#Erica Zigelman

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An experienced principal with the New York City Department of Education, Erica Zigelman has received the CSA Principal’s Performance Bonus for School Improvement and Exemplary Student Achievement several times.

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A middle school principal for nearly two decades, Erica Zigelman is an experienced and accomplished educator and administrator.

[ericazigelman]

Elizabeth Rohatyn - Education Advocate and Founder of Teaching Matters

Erica Zigelman’s more than three-decade career as an educator includes her current role as principal of MS 322 in New York City. As principal, Erica Zigelman has garnered recognition from several groups, including Teaching Matters, which named her and her school a semifinalist for the Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters. The founder and former chairwoman of Teaching Matters, Elizabeth Rohatyn stood out during her lifetime as an advocate for public education. She established Teaching Matters with the vision that the organization could raise the level of education for students by providing vital support to teachers. To date, Teaching Matters has reached educators in over half of New York City’s public schools. Ms. Rohatyn’s work on behalf of education also included her forming the Technology Empowerment Initiative, serving as a board member of New Visions for Public Schools, and sponsoring and directing a project of the I Have a Dream Foundation. Apart from education, Ms. Rohatyn affiliated with numerous arts institutions, including Lincoln Center and the New York Public Library, the latter of which she led as chairwoman. Elizabeth Rohatyn died in 2016 at the age of 86. In the days following her death, her family encouraged those interested in celebrating her memory to make a donation to Teaching Matters.

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NYCLA Helps Prepare Principals and Educators

After spending over 20 years with the New York City Department of Education, Erica Zigelman founded Middle School 322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy, where she serves as principal. Erica Zigelman is one of the graduates of the NYC Leadership Academy (NYCLA), a special training program for school principal candidates. NYCLA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on training educators to be effective leaders for all students, including those that face difficulties or limitations such as poverty or language barriers. The program was started in 2003 to address a need for qualified principals in the New York region, but it now works with schools all over the country to improve education as a whole. When NYCLA started, it worked well as an intensive program for a select group of individuals and included a yearlong paid residency. Demand for high-quality principal candidates is still high in New York, however, and so the program expanded to provide curriculums and consultations for related external programs and reduced its residency to six months. Some NYCLA graduates also provide mentorship services to potential school leaders to help get them on track. In addition, NYCLA added programs for educators to improve their skill sets without necessarily having to go on to become principals. This wide range of support and training is designed to help educators, and thus students, in all kinds of situations succeed.

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With a BS and an MA in education from New York University and a professional diploma in school administration from Iona College in New Rochelle, Erica Zigelman went on to become the principal of Middle School 322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy in Washington Heights. In her role as principal, Erica Zigelman is involved in many projects and initiatives to support her students and the community at large. She recently met with Northern Ireland’s minister of education John O’Dowd and representatives from the Children’s Aid Society National Center for Community Schools (NCCS) at Salomé Ureña de Henriquez School, a community school in Washington Heights.

[ericazigelman]

CSA Awards Highlight NYC Middle School Principals

Erica Zigelman has been the principal of MS322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy in New York City, New York, since its inception in 2005. In her almost four decades in education, including 15 years as a middle school principal, Ms. Zigelman has been the recipient of many awards and accolades for enhancing student interest and curriculum development. In 2019, she received a Tier One CSA Performance Bonus for Exemplary Progress for her work at MS322, which is the highest bonus a recipient can receive. In 2020, Erica Zigelman won the Outstanding Principal of the Year Award for the Manhattan borough, and was honored as a Distinguished Principal by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA). The Outstanding Principal awards were given to one outstanding middle school principal in each of New York’s five boroughs. Winners are nominated by members of the Middle School Principal’s Association, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and the CSA. The awards ceremony took place in March at the MSPA’s annual leadership conference. The CSA also presented the “Lifetime in Education” award to Dr. Philip Composto, superintendent of District 30. To learn more about the CSA and award recipients, please visit https://www.csa-nyc.org/.

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Israel Programs at Miami University Hillel

Erica Zigelman served for more than three decades as a principal with the New York City Department of Education. Beyond her work as a principal, Erica Zigelman supports organizations such as Hillel at Miami University (MU). MU Hillel offers students a variety of resources and programs, including opportunities to travel to and learn about Israel. Notably, the Birthright Israel trip affords students and young professionals the opportunity to develop an understanding of Israeli history and politics, not to mention their own identities, through unforgettable firsthand experiences. Students for Israel at Miami University (SIM) and the David Project, meanwhile, work toward spreading awareness about Israeli culture on the Miami campus. TAMID, on the other hand, provides students in the Farmer School of Business not only with insight into effective business leadership principles but also with knowledge of the economic landscape in Israel. Israel-focused programming is further enhanced through the work of HawkPAC, the school's AIPAC chapter dedicated to improving United States-Israel relations on the MU campus, as well as throughout Oxford, Ohio. To learn more about travel and educational opportunities through these programs, please visit www.muhillel.org.

