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 ALBANY, N.Y. (March
25, 2009) -- City School District of Albany Superintendent Eva C.
Joseph, Ed.D., will retire after the current school year, ending a
32-year career in public education that included the last five in charge
of an urban district that has shown strong progress under her
leadership, Board of Education President Barbara Gaffuri announced March
25.
Dr. Joseph, who began her career as an educational audiologist and
teacher of the hearing impaired in her hometown of Utica in 1977, will
serve through July 10 as superintendent. The board will conduct a
national search for its next superintendent, Mrs. Gaffuri said.
“Dr. Joseph has been a tireless advocate for our children, our families
and our schools, and for urban education more broadly,” Mrs. Gaffuri
said. “We will miss her spirit, her strong presence and her expertise.
“She has been an outstanding leader for our district in every way, and
because of her hard work and dedication we are well-positioned to build
on our strengths and address our challenges as we look to the future.”
Appointed in September 2004 as the first woman to lead Albany’s public
schools, Dr. Joseph originally came to the district as assistant
superintendent for instruction in 1997. She was named deputy
superintendent in 2003 and twice served as interim superintendent before
the board appointed her to the district’s top administrative position.
During her 12 years in Albany, she has been instrumental in helping
build community support for one of the most ambitious facilities
projects in New York state, a sweeping effort that included complete
renovation or reconstruction of most of the district’s elementary and
middle schools. As superintendent, she has presided over the opening of
10 new facilities, with work in the final three schools underway and on
schedule to be completed when Arbor Hill Elementary School returns home
in September 2010.
Dr. Joseph has been a persistent advocate for quality teaching and
strong leadership focused on improving student achievement, putting in
place strong professional development programs that include partnerships
with the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education and Teachers
College at Columbia University.
Albany has recognized strong gains in achievement across the district
during her tenure as superintendent, including double-digit gains last
year in both math and English language arts in grades 3-8. The New York
State Department of Education last year recognized eight Albany
elementary schools as “Rapidly Improving” due to their strong
performance gains.
Albany High School also has made steady progress during Dr. Joseph’s
tenure, including a 15 percent increase in the graduation rate (to 69
percent) during her time as superintendent. Since 2002, which also
includes her time as chief academic officer, the graduation rate has
increased 73 percent. Last June, the 516 members of the Class of 2008
represented the largest group of graduates in school history.
Dr. Joseph championed the expansion of early childhood education in the
district. In addition to full-day kindergarten in all 12 elementary
schools, Albany’s public schools now offer full-day prekindergarten for
more than 620 students in all elementary schools and at several
community locations.
Dr. Joseph led the development of the district’s first comprehensive
strategic plan in 20 years. The board approved the strategic plan last
fall, culminating more than a year of work by the district and scores of
community volunteers to put in a place a strong vision for the
district’s future progress, including a complete redesign of Albany High
School’s programs and facility.
She also championed partnerships with area
institutions of higher education, businesses and other organizations.
The district’s partnership with the
University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering led
to the groundbreaking “NanoHigh” program at Albany High. Launched in the
fall of 2007, the program made Albany High the first public high school
in America to offer nanoscience instruction on campus, in addition to
hands-on experience in the cutting-edge facilities at the NanoCollege’s
world-renowned facilities.
She also spearheaded the University at
Albany-Albany High School Alliance for Young Talent, a tutoring and
mentoring program designed to help better prepare students for college.
Prior to her tenure in Albany, Dr. Joseph
served as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in
the East Greenbush Central School District. She also held positions in
the Herkimer Central School District and the Utica City School District.
Dr. Joseph received
her doctorate from Columbia University and her educational
administrative certification from the State University of New York at
Cortland. She holds a master’s degree in audiology from Bowling Green
State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders from
the State University of New York College at Brockport.
The City School
District of Albany serves approximately 8,400 students in 18
elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood
schools, the district includes several
magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic
opportunities for students. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly
build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary
and middle
schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is
to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students
succeed in the 21st century. |
