NYC Department of Education Contact Information at 52 Chambers Street, Manhattan

Education

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52 Chambers St., New York, NY, 10007

(212) 374-6000

NYC.gov/schools; schools.nyc.gov

The NYC Department of Education derives its powers from New York State law. The thirteen member body designated as the Board of Education in section 2590-b of the Educational Law shall be known as the Panel for Educational Policy. The Panel for Educational Policy is a part of the governance structure responsible for the City School District of the City of New York, subject to the laws of the State of New York and the regulations of the State Department of Education. Other parts of the structure include the Chancellor, superintendents, community and citywide councils, principals, and school leadership teams. Together this structure shall be designated as the Department of Education of the City of New York.

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Senior Officials

Chancellor - Carmen Fariña Salary: $212,614. Appointed January 1, 2014. The Chancellor is the Chief Executive of the New York City public school system. She is appointed by the Mayor, and serves ex officio as a member of the Panel for Educational Policy, Trustee of the New York City School Construction Authority, and Member of the New York City Youth Board. (212) 374-0200 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Ursulina Ramirez 212- 374-5485 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Senior Advisor - Melissa Harris (212) 374-7652 Fax: (212) 374-5588

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Division of School Support

Senior Deputy Chancellor - Dorita Gibson
(212) 374-7858 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Janel Matthews
(212) 374-5140 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Senior Supervising Superintendent - Laura Feijoo
(212) 374-7832 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Office of School Support & Supervision - Romie Barriere

(212) 374-0705

Office of Equity & Access - Laura Feijoo (212) 374-7832 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Office of New School Design & Charter Partnership - Julian Cohen (212) 374-2371

Office of Innovation - Celine Azoulay (718) 759-4887

Office of School Improvement & State/Federal Education Policy - Sharon Rencher (212) 374-0557

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Division of Specialized Instruction & Student Support

Deputy Chancellor - Corinne Rello-Anselmi  (212) 374-5766 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Carrie Bateman (212) 374-4940 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Special Education Office - Christina Foti (212) 374-5023

District 75 Citywide Programs, Superintendent - Gary Hecht (212) 802-1501 Fax: (212) 802-1678

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Division of Teaching & Learning

Deputy Chancellor - Phil Weinberg  (212) 374-6792 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Courtney Allison (212) 374-6849 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Implementation Team - Dan Aymar Blair (718) 916-4474 Fax: (212) 374-5908

Office of Policy & Evaluation - Alice Brown (212) 374-3831

Office of Organizational Strategy & Policy - Sarah Johnson (212) 374-7955 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Office of Post-Secondary Readiness - Vanda Belusic-Vollor (212) 374-7697

Office of Interschool Collaborative Learning - Christina Fuentes (212) 374-4252

Office of Curriculum, Instruction & Professional Development - Anna Commitante (212) 374-2337

Office of Leadership - Marina Cofield (212) 374-3455

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Division of Operations

Interim Acting Deputy Chancellor - Elizabeth Rose  (212) 374-7868 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Andrea Metz (212) 374-7626

Division of School Facilities - John T. Shea (718) 349-5410

Educational Construction Fund - Jennifer Maldonado (212) 374-5026

Division of Non-Public Schools - Caren Zayde Moncher (718) 935-4970 Fax: (718) 935-4985

Interim Acting CEO Office of Safety & Youth Development - Lois Herrera (212) 374-6807 Fax: (212) 374-5751

Office of Guidance & School Counseling - Vacant (212) 374-6807 Fax: (212) 374-5751

Office of School Health - Roger Platt (347) 396-4751

Office of School Wellness Programs - Lindsey Harr (718) 935-4852

Office of School Support Services - Eric Goldstein 44-35 Vernon Blvd. Long Island City, NY 11101(718) 707-4399

SchoolFood - Dennis Barrett (718) 707-4357

Pupil Transportation - Alexandra Robinson (718) 786-8970

Public Schools Athletic League - Donald Douglas (718) 707-4219 Fax: (718) 707-4225

School Construction Authority - Lorraine Grillo (718) 472-8216

Space Management Group - Thomas Taratko (718) 935-3361 Fax: (718) 935-3363

Office of Student Enrollment - Robert Sanft (212) 374-6702 Fax: (212) 374-5568

Division of Human Resources - Lawrence Becker (718) 935-4176 Fax: (718) 935-5270

Division of Instructional & Information Technology - Hal Friedlander (718) 935-4500

