Educators for Excellence tell their stories

Educators for Excellence is a nonprofit founded by public school teachers which has more than 30,000 members. Their purpose is to establish a common set of values and principles for improving how students learn, while also elevating the teaching profession. “We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education,” the nonprofit writes on its website. 

This year, (Educators for Excellence’s) Women of Color in Education Committee has been focusing on unequitues in school and district leadership. Their organizing and research showed that 29% of schools do not have a single leader of color, due in part to a lack of public infomarion about alternative pathways for BIPOC teachers into leadership roles, lack of clarity on how the process works, how to get into it, and a sense that the opacity of the process is masking cronyism and discrimination. As such, the committee is advocating for pathways to leadership roles within NYCPS by lifting up stories, structural barriers, convening educators and meeting with district decision makers and union leaders. 

New York Nonprofit Media caught up with several members of the organization to discuss their work as educators, how they have grown within the profession, and what they are working on collectively. Their responses were returned in essay form. They have been edited for length and clarity. 

Teacher wellness and family engagement

My name is Rita Pettaway. I am district administrator in Queens for special education in early childhood. I do this work because I noticed that numerous children were being mislabeled and I felt that I could make a difference on a wider scale. But, it was a chance meeting that encouraged me to be in the position I am today. My father had introduced me to someone who worked in the courtroom with him. He shook my hand and I asked him, “What do you do?” To which he replied: “I teach prisoners.” It took me by surprise. As an 8-year-old, I never put much thought into education in the prison system. This led me to ask my father, who worked as a court clerk at the time, questions about things like prison reform to the school to prison pipeline. As a Puerto Rican male who came up from many hardships, he had a lifestyle that could have put him in predicaments with police and prison. He pushed through to change his life around and acquire a career in the court system. With both my parents acting as role models for perseverance, I pursued a career in education. 

I began making an impression in the lives of young people throughout the Bronx and Queens. I've received awards along the way, including from (Educators for Excellence - New York). As I approach my 25th year of my career in education, I feel proud that I am utilizing my specialization in early childhood and administrative degree to connect with and advise schools and families on whether special education is truly needed and why. But as I approach my 25th year, I also look around and don't see a lot of women of color who have been able to sustain their careers in education.

Recently, my oldest daughter announced that she would like to pursue a career in education herself. I’ve always been passionate about this work, but it’s personal, too. I want my daughter to enjoy the work and not feel overwhelmed. I know she has struggled herself with her own mental health, and I want to be sure there are supports in place to take care of her, so she can take care of her students. 

Alternative pathways

My name is Valerie Green Thomas and I began teaching 39 years ago in the beautiful island of Jamaica. My intended career was medicine but made a change when I visited a major  hospital ward with cancer patients in my hometown. I cannot recall all the details but as I look back I can remember the groaning of that woman that threw me in a disillusion stage; there and then, I decided that my creative mind would sync better with teaching - giving back to my community and the world.

Being an instructional leader is giving back optimal support to diverse groups of teachers; bridging both instructional gaps (walking new educators through the nucleus of teaching- the instructional core and the steps of instruction) and mentoring (supporting their wellbeing as a teacher and as a person; centering humanity. Teaching in New York City is not easy and enough support is not given to new teachers or veteran teachers. For example the (teaching fellow) programs lack scope; teachers  are given three years of training in six-weeks and are expected to improve students’ outcomes without understanding the “why” behind becoming a teacher. As a black instructional coach in the South Bronx, I have seen many teachers of color from the TF programs who struggled with classroom management, instruction and completing their educational requirements successfully.  

Having this opportunity to coach and mentor them helped many of them stay in the profession and build capacity with the school and district. The mentorship and coaching had a positive impact for most teachers I have encountered and worked with as they grew professionally and were able to hone their skills to improve teaching and learning. Teaching is a messy profession that requires flexibility, support, continuous learning to keep up with change. When I started working in the U.S., I wished I had a mentor or an Instructional Coach to help me with the transition.  I had to use my background to “fish” through professional developments to keep me abreast of the changes in teaching and accelerate my teaching resume. The additional money is good but the opportunity of supporting teachers outweighs the monetary value as you see the light of hope in the teachers’ eyes when they are able to confidently teach a class and see positive learning outcomes because of the modelings, the discussion, the planning, the professional developments  and reflection you have done with them.  

Being an instructional coach is like a surrogate mother for teachers who are  not able to leverage instructional practices that yield positive learning outcomes. Understanding  and developing the whole teacher requires empathy, patience, maintenance and sustainability.

Today, as a (Patient Care Technician)/Instructional Coach and a member of the (National Center on Time & Learning) and contributor to the 2022 Voices From the Classroom Survey, I advocate wholeheartedly for the vision and mission of (Educators for Excellence New York Women of Color) to provide more opportunities for women of color in the classrooms to take on leadership roles to recruit,  coach and mentor; especially in prep programs and hard-to staff schools where most of the students are black or Latinos.

