“This is a time to think and act differently, and to dismantle the many unfounded and deep-seated preconceptions about the potential and value of large segments of our state’s population,” said Lester W. Young Jr., Ed.D., GSE ’78, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, the 17-member group that sets educational policy for the state and oversees its education department. “There exists a moral and economic imperative to remove the inequities that stand in the way of success for whole segments of New York’s student population.”

Young spoke those words during the 2021 Barbara L. Jackson, Ed.D., Lecture, a webinar hosted by Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) on October 25. GSE Dean José Luis Alvarado, Ph.D., introduced Young and moderated a Q&A session after the lecture, which drew more than 150 attendees.

Throughout the presentation, titled “Leadership for Change During Our Moral Moment,” Young pointed to specific ways the Board of Regents is pushing to build systems and structures for all students to be successful.

In May, he said, the board passed a policy statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that is broken down into six focus elements: governance, teaching and learning, family and community engagement, workforce diversity, diverse schools and learning opportunities, and providing student supports.

Among the specific initiatives the board has introduced are a Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework for all stakeholders—teachers, school and district leaders, students, and families—and a performance-based assessment consortium pilot program, in which participating schools will work together to implement changes to better prepare students for college and the workplace.

Behind these and other initiatives, Young said, are two core pillars supporting the board’s strategies: a commitment to fostering DEI and to shifting the Education Department’s primary concern from monitoring and compliance to service, a goal that he says can be aided by the fact that New York state’s education budget is larger than it ever has been.

Navigating the Politics of DEI In Education

Acknowledging the pushback in some New York districts to DEI-focused education, Young said, “If you believe that every member of humanity has a contribution to make to the whole, and our uniqueness, our cultures, our languages, and lived experiences are actually strengths … then you believe in diversity. And if you also believe that everyone should have access to the process and opportunities and resources they need to be successful … then you believe in equity. And if you believe that schools should foster a culture of open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness among individuals and groups, then you believe in inclusion.”

For districts that have seen diversity efforts met with particularly fierce opposition from families or school board members, he also acknowledged that there is a political component that cannot be ignored.

“Not every problem that schools face is an educational problem,” Young said. “Some are political problems. If a problem is a political one, that requires a political solution. … There’s no substitute for involvement. We all need to be more involved.”

‘A Vision-Building Opportunity’

At the same time, Young said, there is much that can be done within higher education to prepare teachers to help a diverse population of students excel, and he emphasized the importance of initiatives to bring people of color into school leadership positions and to encourage aspiring teachers of color.

When he was elected chancellor in January, Young became the first Black person to lead the Board of Regents. A former New York City educator and administrator, he said that the board wants to put communities, not institutions, at the core of its decision-making.

“How do we ensure that all neighborhood schools are schools we would want our children to attend?” he asked. “We’ve been presented with a vision-building opportunity. … We can make a new norm better than the old.”

Barbara L. Jackson, Ed.D., was a professor in the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy at the Graduate School of Education from 1987 to 2008 and served as chair of the division from 1997 to 2003. GSE established a lecture series in her name to honor her distinguished scholarship and contributions to the field of educational leadership. Among the attendees of this year’s lecture was Jackson’s daughter, Carolyn Jackson Smith.

Young, who earned a doctorate at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education in 1978, told the audience that he knew Jackson personally and considered her a “visionary scholar, role model, mentor, and friend.”

As chancellor, Young now leads the 17-member board that oversees all educational activities in the state. He will be tasked with appointing members to working groups and committees, and building consensus on educational policy decisions.

His election, announced at the board’s January 11 meeting, comes as the state’s 700-plus school districts continue to grapple with financial and other challenges associated with teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[The pandemic has] further exposed long-standing educational inequities, particularly impacting our most vulnerable,” Young said upon accepting his new role. “We must use our leadership opportunity in this moment to … rethink school and schooling in ways that will transform learning opportunities for all students, teachers, and school leaders alike.”

Young, who earned a doctorate at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education in 1978, is a former New York City educator and administrator who has served on the Board of Regents since 2008. As a board member, he has chaired a working group to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color and was instrumental in getting the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, a mentorship program for young men of color, signed into state law. He also co-chairs the board’s P–12 education committee and its working group for early childhood education.

Young was elected chancellor by a unanimous vote of the board, and his fellow members expressed high hopes for his tenure, which began on January 12 and is expected to go until March 31, 2022.

“Regent Young’s vast experience in education and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of disadvantaged students make him an exceptional choice to be chancellor of the Board of Regents,” Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown said.

Among others who celebrated Young’s election were New York City schools chancellor Richard Carranza, who said it marked a “wonderful day for the children” of New York, and Jolene DiBrango, executive vice president of New York State United Teachers. Speaking on behalf of the teachers union, she said, “We believe Chancellor Young is the right choice to lead the board as educators continue to navigate the challenges our schools face related not only to the pandemic but also to inequity in our public education system.”

Tackling inequities in education has been a priority for Young throughout his career. He began teaching in New York City’s public schools in 1969 and went on to serve in roles as a guidance counselor, principal, and supervisor of special education. In 1988, he took a position as an assistant commissioner at the state level, where he oversaw school improvement and bilingual education initiatives, before returning to the city’s education department in 1993 as the superintendent of Brooklyn’s District 13. He later served as senior superintendent for four Brooklyn districts. After retiring from the city in 2004, Young taught at Long Island University’s Graduate School of Education. Over his career, he has also served on the boards of nonprofits including the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

From 1995 to 2005, Young was an active participant in the Fordham University Superintendents’ Network, a professional support group for participating administrators.

As a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Education (GSE) during the 1970s, Young was “bright and thoughtful,” said Sheldon Marcus, Ed.D., the recently retired professor who at the time was chair of the school’s urban education department—a forerunner of GSE’s Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy Division.

“Dr. Young is an individual Fordham can be proud to call an alum,” Marcus said. “His lifelong service to children has been exemplary.”

Young graduated from Fordham the same year as Anita Vazquez Batisti, Ph.D., GSE ’78, associate dean for educational partnerships at GSE and executive director of its Center for Educational Partnerships. The two have kept in touch since earning their doctorates, and Batisti notes that Young has been a guest speaker in her classes and has visited the center’s community school program at MS 331 in the Bronx.

“The students of New York state will benefit tremendously from his experience, dedication, and leadership,” Batisti said.