Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 7 - Issue 3 - March 2024
Brian Pew completed three programs at the City College School of Education. He holds an M.S.Ed. in special education and a second M.S.Ed. in educational leadership.
When he returned to CCNY for the Leadership program, Mr. Pew was hopeful that he would be uplifted in the same ways that he had been during his time in Special Education. He found the Leadership program coursework to be both relevant and appropriately challenging. “It can be hard to learn how to do a job before holding the position, but the faculty in the Leadership program consistently helped me to take abstract ideas and make them concrete,” he observes. “This was only possible because the faculty are both caring people and experienced practitioners.”
Since graduating in 2017, Mr. Pew has served as a dean and has held two assistant principal roles in the NYCDOE. “My experiences in the CCNY School of Education have opened many doors in my career and have supported lasting relationships,” he notes. Now, after several years in the roles he was being trained for, he finds himself thinking back to specific assignments and projects and applying that learning to his current work as an assistant principal.
In addition to supporting his career growth, School of Education faculty have remained by his side beyond graduation. In particular, Dr. Terri Watson has mentored his doctoral work in the Ph.D. in urban education program at the CUNY Graduate Center. In the coming months, Mr. Pew will defend his dissertation, “Teacher Perspectives of Restorative Justice in New York City Schools.” He argues that, under the council of Dr. Watson and others, he has learned how to employ a theoretical perspective and engage in criticality in all his academic work. “And in turn, this has helped me to be a better school leader and servant to children and families in New York City,” he concludes.
Last Updated: 03/15/2024 14:02