Office of Field Operations - Kevin Moran(212) 374-4254

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Department for English Language Learners & Student Support

Deputy Chancellor - Milady Baez (212) 374-5103 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Kirsten Busch (212) 374-5195 Fax: (212) 374-5588

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Office of Communications & External Affairs

Senior Advisor - Maite Junco  (212) 374-3416 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Monica Tavares (212) 374-0561

Office of Intergovernmental Affairs - Nnennaya Okezie (212) 374-4947

Press Office - Devora Kaye (212) 374-6469

Chancellor's Strategic Response Group - Monica Davis Thorne (212) 374-5172 Fax: (212) 374-5763

Marketing & Digital Communications - John Laduca (212) 374-3456

Special Advisor for Community Partnerships - Christine Marinoni (212) 374-2464

Special Advisor for Community Affairs - Sadye Campoamor (212) 374-6836

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Office of Family & Community Engagement

Executive Director - Jesse Mojica  (212) 374-3948

Chief of Staff - Daiana Iqbal (212) 374-2488

Translation & Interpretation Unit - Kleber Palma (718) 752-7370 Fax: (718) 752-7390

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Office of the General Counsel

General Counsel - Courtenaye Jackson-Chase  (212) 374-3440 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief Deputy Counsel, Office of Legal Service - Charity Guerra (212) 374-2430

Office of Ethics & Conflicts of Interest - Samantha Biletsky (212) 374-3438 Fax: (212) 374-5596

Office of Federal & State Regulatory Compliance - TJ Stevenson (212) 374-3436

Senior Field Counsel & General Practice Unit - Robin Greenfield (212) 374-2983 Fax: (212) 374-5939

Commercial Unit - William Joyce (212) 374-2999 Fax: (212) 374-5959

Administrative Trials Unit - Laura Brantley (212) 374-6770

Teacher Performance Unit - Naeemah Lamont (212) 374-6034

Class Action Litigation & Risk Management - Judy Nathan (212) 374-2993 Fax: (212) 374-3439

Special Education Unit - Mariam Qureshi Mahmood (212) 356-3862

Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity Management - Odelia Levy (718) 935-2427

Office of Special Investigations - Jaclyn Vargo (718) 935-3800

Office of Case Assessment & Review - Theresa Europe (212) 374-6749 Fax: (212) 374-1074

Office of Labor Relations & Office of Appeals & Review -David Brodsky (212) 374-7954 Fax: (212) 374-0423

Office of the Auditor General - Danya Labban (718) 935-4928 Fax: (718) 935-5458

Office of Compliance Services - Maxine Payne (212) 374-6039 Fax: (212) 374-9836

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The FUND for Public Schools

Executive Director - Iris Chen (212) 374-7689

Chief of Staff - Nirvani Budhram

Chief Administrative Officer - Elizabeth Barr

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Office of the Chief Strategy Officer

Chief Strategy Officer - Josh Wallack  (212) 374-5406 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Jenny Sobelman (212) 374-0241

Strategic Planning Office - Joshua Winter (646) 785-9660

Division of Early Childhood Education - Sophia Pappas (212) 374-0498

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Division of Finance

Chief Financial Officer - Raymond Orlando  (212) 374-1872 Fax: (212) 374-5588

Chief of Staff - Benjamin Schanback (212) 374-6017

Division of Financial Operations - Michael Tragale (718) 935-2342 Fax: (212) 374-5902

Division of Financial Systems & Business Operations - Richard Carlo (718) 935-4413 Fax: (718) 935-4605

Division of Capital & Reimbursable Finance - Ling Tan (718) 935-4333 Fax: (212) 374-4394

Division of Financial Planning & Management - Angela Schowengerdt (212) 374-0334

Division of School Budget Planning & Operations - Annie Finn  (212) 374-5206 Fax: (212) 374-5586

Financial Strategies Group - Karma Wilson (212) 374-5320

Division of Contracts & Purchasing - David Ross (718) 935-2613 Fax: (718) 935-5117

Office of Medicaid Operations - Andrew Hollander (212) 374-4338 Fax: (212) 374-5586

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Email: Panel@schools.nyc.gov

Panel for Educational Policy

52 Chambers St., New York, NY, 10007

(212) 374-5038

(non-voting) - Carmen Fariña  Ex-officio.

