“Trying to address race and racism in the curriculum was something that I and a lot of faculty members were trying to do on our own, and grant funding provided by Fordham helped us to support each other in doing this work,” said assistant professor Elizabeth Leisy Stosich, Ed.D., who co-hosted the retreat. 

The retreat was specifically designed for members of GSE’s division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy. It was the most recent part of a two-year-long journey initiated by Stosich and her colleague Elizabeth Gil, Ph.D. The two educators sought to bring equity and anti-racism to their own division at Fordham—a program that prepares educators for leadership responsibilities and positions.   

A Collaborative Effort with Prestigious Educational Leaders

During the 2021-2022 school year—the first year of grant funding—five ELAP faculty members worked together to center equity and anti-racism in five of their program’s graduate courses. With this year’s funding, they wanted to include students and alumni—educators themselves who possess unique perspectives in leading equity and anti-racism work. 

“The most rewarding aspect of coming together was working in community with one another to do deep and meaningful work that is ongoing,” said Gil. “Our faculty’s willingness to share their syllabi and receive feedback was also key for us to delve into strengthening our courses and programs. People’s willingness to share their instructional plans can sometimes be a challenge, but these instructors were willing to be vulnerable in order to help us all improve in our practice.”

The all-day retreat was attended by 11 members of the ELAP program, including former New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter, who recently graduated from Fordham with her Ed.D. and now serves as an adjunct professor at GSE. Together, they analyzed five course syllabi in their program. 

‘A Major Impact on Our Curriculum’ 

First, they looked at the syllabi’s mission statements and adjusted words to make them more powerful and actionable, said doctoral student Lizzette Ruiz-Giovinazzi. Next, they analyzed core assignments and pointed out things that the professors had missed, she said. Who was the author? Did they have a “white-centric” mindset on what leadership should look like? Did the syllabus include resources written by diverse authors who could provide a different perspective?

“I’ve always thought that you can’t criticize the instructor. At the end of a course, you often fill out these surveys that feel very surface-level … But this retreat was so open and interactive. It was a safe environment for us to all talk, and it gave us a voice,” Ruiz-Giovinazzi said. “It created a sense that feedback does matter.” 

The retreat was partially facilitated by Edward Fergus, Ph.D., an expert on leading for equity and anti-racism who works extensively with schools and districts. Fergus, who served as the keynote speaker at the 2020 Barbara L. Jackson, Ed.D. Lecture, helped the team to create conditions where they felt comfortable about doing this important, yet sensitive work, and gave them guidance on how to revise their courses and the overall ELAP program. The ELAP faculty plan on sending their revised syllabi to Fergus, who will provide additional feedback for revisions. Then they will incorporate their revamped syllabi in their actual classes as early as this fall, said Stosich. 

“In total, we will have revised 10 of our courses to center equity and anti-racism. This will have a major impact on our curriculum,” said Stosich. 

Lyntonia Gold, a second-year doctoral student in the ELAP program, said that the decision to include current students and graduates from all programs—including those who studied online and at the Rose Hill campus—allowed a broader range of feedback given to faculty. 

“Including a diverse set of stakeholders from various areas of an organization and gathering a variety of perspectives is essential to building a program that values equity and anti-racist practices at its core,” said Gold, who is also an executive director in strategic partnerships for advancing collective equity in the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion. 

The retreat may have long-lasting impacts beyond Fordham. Ruiz-Giovinazzi, a Bronx-born Puerto Rican who serves as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Nyack Union Free School District, said that she wants to encourage her district’s teachers to share their syllabi with each other and provide constructive feedback, too. The retreat was also influential in a more emotional way.  

“I find it very hopeful that the professors took the time to do this work. I was in awe that these conversations were even happening, and I was emotional while driving to the retreat. I was nervous about taking the day off because I’m new in this school district,” said Ruiz-Giovinazzi, who started her position last spring. “But my superintendent was like, ‘This is important work. Go ahead.’ … All of this makes me feel a sense of hope for where education is going.”

The panel, which is made up of one community leader nominated by each borough president and eight nominated by the mayor, was created in 2002, when control of the schools was transferred from the New York City Board of Education to the Mayor’s office.

Waite, who joined GSE’s division of educational leadership, administration, and policy (ELAP) in September 2016, is a former director of principal pipeline recruitment in the New York City Department of Education. She was appointed to the panel on March 23.

As a member of the panel, Waite will advise the mayor on issues such as curriculum, staffing, school closings, openings, and mergers. The latter is something she is intimately familiar with, as a parent of a kindergartner at P.S. 185 in Harlem. Although Waite had previous experience working in the city’s education department, working on behalf of P.S. 185’s P.T.A. and senior leadership team on the department’s plan to merge the school with another school was revelatory, she said.

“In the early fall, we started having these conversations about what this means for our school, and knowing that the Panel for Educational Policy was the place where those decisions would be made, we developed our own strategy for advocacy and the things that we thought would best serve all students—not just ours, but the ones we were also going to be inheriting,” she said.

She sees her role as an advocate for students and hopes to bring transparency to the panel’s work. Her barometer will always be whether something would be good for her daughter, Zoё. The panel holds monthly public meetings and is a venue for parents to air concerns about the education department’s plans.

“I’m a fan of making sure the people who are being impacted feel like they are invested in the process, because they’ve had an opportunity to authentically participate in the process. That in and of itself encourages transparency, because then it’s not like smoke and mirrors”. It’s not a group of angry people coming to a panel meeting saying ‘There was one meeting, and it was last night,’” she said.

