In her first year as principal at Harvard Elementary in 2012-13, Aisha McCarthy was confronted with a school failing to meet No Child Left Behind standards, more than 96 percent of the student body coming from low-income households and a shocking 11 percent of students currently homeless.
In spring 2013, the EdD Urban Education Leadership candidate received one more challenge: ready her school to increase its population by 50 percent as students from the closing Yale Elementary school prepared to join Harvard in fall 2013.
“What a year for a first-year principal,” McCarthy said. “At first, it’s very overwhelming, but as an educator you are committed to the work, and that is improving educational achievement for all students.”
As a welcoming school principal, McCarthy worked closely with Beverly LaCoste, leadership coach with the College’s Center for Urban Education Leadership, to develop strategies to ensure a smooth transition for both the incoming Yale students and the returning Harvard students.
Read the full piece by Rob Schroeder in the latest issue of the Promise — Filling the Void of a Closed School: EdD Urban Education Leadership program student and coach build a CPS welcoming school