2022 Power Players in Education

Andy Pallotta was elected president of NYSUT in April 2017. A former New York City elementary school teacher, Pallotta oversees NYSUT’s political, legislative and organizing efforts, which have secured record levels of state school aid, beaten back tax credit and voucher schemes, secured legal protections to preserve public employees’ right to organize, and helped elect pro-public education candidates — including NYSUT members themselves — to positions on their local school boards, in Albany and beyond.

What can New York policymakers do to ensure equitable access to quality education?
The state has stepped up to deliver full funding of Foundation Aid and record increases in education aid the past couple years. We need districts to put that money toward expanding mental health supports, hiring adequate staff, and lowering class size to ensure every student has access to the same high-quality academic and social-emotional learning opportunities.

What conditions or resources are conducive to a safe and effective learning environment?
This is no place for a this-or-that approach. We need the right levels of staff in place. We need the right training for that staff. We need districts that are willing to make staff partners in safety work. The best learning environment is the one in which everyone feels respected, has a voice and has the tools to be prepared for whatever comes at them.

Describe a learning experience from your own education that stands out.
In 6th grade, Mr. Yabrow knew how to command a room. There were 32 students, but he had a way about him of getting everyone’s attention and getting us to buy into our own learning experience. That’s such a crucial part of not just teaching material but getting your students to actually soak it in and have fun doing it. I’ve seen many Mr. Yabrow’s since who are just as dedicated to their craft and am awed by the NYSUT members who emulate his style every day.

Joanne Passaro, president of Metropolitan College of New York since 2018, is a cultural anthropologist with a Ph.D. from Duke University. Her academic research focused on social inequality and overlapping ideologies of oppression. Passaro has served in leadership positions for over 20 years, including on the Board of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. The College’s mission aligns closely with her own. MCNY bridges the gap between inequality and opportunity for adult students. Dr. Passaro is honored to participate in the work of expanding equity in New York.

What can New York policymakers do to ensure equitable access to quality education?
The most important thing we can do is continue to advocate for increasing financial aid to economically disadvantaged students — both the federal Pell grant as well NYS TAP.

What conditions or resources are conducive to a safe and effective learning environment?
Students thrive in environments that are steeped in experiential learning and that are tailored to their needs, in terms of appropriate academic support, providing access to personal counseling and support, and providing them with engaging and interactive academic programs.

Describe a learning experience from your own education that stands out.
As a cultural anthropologist, my most memorable learning experiences were when I conducted fieldwork. Working with homeless people in New York in the early 1990s, and learning directly from them about the effects of law and policy on their lives, was the most important, joyous (thanks to the people I encountered), and frustrating learning experience of my life.

Brett Peiser is co-CEO of Uncommon Schools, a network of 53 urban public charter schools serving 20,000 students from low-income communities. Prior to becoming co-CEO, Peiser served as managing director of Uncommon Schools NYC. Peiser is the founder and former principal and executive director of Boston Collegiate Charter School, and a former History teacher. Peiser received a B.A. from Brown University and a M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and is a recipient of the Broad Fellowship for Education Leaders and the Pahara-Aspen Fellowship.

What can New York policymakers do to ensure equitable access to quality education?
We know nothing is more important in the education of a student than a great teacher. Given the past two years, this feels even more true, so we need to ensure that every school is equipped to honor teachers’ craft by providing them with the training, tools, and resources they need to be effective teachers. This means we really need to look at how we bring young people into the profession and set them up for success, as opposed to throwing them into situations to let them fend for themselves. No teacher deserves that — and kids ultimately get hurt.

What conditions or resources are conducive to a safe and effective learning environment?
Students only learn if they feel safe, if they feel cared for, and if they have developed an inspiring relationship with their teachers. So those of us who run schools have to ensure that we create an environment where students feel safe and that they know they can trust the adults around them.

Describe a learning experience from your own education that stands out.
Like so many before me, I too was once a new teacher who had packed classrooms, multiple subjects to teach each day, little guidance on what to do, and infrequent coaching to make me better. I fear this still happens to many young teachers, and it’s the worst way to introduce people to a career in teaching. We can do better than this, and at Uncommon we try to help each other become better faster so we can create the schools that our students and families deserve.

For over a decade, Lori Podvesker has advocated for transparency, accountability, and improved outcomes for New York City students with disabilities. Lori is the director of disability and education policy at INCLUDEnyc. She served as the vice-chair of the New York City Panel for Educational Policy of the Department of Education from 2014-2021. She is also a current member of the New York State Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special Education Services, which advises the State’s Office of Special Education to the Governor, Legislature, and Commissioner on the unmet educational needs of students with disabilities.