The role of a PCT has opened many doors for me, changed the approach (at Middle School 390), allowing me to improve my leadership capabilities, advocate for teachers, research professional developments for teachers that are personalized, simply put, to be the ‘cognitive cow,” of the school community an district. For example, I was a common core fellow, research fellow with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, teacher in the Teaching Collaborative Program, teaching (Continuing Teacher and Leader Education) courses in the Bronx United Federation of Teachers office, cross district events to teach skills to other teachers  – Socratic seminar. I remember one summer (District 10) was looking for someone to sit on a committee with superintendents. I was given that opportunity to go to Albany to sit at the table and to ably bring back news/information on policy and standards to local schools in the district …Relationship and culture is an important part of optimal learning. I am pleading for funding. We need to fund these programs if we want a future where all kids are college and career ready.

Meaningful relationships

My name is Janelle Jemmott. I am currently a high school special education teacher and coordinator that is on the path of continuing my career as an assistant principal.I advocate and support the professional development of women of color through mentorship. I understand, like my students, educators need to see mirrors of who they are excelling, advancing, and winning.  

Mentorship is not just about guidance; it’s about lighting the way for others. Just as one candle can light another without losing its own flame, each mentor can empower their mentees to shine even brighter. It’s about ensuring that the next generation of leaders feels empowered to rise, to lead, and to advocate for those who come after them.

I began my teaching career out of happenstance. However, I have remained a teacher for the past 7 years because of the mentorship I received from other women of color educators. I am lucky to work in a school that is dedicated to the growth of each person as a leader and a professional. However, with many of my peers in other schools, I have witnessed the detriment of lack of purposeful mentorship- how it negatively impacts their psyche and passion and ultimately the opportunity for an amazing teacher or future leader to be cultivated. 

I remember my conversations with my mentors and how my heart swelled with inspiration when I heard first hand accounts of women of color overcoming adversities and advancing into positions of leadership.  They didn’t just speak about it, they literally pulled me up by the bootstraps and created opportunities for me to shine and be noticed. I decided to do the same for my students, especially my students who reminded me so much of myself. And that is now what truly keeps me motivated - seeing their own potentials like a candle flicker to life.

Supporting educators of color aspired to lead

My name is Dr. Danielle Point Du Jour. I’m currently an assistant principal at the Academy for Scholarship and Entrepreneurship in the Bronx.

As an advocate of (women of color) in Education, I mentor and coach aspiring administrators by referring them to effective leadership programs, highlighting the importance of networking, being open and honest about my experiences, my strengths and areas of necessary growth, the barriers to obtaining a leadership role and most of all supporting them through their decision-making process. In my experience, the current process is not equitable for women of color.

When I think of my story of self, I think about my journey to leadership. In September 2021, I stepped back into UAMA high school (K350) as a teacher, after trying so very hard to secure a leadership role for over a year. I felt defeated. I knew that my time as a teacher had run its course. I had completed the masters coursework and licensure 2 years prior, I had completed the Wallace fellowship, been a mentor teacher, a facilitator/mentor for the NYC Step program,  I had trained my replacement, and I was just ready for the next chapter. Two days into the school year I received an email from a mentor, telling me that I should interview for a position, I did. I got the job. Boy was I elated. 

However, within one month the principal who had hired me had to leave the role to take care of his gravely ill child. In comes his replacement. Within four or so months I knew that this was not a good fit. On to my C30 interview scheduled for Monday May 16, 2022. I later found out that everyone else on the C30 committee had received advance notice of the interview. The 1st year principal was attempting to sabotage me instead of supporting me as a 1st year AP. A few weeks later, the Friday before the Memorial weekend I received a generic email from the TSN portal stating that I would not be appointed as the AP of the school. That was after being in the role for almost the entire school year. That principal never even had a face to face to inform me that I would not be moving to step 2 of the C30 process. I was yet again faced with the dilemma of going back to teaching or leaving the DOE to be an administrator in the charter sector. I was once again at a crossroad. 

There must be a pipeline to leadership opportunities for women of color  that include continuous support, mentorship, coaching and professional development around the aspects of the job that will create positive outcomes for students. I am a product of the NYC DOE, a proud recipient of a doctoral degree, and 2 masters degrees. Most of all, I am a fierce leader that believes in the power of mentorship, training and development, coupled with purpose and passion. My “why” for leadership is to ensure that all voices are heard at the decision-making table; and to support a pipeline that is sustainable for all. Strengthening the pipeline to leadership for women of color is imperative because the NYC DOE is one of the most vast and diverse school systems and the leaders, educators and stakeholders must mirror the populations that it serves. It is important to identify the barriers to leadership pathways for women of color and create systems that are inclusive, authentic and attainable; which were all of the things that were not present for me.