving in public education, so returned to Mountain View as a teacher after two years.  Shortly after starting my teaching duties in Mountain View, I was asked by three Santa Clara County superintendents to head up a “joint powers” entity called The Institute of Computer Technology as an on-loan public school administrator. For two years, I helped start this new educational enterprise.  Then I returned to Graham, teaching English, Social Studies, and Geography to 7th and 8th graders for another twenty years.

During my career, I was a presenter at various conferences, in-service sessions, and conventions.  My presentation topics were usually in the areas of teaching methods, literature-based instruction, discipline, and classroom management.  I've also been a master teacher, chairman or member of numerous curriculum committees, and an adjunct professor in the teacher training program at National University.

In addition to my dissertation, I've written a manual for 8^th graders on how to write a college-level research paper, titled Writing the Research Paper,  and a curriculum guide on how to teach California English/Language Arts Content Standards for 8^th graders which was commissioned by the Santa Clara County Office of Education.  I retired in 2001 after thirty-six years of service in California public schools and two years in private education.  Then I substitute taught on-and-off for two years, so I have nearly forty years of experience in education in grades six through twelve.

 My wife (Bette Ann) and I live in Roseville, California, near Sacramento.  We are blessed with five sons and five grandchildren. I keep active by reading, writing, walking, gardening, singing in my church choir, writing a journal of my heritage for my sons and grandchildren, traveling, etc…  There is never a dull moment.  I'm enjoying my retirement immensely.