Principal

• Jul 2021 - Present

Lead all aspects of large suburban high school, including academics, student welfare, operations, security, and facilities. Manage 200 employees, including 150 teaching staff. Oversee very diverse student body of 1300 (30% Latinx, 29% white, 20% Black, and 20% Asian) and predominantly white faculty. Manage operating and capital budget, working with Assistant Superintendent of Business. Interact with PTSA and community.• Create an environment conducive to learning by supporting curriculum development, instructional strategies, and lesson planning, and overseeing classroom activities. Facilitate and organize professional development experiences for faculty to support their leadership and continued excellence.• Ensure safety of staff and students, especially with return to in-person classes during continuing Covid-19 pandemic. Planned and implemented safety measures to prevent transmission of virus, including requiring wearing of masks indoors, forming cohorts for lunch, and establishing a monitoring and alert system. • Increase capacity of teachers to instruct all learners and provide culturally responsive lessons, by developing robust professional development program. Design and implement training workshops in curriculum development, and secure additional appropriate training from external sources. • Drive efforts to meet District and school goals. Put in place plans and activities to achieve District goals regarding Social Emotional Learning, technology, literacy, and learning. Establish initiatives to reach school targets of providing culturally responsive teaching and writing lesson plans that include all learners.• Oversee implementation of capital projects to improve condition of school building, to facilitate learning. Ensure availability of funds and secure contractors to complete projects. Show less

Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services 7th-12th grade

• Jul 2018 - Jul 2021

Led, planned and monitored Pupil Personnel Services for 1400 students in grades 7-12. Oversaw Special Education, ENL, Counseling, Psychological & Social Work Services, Occupational, Speech and Physical Therapy, and Hearing. Managed 150 faculty.• Created learning environment by supporting curriculum development, overseeing classroom activities, and organizing faculty professional development.• Effectively addressed mental health and social/emotional development of teens by co-developing a Suicide Awareness Protocol, initiating a self-esteem improvement club for 8th grade girls, and sponsoring development of Spartan Buddies program where compassionate seniors befriend special education students. • Significantly improved student career and college readiness and number of students applying to 2- and 4-year colleges by increasing numbers of students taking AP classes, helping Guidance Counselors institute post-graduation planning with all students, and organizing college orientation trips and “boot camps” for ENL and special ed students.• Increased chances of success for at-risk scholars by establishing procedure to develop comprehensive individual success plans. Reduced student disciplinary actions through problem-solving conferences with students and families instead of punishments.• Promoted diversity and inclusion. Encouraged Black students to embrace heritage and develop self-esteem, by sponsoring new Black Student Union. Ensured that special education teachers appreciate diversity of backgrounds and needs among their students. Monitored needs of ENL students and ensured provision of educational resources for their academic success.• Sponsored 1st Social Justice Summit held virtually in December 2020, with 200 student and faculty attendees; planned and run by Black Student Union members. Results included students letting others know their pronouns and becoming more inclusive of peers and more aware of the importance of words and the damage words can do. Show less

Special Education Department Chairperson

• Aug 2013 - Jun 2018

Oversaw planning and implementation of all Special Education activity at school encompassing grades 7-12, as school population grew from 800 to 1400 students. Managed up to 42 staff, including teachers, teaching assistants and one-on-one aides. Recruited and assisted in hiring teachers, teacher assistants and one-on-one aides. • Managed growth of special education population from 75 to 200 students, and teaching staff from 16 to 22. Supervised development of Individual Education Plans and implementation of IEPs and 504 plans for 200 students, including those in general education. Ensured compliance with State and Federal special education regulations in Resource Room, Integrated Co-teaching, Special Class, Alternative Special Education, and Life Skills. • Empowered special education students by co-creating and instituting transition curriculum. Introduced system of seniors running their own IEP review meetings, presenting their growth from 7th to 12th grade. Increased students’ self-determination, self-advocacy and self-planning skills. • Successfully mainstreamed as many special education students as possible and increased their academic success. Ensured that students were recommended for the least restrictive placement. Established best practices for educating special education students in general education classes. Increased number of graduating special education students going to 2 and 4-year colleges and universities from zero to 89%.• Developed teacher capacity by helping them improve their craft. Evaluated teachers’ performance and facilitated individual professional development. Improved performance in terms of greater student engagement, thinking processes, capacity to communicate with each other, and finding their own answers.• Assisted teaching staff of entire school to adapt to changing student body with more special education and ENL students in order to teach them more effectively. Trained new special education teachers for entire District. Show less

Special Education Teacher, Grades 7-12

• Sep 2007 - Aug 2013

Evaluated instructional needs of students assigned to special education through surveys and analyzing student test data, grade, and district assessments. Planned and applied instructional teaching strategies. Served as liaison between families and other teachers. Supervised 3 TAs and several 1-on-1 Aides.• As Teacher of Record, assumed responsibility for educational journey of 12-20 students. Created and ensuring implementation of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for 12-20 students, throughout school. Ensured that 504 accommodations were implemented throughout the school. • Designed and implemented a component of the Leadership Academy curriculum, focused on power and integrity as essential elements of leadership. Show less

Adjunct Professor

• Jul 2019 - Present

Introduce education graduate students to teaching students with disabilities, with their diverse social, cultural, physical/medical, academic, behavioral and managerial characteristics. Teach 2 classes: “Curriculum Content, Practices and Environmental Issues for Teaching Childhood Students with Disabilities” and “Characteristics of Students with Disabilities, Including Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder.” • Develop students’ understanding of and ability to implement curricula for children with disabilities. • Increase pre-service teachers’ ability to teach diverse learners in a culturally responsive manner. Show less

Acting Assistant Principal, Frederick Douglass Academy VII High School

• 2008 - 2009

Helped maintain a healthy learning environment inside school campus during summer, after-school and on weekends by taking on school management and discipline tasks. Served on Hiring Committee. • Improved operations of school. Helped create and implement student and staff schedules for upcoming school year. Created student progress reports and chronicled the school’s academic achievements using AIS system. Edited student and teacher handbooks, addressing topics including dress code and behavior code. • Ensured delivery of summer programs for students, including the Credit Recovery Summer School Program and Saturday Enrichment Program. Coordinated the summer Freshmen Peer-Outreach Retreat Program, with participation by 50 incoming young women, to build ties among the women and address their self-esteem. • Enriched teacher performance during summer and into next school year by evaluating teacher performance during summer program through pre and post observations and recommending areas for improvement. Designed and taught a teaching skills workshop and a teacher training on how to engage students more. • Enhanced hiring practices, including advising Principal on hiring and serving on Hiring Committee. Developed interview questions designed to determine classroom management and teaching styles, attitude toward students, and ability to build relationships with students. Show less

Director, Education Programs

• 2000 - 2001

Assistant Program Director, Training Department

• 1996 - 1998