Dr. Sandra J. Stein is an internationally recognized expert in school leadership development, well known for her rigorous, experiential approach to developing strong instructional leaders. As the CEO of the NYC Leadership Academy, an alternative principal preparation and support program serving the largest school district in the nation, Dr. Stein’s visionary method of teaching using problem-based, real-world simulations and job-embedded learning has contributed to the development and success of hundreds of current and prospective principals in New York City. Under her guidance, the Leadership Academy identifies, prepares and supports innovative school leaders who have the instructional and leadership skills necessary to empower teachers, students and parents, and to direct efforts to improve student learning in some of the City’s most challenging schools.
Dr. Stein, who previously served as the Leadership Academy ’s Academic Dean, created the original design for the ground-breaking Aspiring Principals Program (APP), which recruits and prepares the next generation of New York City public school principals through a challenging fourteen-month standards-based program. Under Dr. Stein’s leadership, the Leadership Academy also runs two other innovative programs for novice principals throughout the City’s school system. First Year Support (FYS) provides one-on-one coaching, leadership development workshops, and networking opportunities for first-year principals. The New School Intensive (NSI) uses a similar program model, but specifically focuses on the unique experience faced by first-year principals opening new schools. In 2006, the Leadership Academy will expand its programs for novice principals to include support for the second and third year of the principalship.
Dr. Stein’s commitment to educational excellence has driven her entire career. Before joining the Leadership Academy, Dr. Stein was an Associate Professor at Baruch College, School of Public Affairs and founding director of its Aspiring Leaders Program (ALPs). She has written comprehensively on the issue of preparing the nation’s educational leaders. Her two books, The Culture of Education Policy (Teachers College Press 2004) and Principal Training on the Ground: Ensuring Highly Qualified Leadership (co-authored with Liz Gewirtzman , Heinemann 2003) have received wide-spread critical acclaim. In addition, she was the co-director and producer (with David Loewenstein) of Creating Counterparts, a video-documentary about the power of urban and rural youth to transcend distance and embrace difference through artistic collaboration and was co-director of the Mural Project on which the documentary is based.
Dr. Stein’s professional honors include a Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Service from Baruch College and Best Documentary Award from the Kentucky Filmmakers Jubilee. Dr. Stein has spoken extensively on preparing and supporting school leaders. Her recent engagements included “Creating Great Leaders” for the United States Department of Education and “Preparing Today’s Leaders for Tomorrow’s High Schools” at the Washington-based Alliance for Excellent Education.
Dr. Stein received a PhD in Education Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University , holds two M.A.degrees from Stanford in Political Science and International and Comparative Education, and holds a BA in Sociology from Grinnell College. She has lived, worked, and studied in Latin America and speaks Spanish fluently. Dr. Stein currently lives in New York City with her husband.