Member - T. Elzora Cleveland

Member - Norm Fruchter

Member - Deborah Dillingham - Queens

Member - Vanesa Leung

Member - Lori Podvesker

Member - Robert Powell - Bronx

Member - Robert Reffkin

Member - D. Miguelina Zorrilla-Aristy

Member - Fred Baptiste - Brooklyn

Member - Kamillah Payne-Hanks - Staten Island

Member - Eduardo J. Marti, PhD

Member - Laura Zingmond - Manhattan

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Board of Education Retirement System

65 Court St., Brooklyn, NY, 11201

Executive Director - Christine Bailey (718) 935-5400

Stop Blaming the Teachers Says Christopher De Vinck

From Betsy Combier

 

On Parentadvocates.org is the following article published by the Chicago Tribune and written by Chris De Vinck. He asks, "Where is the national rally? Teachers are being cast aside with disdain. Teachers are being used in this next presidential election as pawns and scapegoats."

So true! The bottom line is that corporate interests cannot and will not allow tenure to exist.

FIGHT ON!!

     

Stop blaming the teachers
Updated June 18, 2015 10:19 AM
By CHRISTOPHER DE VINCK, Chicago Tribune
LINK

Where is the single, national voice of the teacher in the United States decrying the fallacy that teachers and teachers unions are destroying American education?

I have been, for the last 40 years, a public high school teacher and English department supervisor in New Jersey. I am responsible for 29 teachers and 3,500 teenagers and their reading and writing. I've worked in rural, urban and suburban high schools, and I have personally witnessed the work of hundreds and hundreds of teachers in my career. They all graduated from college, and they all cared about helping children be better readers, writers and people.

Demagogues and financial moguls bark that teachers aren't preparing young people for college, professions and for the future demands of a sophisticated, technical society.

Haughty politicians who berate teachers graduated from excellent high schools and colleges. They must have seen some decent teachers lurking in those hallways.

Industry tycoons with their money blame teachers for the poor quality of student achievement. These dabblers in education have no idea about the quality of the 3.5 million teachers in America. Perhaps these CEOs attended exclusive private schools and universities. Perhaps they found a few good teachers hidden among those leather books and gilded reputations.

I've been to teacher conventions, given talks to teachers all over the country. I read the professional teacher journals. I have observed teachers coach teams, counsel students, conference with parents, collaborate with colleagues, use technology.

I've seen teachers building the confidence of their students, guiding them in their college choices, helping them with their homework, helping them see the possibilities of the future. As Christa McAuliffe said: "I touch the future. I teach." Politicians and CEOs across the country are blaming teachers for the ills of the economy instead of admitting to their own egotistical ambitions and greed. Teachers don't teach. Teachers unions are bad. Teachers don't work enough days. Teachers can't do anything else, so they teach. Bad teachers are causing the collapse of our economy. Teachers are the root cause of the ills in our society.

Scapegoats abound in our national myths. Let's blame the devil. A cow in Chicago started the Great Fire of 1871. And we all know that Rachel Carson with her book "Silent Spring" is to blame for the modern environmentalist movement and the roadblocks to corporate growth.

In ancient Greece, whenever there was a horrible natural disaster like a famine or an earthquake, a beggar or cripple was banished from the community, the sacrificial scapegoat.

Let's banish all the beggars and teachers. Don't you see? Where are the voices of the teachers standing up to this nonsense? Where is the national rally? Teachers are being cast aside with disdain. Teachers are being used in this next presidential election as pawns and scapegoats.

Remember Miss Temple from "Jane Eyre"? "Miss Temple has generally something to say which is newer than my own reflections; her language is singularly agreeable to me, and the information she communicates is often just what I wished to gain." Jo March knew how to teach in "Little Men." "Mrs. Jo sat smiling over her book as she built castles in the air, just as she used to do when a girl, only then they were for herself, and now they were for other people, which is the reason perhaps that some of them came to pass in reality for charity is an excellent foundation to build anything upon." Helen Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, said, "Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose - not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to remember." Teachers in America tell their students that they will grow stronger, and become men and women. They show them how the world wags, how to trust their conscience, and that age and wisdom don't often come hand in hand. Teachers in America build castles in the air for their students, and communicate just what children need to hear at just the right time.

It is time to return the respect teachers once had in this country. It is time to stop listening to falsehoods and finger-pointers, arrogant politicians and wealthy dilettantes.