What can New York policymakers do to ensure equitable access to quality education?
In a perfect world, elected officials would create additional legislation that focused on the relationship between individual learning outcomes for students with disabilities, their home zip code, and the extent to which each of these students spend the school day with general education students. We also need general and special education teacher certification programs to require graduate students to take additional classes on the basic learning and behavioral characteristics of students with learning and intellectual disabilities, speech and language impairments, behavioral challenges, and emotional disabilities to enable these students to access more curriculum in less segregated settings.

What conditions or resources are conducive to a safe and effective learning environment?
All students need to be seen and heard and valued in order to feel safe and learn, including the 300,000+ school-age students receiving special education supports and services in NYC and the nearly half million students with disabilities in NYS. Our schools must do better at creating inclusive cultures and communities, as well as communicating with students and their families in accessible and timely ways.

Describe a learning experience from your own education that stands out.
I was a terrible student when I was school-aged, and first attended college when I was 30 years old — community college. I remember very clearly asking a professor during my first semester to explain something they had already taught in a different way to me, and they did. Not only did I understand the concept that second time, but I also learned the value of asking questions, as opposed to internalizing my learning differences and remaining quiet.

Dr. Susan Poser is the ninth president of Hofstra University, and the first woman to lead the university. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Association and Accelerate Long Island and is a member of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. Before coming to Hofstra, Dr. Poser served as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois Chicago, and in several positions at the University of Nebraska, including dean of the College of Law.

Michael Rebell is an experienced litigator, administrator, researcher, and scholar in the field of education law. He is the executive director of the Center for Educational Equity and professor of law and educational practice at Teachers College, Columbia University. The Center seeks to promote equity and excellence in education and to overcome the gap in educational access and achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students throughout the United States. Previously, Mr. Rebell was the co-founder, executive director, and counsel for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. In CFE v. State of New York, the Court of Appeals, New York State’s highest court, declared that all children are entitled under the State Constitution to the “opportunity for a sound basic education” and it ordered the State of New York to reform its education finance system to meet these constitutional requirements.

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez became the eighth chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY) in May 2019, making him the first educator of color, and the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest urban university. CUNY’s sprawling system comprises 25 campuses with an enrollment of over 275,000 degree-seeking students, over 225,000 adult and continuing education students, and an operating budget of over $3.6 billion.

Dr. Betty A. Rosa is the commissioner of education and president of the University of the State of New York. The Board of Regents unanimously appointed Dr. Rosa as permanent commissioner, the first Latina woman to serve in the position, on February 8, 2021. Prior to serving as commissioner and interim commissioner, she served as the chancellor and member of the Board of Regents. Dr. Rosa is a nationally recognized education leader and received an Ed. M. and Ed. D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. She also holds two other master of science in education degrees, one in Administration and Supervision and the other in Bilingual Education from the City College of New York and Lehman College, respectively, and a B.A. in psychology from the City College of New York. She has more than 30 years of instructional and administrative experience with an expertise in inclusive education, cooperative teaching models, student achievement, and policy implementation.

Robert S. Schneider has served as the NYSSBA‘s executive director since January 1, 2020. Prior to his current role, Bob was the associate executive director and chief operating officer since August 2014. Prior to this position, he was director of finance for 15 years. He is a certified public accountant, a certified association executive, and a New York State licensed insurance broker. He is a graduate of Siena College. Bob served on the Executive Committee for the Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York.

What can New York policymakers do to ensure equitable access to quality education?
In such a diverse state, funding will always play a critical role as we strive for an equitable education system. Our leaders made an important step recently by finally adopting a plan to fully fund Foundation Aid, which was designed to provide funding in a way that recognizes the different types of student and district needs. The next step in that process will be to improve upon Foundation Aid by addressing how our education system has evolved over the past two decades.

What conditions or resources are conducive to a safe and effective learning environment?
A safe learning environment involves multiple components, including physical safety, mental health, school nutrition and more. Our state leaders need to invest in the supports necessary to educate and serve the whole child. What those supports and investments look like are, and should be, up to local school districts and their communities, as they are best suited to determine what their staffs and students need most.

Describe a learning experience from your own education that stands out.
I had a teacher in high school who was also my coach and mentor. My senior year, I took his class in Constitutional Law. The coursework was rigorous to say the least. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, more than any other school experience, this class prepared me for college. I took a number of college courses related to law, and I always felt like I had a head start compared to most of my classmates.