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Middle School Principals’ Association Recognizes Excellence

A principal with more than 40 years of experience, Erica Zigelman has held various leadership positions with the New York City Department of Education. In recognition of her contributions to the school system, Erica Zigelman was named a 2019 Distinguished Principal by the Middle School Principals’ Association. The Middle School Principals’ Association, a division of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, provides school leaders with professional development opportunities to help them implement best practices in their schools. In operation for nearly 60 years, the organization collaborates with the New York City Department of Education and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators to recognize unique contributions from school leaders through several annual awards. The organization also provides professional networking and encourages the sharing of information across all New York City boroughs. The Middle School Principals’ Association presented the Outstanding Principal of the Year Award at its annual conference on March 2, 2019, which was attended by hundreds of New York City school administrators.

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The Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters

Erica Zigelman, since 2005 the principal of Middle School 322 in upper Manhattan, began her career as an educator when she pursued a bachelor’s degree in music education at New York University. Upon earning her degree in 1979, she remained at New York University and completed her master’s degree in interrelated arts in education. In 2013, in recognition of the quality of her leadership as principal, Erica Zigelman was selected as a semifinalist for the third annual Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters. The Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters is awarded annually by Teaching Matters, an organization dedicated to assisting teachers throughout New York City to achieve excellence in their profession. It was formed in 1994 by Mrs. Rohatyn together with a collection of teachers, principals, and technology experts. Elizabeth Rohatyn, who was at the time chairwoman of the New York Public Library, has always believed that the most important school-related element of increasing student achievement is teachers. The prize, which is underwritten by the Elizabeth Rohatyn Innovation Fund, is awarded to a school principal in the New York metropolitan area for initiatives that support learning, promote an environment of high expectations of teachers’ practices and students’ outcomes, foster professional growth, and are cost effective and sustainable. One of the most important characteristics of the initiatives considered for the prize is that they must be replicable in other schools. The point of the prize is not only to recognize and reward excellence but to share successful initiatives with other schools.                            

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Teaching Matters Supports Educators

Since 2005, Erica Zigelman has served as principal of Middle School 322 in New York City. Erica Zigelman, in her role as principal, was selected as a semifinalist for the Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters, an annual award that recognizes the role of quality schools in student achievement. Teaching Matters is a New York City-based organization committed to supporting teachers and school leaders and their roles in shaping student outcomes. In its close to two decades of operation, Teaching Matters has partnered with more than half of the 1,750-plus public schools in the city, offering educators a number of educational tools and resources. Teaching for Impact, the organization’s flagship program, strives to build teacher capacity through leadership development, curriculum support, and pedagogical guidance, while the Voices and Choices program utilizes technology-based learning to encourage students to be responsible members of society. Teaching Matters provides support to approximately 1,600 teachers in more than 100 schools annually.

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The Common Core State Standards Initiative

Erica Zigelman currently serves as the principal of the Renaissance Leadership Academy, a middle school in New York City. An ardent supporter of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, Erica Zigelman has assisted with the Renaissance Leadership Academy’s transition process, such that the middle school recently received an A grade in its progress report. Schools across the nation have agreed to implement the Common Core, a set of educational standards created through a partnership between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Participation in the Common Core State Standards Initiative remains voluntary. However, 45 states and the District of Columbia have already chosen to join the collaboration for equality among educational institutions. The Common Core State Standards Initiative applies schools educating students from kindergarten to high school. The program ensures that students across the nation will meet equivalent requirements in mathematics and English language arts, thereby preparing them to compete fairly with their peers for college entrance and in the career market. Areas covered by the standards range from assessment systems to teaching materials.

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ePals Teams with Smithsonian Institute

Erica Zigelman is a principal for the New York City Department of Education, a position she has held for the past nine years. As the founding principal of the Renaissance Leadership Academ, she has established a school which serves the diverse population of Washington Heights. She has been interviewed by Business Wire on the partnership between the Smithsonian Institute and ePals Inc., a private technology company. Recently, the Smithsonian Institute and ePals announced plans to deliver museum resources to educators, students, and parents involved in the ePals social learning platform. Through a cloud-based Web platform, members of the ePals family will be able to gather online and discuss some of the world’s most renowned works of art, historical artifacts, works of literature, and important pieces of popular culture. The partnership allows educators all over the world to access the information and wonder that could previously only be utilized by a field trip to Washington, DC, an impossible task for many members of the ePals group.

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Erica Zigelman - RLA Honors Top 10 Scholars

A principal with the New York City Department of Education, Erica Zigelman is certified as a permanent New York State School District Administrator and as a New York State administrator and supervisor. Erica Zigelman is also the founder of the Renaissance Leadership Academy. The Renaissance Leadership Academy (RLA) middle school was established and opened its doors to its first class in September 2005. Our mission, is focused on preparing young people for future roles and jobs in leadership positions, with an overarching theme of improving global leadership. Working with parents, the school provides a comprehensive core curriculum that teaches life skills and encourages elevated thinking, community service, character development, and educational excellence. The school’s motto “We Are Excellence!” gives voice to the ideals and goals of the institution. The RLA recently honored 41 scholars at an awards ceremony. The honor roll students, known as RLA Top 10 scholars, are recognized for exceptional academic accomplishments. In early June, students who who are recognized on the Principal's List and Honor Roll are treated to an all-day trip to Great Adventures.