"The search for a scapegoat," Dwight Eisenhower said, "is the easiest of all hunting expeditions." Teachers aren't the problem in this country; poverty is the problem. But politicians can't say this because they won't get elected. CEOs can't say this because their stockholders would kick them onto the streets. So let's just blame teachers.

Where is the loud, confident voice of the teachers in America saying with dignity and courage: "We teach!"

Christopher De Vinck is the language arts supervisor at Clifton High School in Clifton, N.J., and the author of "The Power of the Powerless: A Brother's Legacy of Love." He wrote this for the Chicago Tribune.

Joe Nocera on Training and Grading Teachers

 From National Public Voice:

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Joe Nocera: How To Grade a Teacher

 



Joe Nocera

JUNE 16, 2015

LINK
This is the second column I’ve written about Deborah Loewenberg Ball, the dean of the University of Michigan School of Education. Ball believes the training that teachers get while they are in school needs to be drastically improved. Last year, I wrote about her effort to develop a professional training curriculum that would allow beginning teachers to be far better grounded in their craft than they are now.

Recently, I learned about another effort she has led, which I also think deserves wider attention. It tackles one of the most divisive topics in K-12 education: how to evaluate teachers so that the best can be rewarded and the worst fired.

In New York — a state where the issue has been especially contentious — Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year pushed through legislation that calls for student test scores to count for as much as 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation, up from the current 20 percent. The teachers’ unions were incensed, believing that test scores are a simplistic and unfair means of assessing teachers. So were many parents, who joined a boycott movement that resulted in an estimated 165,000 students opting out of this year’s standardized tests.

A teacher evaluation system “is only good if the teachers respect it and trust it,” says Vicki Phillips, a director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Teachers are convinced that evaluation systems that overly rely on test scores are punitive, which the political rhetoric often underscores. For instance, Cuomo’s stated reason for changing the state’s teacher evaluation was that some 96 percent of teachers got top grades under the old process. He scoffed at those results as “baloney.” That’s hardly going to get teachers to buy into your new evaluation system.

Which brings me back to Michigan. In 2011, the State Legislature there changed the tenure law, making it easier to fire incompetent teachers. But it also set up the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness, which was charged with coming up with its first-ever statewide evaluation system. Ball was named chairwoman of the council. Two years later, it came back with its recommendations.

The first thing I noticed about the council’s recommendations is that they completely avoid the divisive political language that has alienated teachers. Instead of casting teacher evaluation as primarily being about getting rid of bad teachers, they put the emphasis on teacher improvement. An evaluation system that stresses improvement instead of punishment has a much better chance of being embraced by teachers.

Such an emphasis isn’t just good politics. It’s also an important way to help make schools better. “Very few teachers can’t improve,” Ball told me recently. And most teachers want to improve — but have no means of getting useful feedback. The council’s idea was that the evaluations could be used not just to rid the system of incompetent teachers — though it would certainly do that — but also to give all the other teachers critical feedback. It also envisions transforming professional development, which is now mostly a wasteland, into a mechanism to put that feedback into practice.

There are two fundamental pieces to the Michigan council’s plan. The first piece is teacher observation. In most schools, it’s the principal who observes the teacher, often haphazardly, and rates him or her based on personal biases, which may or may not be sound. Ball and her colleagues would instead rely on observers who have been trained in using certain tools that have been proved effective. These observations would be the basis for the teacher’s feedback — feedback meant to encourage and help, rather than threaten.

The second piece is what the council calls evaluating “student growth.” Here the point would be not to measure student achievement in absolute terms — Does Johnny read at a fourth-grade level? — but rather to measure whether Johnny had made a year’s worth of improvement from the level he was reading at when he was in the third grade. This would be a more accurate representation of the difference the teacher made, and would take into account the wide range of learning levels teachers often have to contend with.

Some of this growth evaluation would undoubtedly be done through tests. But not all of it, or even most of it. “You have to look at objectives for students for the year and see if they made progress,” says Ball. There are ways to do that that don’t require standardized testing.

I wish I could tell you that this story has a happy ending, but it doesn’t. Legislation that embodied the work of the council failed to pass the Michigan Legislature in the last session. More recently, the chairman of a related Senate committee, Phil Pavlov, has essentially tossed the council’s work aside in favor of “local control.”

That is Michigan’s loss. But perhaps other states and school districts can look at the work of the Michigan council and learn from it. In which case, it could still be America’s gain.