“It’s ‘There were several meetings, we were all there. We may not have all agreed, and we’re still here to protest because we don’t think what you’re saying is in the best interest of our particular kids, but we understand that you think that overall, it’s the best decision for the community, and we were able to participate in the process.’”

GSE Dean Virginia Roach, Ed.D., said the appointment is good for the city and good for Fordham.

“Dr. Waite’s participation on this important citywide committee reflects her strong commitment to all children in New York City as well as her deep understanding of the major education policy issues facing the city today,” said Roach.

“Indeed, she brings these qualities to the Graduate School of Education and enriches our work as a result.”

Waite also expects the role to have a positive influence on her work at GSE, where she teaches aspiring principals.

“It’s important that all of our pedagogical and educational philosophies are grounded in theory, but I’m a practitioner. I take from all of my experiences. Being a part of the panel will give me another lens through which I can help train my future school building administrators,” she said.

“Because again, the students that I prepare in the Fordham ELAP program could be teaching Zoё.”

Dennis M. Walcott, GSS ’80, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, offered the keynote address at this year’s March 12 conference, “The Children First Agenda: Looking Forward and Looking Back,” sponsored by GSE’s Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy (ELAP) division.

Chancellor Walcott, who oversees a system of more than 1,700 schools with 1.1 million students, 136,000 employees, and a $23 billion budget, said that his visits to schools make it apparent that principals are not in an easy line of work.

“What strikes me is how difficult your job is, plain and simple,” Walcott told principals gathered at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. “You’re not just a pedagogical leader, you’re also a building manager, you’re a social worker, you’re a school safety worker. You name it—you as the leader of that building are totally in charge of all aspects of the school on behalf of our students.”

Moreover, new challenges are on the horizon for schools and their leaders, Walcott said, including transitioning to the common core curriculum, phasing in new methods of teacher evaluations, and continuing to prepare students for standardized exams.

“You are directly responsible for setting the future vision and goals for our children to become successful adults,” he said. “And that’s a lot of pressure. That is a lot to call on one individual to do—to make sure that she or he is laying the foundation for future generations of students.”

Nevertheless, he reminded the principals that such challenges are just what they as leaders thrive on. And as a man who continues to set the bar higher for himself—learning to skydive at 50, running a marathon at 60, and training for a triathlon at 61—Walcott spoke about the thrill of rising to a challenge.

“Leadership is trying something different. Leadership is constantly challenging yourself and the community that’s around you. Leadership is setting the bar high, not just for yourself, but for the people that you work with and, most importantly, for the students you are there to educate,” he said.

James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE, opened the morning’s event by reading a welcome letter to the principals from New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Following the chancellor’s address, a panel of six principals discussed the unique challenges of leading a public school in New York City, such as instructing one of the most diverse student bodies in the country and confronting waning parent involvement.

Hennessy urged principals to revisit these discussions at the 2014 leadership conference, especially as new regulations regarding common core and teacher evaluations begin to take hold around the state.

“How, as instructional leaders are you dealing with [these issues]?” he said. “Are we going to accept common core standards as passed down to us, or will there eventually be pushback? …What are you going to do to ensure that in the process of implementing the new systems [of teacher evaluation and accountability]we don’t do damage to the people dedicated to teaching the kids of New York?

“Those are some of the questions I would like to see us revisit next year.”

CLAIR, a vanguard interdisciplinary research doctorate, is a three-year program designed to involve students in cutting-edge research as they pursue one of four specialization areas. These areas—contemporary literacy, learning sciences, special education, and language, culture, and equity—are specifically designed for learning and schooling in the 21st century.

In addition to taking courses within their areas of specialization, students will take two courses outside of their specialization.

“A lot of times [in academia], we don’t learn to talk each other’s language,” said Karen Brobst, Ph.D., assistant professor of school psychology and coordinator of the CLAIR program. “The idea here is to create scholars who have an area of specialty, but also can work together in teams, which we think is an important piece… to building better schools,”

Students will also enroll in three one-credit modules offering condensed lessons on a variety of topics relevant to 21st century education—for example, classroom technology. The modules, Brobst said, allow the program to adapt with the changing discipline.

Graduates of the CLAIR program will be qualified to assume a variety of roles, including instructional leaders, teacher educators, program evaluators, and educational researchers, among others.

GSE has also unveiled two new programs targeted at school leaders. A.M.P.E.L., an accelerated master’s program condenses the existing two-year program in school administration and supervision into a one-year program.

“In this economy, there are a lot of people who are really interested in getting their master’s degree, but they don’t feel they can spend two years,” said John Lee, Ed.D., vice chair of GSE’s division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP). “This [program]is for highly motivated individuals, people who are willing to make that commitment for a year, but who may not be able to make a two-year commitment.”

The program, which is open to anyone in New York City and the tri-state area, involves a unique schedule that kicks off with two weeks of daily summer classes in July. Students will then begin an internship in the fall, and continue taking classes Friday evenings and Saturdays.

By May, candidates will have completed the program, and be eligible to take the New York State School Building Leader Certification Examination.

“We’re looking for ways to meet the very real needs of students,” Lee said. “People have busy lives and limited resources, so this is a way that we can help them.”

The SDL advanced certificate program comes in response to a change in the New York State Department of Education’s certification exams. Before, graduates who passed the exam were certified for both school building and school district leadership levels. Now, the state has created two separate exams.

In response, the 15-credit SDL program prepares students for this exam, which certifies leaders on the district level, for example, as superintendents.

Dean Hennessy said that, in September, the Department of Education would be opening 100 new schools.

“One hundred new schools require 100 new principals and assistant principals,” he said. “I’m hoping [our new programs]will be the pipeline programs that will staff the openings that are coming up.”