In the fall of 2020, Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) expanded and focused part of its Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP) program around Bronx educational priorities, in partnership with the Bronx Executive Superintendent’s Office. This program concentration grew out of recognition by Bronx educational leaders that there was a need to build stronger leadership to solve critical problems of practice in Bronx schools. Beginning with an initial enrollment of 20 students whose focus was on Bronx school initiatives, the students became known as the Bronx Cohort. The second cohort commenced this fall 2021 with an emphasis on improving learning in Bronx classrooms by reexamining practice problems and considering and implementing solutions.
The roots of the partnership began when GSE faculty started working with the New York School District’s Bronx Borough office as part of the Carnegie Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) initiative, which was looking at using improvement science principles to improve educational practices. It provides a user-centered and problem-centered approach to improve leadership preparation and development. Margaret T. Orr, Ph.D., division chair and director of the ELAP program at Fordham, explained that the idea of the cohort was born out of a symbiotic relationship designed to help students in the Bronx. The aim was for Bronx school and district leaders to focus their Ed.D. doctoral studies on Bronx educational priorities while learning and networking with each other around shared problem-solving approaches. The goal is to expand the capacity of Bronx school and district leaders to engage in continuous improvement through reexamining problems of practice, considering solutions, and testing and improving outcomes – all through using the principles of improvement science.
“There is an enormous amount of enthusiasm and energy in using improvement science to help support learning in the Bronx. These educational leaders are incredibly supportive and thoughtful of each other as they work towards a deeper understanding of the issues they face,” expressed Orr. “They want to make a difference and be school leaders who take a culturally responsive approach to practices.”
As part of the Fordham-Bronx partnership, students enrolled in the Bronx Cohort doctoral program receive some financial support from both the Bronx Borough Office and Fordham University, such as free textbooks and a 20% tuition reduction. Protocols have been established to ensure that confidentiality and respect are maintained, since students are working with real data and overlapping relationships outside of the classroom.
Typically, students are seasoned educators and administrators who are committed to the mission of improving learning using improvement science. As an example, Marie Guillaume, principal of the High School for Energy and Technology, is working on a problem of student lateness for her building and the district in general. Lateness has implications such as students missing out on instructional time in the classroom and the ability to earn credits to graduate from high school. She is examining school data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at both racial/ethnic data and types of housing situations for chronically late students, including homeless shelters, temporary housing in foster care, and other non-traditional living arrangements.
John Sullivan, deputy superintendent, City-Wide Transfer High Schools, heard about the program through a colleague and is looking at graduation rates, specifically dealing with those students who drop out and then return to school. He is tackling the issue with fellow classmate Damien Pacheco, a field support liaison at City-Wide Transfer High Schools. City-Wide Transfer High Schools only have a 50% graduation rate, and students are allowed to complete high school in six years versus the traditional four. They want to explore other extensions/programs that can be offered to help students meet graduation requirements and finish high school.
Additional issues being addressed include inconsistencies in teachers, culturally responsive teaching, and the lack of progress in improving math performance by students despite supports that are in place, specifically at the middle school level. Stephon Cobb, principal of the Bronx Alliance Middle School, is spearheading researching and addressing these matters.
This year marks the second cohort to enroll in the three-year doctoral program. José Luis Alvarado, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Education, notes that as the program gains momentum, the program’s candidates will contribute meaningful and impactful change in teaching and learning for students enrolled in Bronx schools. The ELAP Bronx Cohort is operationalizing the GSE’s commitment to social justice by preparing educational leaders to lead educational systems that implement effective teaching and learning, work that closes achievement and opportunity gaps for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
