my focus

When I defended my dissertation, I was asked, “Why boys?” There was so much left unsaid in that question: certainly with the glass ceiling still well intact across nearly all sectors of society, girls should be the focus of research instead of boys. Certainly, after having graduated from a prestigious all-girls prep school and having taught many years in the public and private sectors, I, more than others perhaps, should have understood the importance of ensuring that young women receive a top-notch education. Certainly as a woman of color, one who was in the throes of that penultimate moment of being called “Doctor,” I should understand that there is still so much for women and girls to accomplish and should be focusing on girls, not boys. I answered that it is precisely my intersectionality that compels me to talk about the underachievement of males in literacy.

As a 6th generation educator and 3rd generation principal, the work of education is in my blood- this is personal. Throughout my career, my job has been to work tirelessly on behalf of students. As an instructional leader, my aim is to use my influence, training, and skills to equip all educators with whatever they need to get positive outcomes for all students, always.