Preparing Future Leaders for Newark Public Schools

The Newark Montclair Leadership Pipeline Program (NMLPP) identifies, cultivates, and supports a pipeline of leaders who are highly skilled at facilitating teaching and learning and are committed to social justice in the Newark community. Newark Board of Education and Educational Leadership (M.A.) program faculty and staff collaborate to coordinate this program.

Current Newark Board of Education educators who receive the district’s endorsement are eligible to apply, and this spring, Cohort #3 graduated and completed the program. 

Vinicio Quinteros, a Cohort 3 graduate, is a Newark Board of Education (NBOE) educator with over 14 years of teaching experience. He is a special education teacher teaching history at Barringer High School and is currently seeking employment as a Vice Principal within the NBOE. 

“The past two years have been very challenging, but at the same time, I’ve felt I developed the skills and knowledge I need to become an educational leader,” said Quinteros. 

He received a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and was the recipient of a 2024 AASA Educational Administration’s Scholarship, a select national prize awarded by the School Superintendents Association for promising district leaders. His outstanding performance at Montclair State University also earned him one of two annual Dean Lucas Student Leadership Awards.

Jonathan Flateau and his peers enjoyed a celebratory video recapping their time together.

Participants completed a rigorous academic curriculum and engaged in authentic school-based experiences. The collaborative program develops outstanding educators with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to lead Newark Board of Education schools and serve the City of Newark community.

Roger León, Newark Board of Education Superintendent, attended to address the graduating cohort. Cohort 3 presented Mr. León with a gift to commemorate his unwavering support for the success of the program and its participants. Mr. León is a Montclair State University alumnus and earned his Master of Arts in Administration and Supervision. He has been critical in creating and sustaining district-university partnerships for teacher preparation, leadership preparation, and professional development.

Cohort 4, from left to right: Julissa Estrella, Elizabeth Jimenez, Mychell Ferreira, Elizabeth McClachrie, Jessica Gomes-Martinho, Kristen Holmes

Cohort 4 participants attended Cohort 3’s send-off celebration. They completed their first year in the program and will soon take on a leadership position in the district’s K-12 summer programming before starting their second year in the program. The summer leadership role is a core component of the NMLPP that provides aspiring district leaders with practical and authentic learning opportunities.

Dr. Rachel Garver is the Advisor of the NMLPP and an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership. Dr. Garver coordinates the program in partnership with Matthew Brewster, Director of the Office of Staff Development for NBOE, and Carla Engstrom, Program Administrator for the Department of Educational Leadership.

“We have created an innovative and supportive community for leadership development. The cohort members become incredibly tight over their five semesters in the program, and these relationships not only support them in successfully completing the program but also strengthen networks in the district over the long term. Cohort members receive unique opportunities to develop as school leaders, and, most importantly, graduates report that they feel prepared to lead when they take on administrative roles,” said Dr. Garver.

Lunch was prepared by Newark Vocational High School Culinary Arts Academy students.

Cohort 3 graduate Marcia Frater-Waldron is an English as a Second Language (ESL) educator at South Street School. She received a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and will pursue a doctoral degree.

She shared, “My experience has been a tremendous one. There is so much you get from the Newark Montclair Leadership Pipeline Program. I’ve formed friendships, and the professors hold your hand from the very start to the very end. The support is there, and I am Dr. Frater in the making!”

Of the Cohort 1 and 2 graduates, 50% are currently in NBOE leadership roles, including vice principal and department chairperson positions.

Cohort 5 will start the program this summer with an orientation that includes an environmental justice tour with the Ironbound Community Corporation and learning from current district leaders and Newark community members.

Story by Social Media and Communications Coordinator Lauren Conforti