The greatest gift I ever got was my 8th grade teacher. Mr. Lovelace believed in me when so many other adults had given up and decided I was a troublemaker without a future. He encouraged me to push myself. He made learning relevant, using music to help us connect to literary concepts, and making home visits to build meaningful relationships with our families. I am here now in large part because of him.
Too many of my friends, too many young people, have not been lucky enough to have a Mr. Lovelace. A great education should not be about luck. The NYC Leadership Academy’s mission is to develop leaders at every level of the system with the will and skills to create schools full of great teachers and to give every student the rigorous and engaging learning experiences they need to excel.
This holiday season, make a donation to the NYC Leadership Academy and give students the gift of an effective principal or superintendent who can change their lives.
In 2019 alone, we supported 1,889 school and school system leaders who reach 2.8 million students in 76 school districts across 21 states.
What does that work look like? We get to the heart of education leadership needs by building and improving school leadership pipelines; ensuring ongoing effective professional learning; developing strong system-level leadership; and making sure all this work is done with a focus on undoing inequities across schools.
In Des Moines, Iowa, that has meant supporting close to 100 associate principals and equity directors as they sharpen their ability to identify and address classroom inequities through instructional walkthroughs and coaching. In Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers, three of the largest school systems in New York State, we are supporting bold steps to expand the leadership pipeline through an innovative professional learning program for aspiring school leaders. And in the state of Massachusetts, we are designing and delivering a professional learning fellowship for aspiring superintendents of color to diversify and improve their pipeline.
Leaders are a critical lever for transforming education for every student.
Give the gift of an education that works for every student.
— Dr. Nancy B. Gutierrez, President & CEO, NYC Leadership Academy