Raising the average is only half the job. The other half is closing the gap.
A mathematics educator and school leader in New York City, with over a decade’s worth of mathematics classroom instructional experience, six years supervising the five departments that decide whether students graduate. And a researcher studying what actually moves the needle.
Not just a curve that shifts right, but one that also narrows. My doctoral research measures exactly this: whether an intervention raises achievement and makes it more consistent across students. On the June 2026 Algebra I Regents, results rose ~20% overall and ~35% for English Language Learners and students with disabilities. The gap closed faster than the average moved.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| 10+ | Years teaching Algebra I/II, Geometry, and college-level courses |
| 5 | Departments supervised as Assistant Principal |
| 2 | Decades in New York City public schools |
| ~35% | Algebra I Regents gain, English Language Learners and students with disabilities |
Educational Leadership
Supervisor of Mathematics, ELA, ENL, Special Education, and World Languages in a New York City public high school. Key foci: observation and evaluation cycles, curriculum adoption, professional development, programming, compliance. NYS Professional certification in Mathematics 7–12.
Doctoral Research
How families shape achievement, and how adult learning interventions change what engagement can look like for multilingual communities. Collaborative work presented at the 2026 Modern Modeling Methods Conference.
Mathematics Teaching
Over a decade of classroom experience teaching Algebra I/II and Geometry, alongside a decade teaching College Algebra & Trigonometry and Elementary Statistics as College Now faculty at LaGuardia Community College.
Music
Guitar and vocals with The Poynt; mentoring musicians at The Poynt Studios. Decades on both sides of the glass taught me what artists actually need in a room.
"Investing in yourself will always yield the highest return."
Get in touch
Mathematics leadership, measured in what students actually do.
New York State Professional Certification in Mathematics for grades 7–12, overseeing five academic departments. Build school communities by mentoring teachers, designing curricula, optimizing instructional programs, and leading school-wide teams to improve stakeholder outcomes.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| ~20% | Algebra I Regents gain, June 2026 |
| ~35% | Gain among English Language Learners and students with disabilities |
| 90% | Graduation rate, three consecutive years |
| 85% | School-wide course pass rate |
Five departments, more than 20 teachers
I am the direct instructional supervisor for Mathematics, English Language Arts, Special Education, English as a New Language, and World Languages — more than 20 general education and special education teachers, department leads, and coordinators. That means observation and evaluation cycles for every mathematics teacher, curriculum selection and implementation, master-schedule input, teacher and section allocation, and mandated-services compliance.
Before this, I taught Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry for over ten years and earned consecutive "Highly Effective" ratings. I led monthly departmental inquiry cycles built on Regents item analysis, which continue to drive how I foster school-wide improvement.
Data as an instructional habit
I built the school's RTI/MTSS framework, deriving tier placement from MAP Growth data across grades 9–12 to target mathematics and literacy intervention. I facilitate the Data Wise Improvement Process with our Staff Development and School Data Committees — recurring cycles of data collection, hypothesis testing, and instructional response that now drive department-wide planning.
Multilingual learners and students with IEPs
Supporting subgroups is at the forefront of my mission to improve outcomes. English Language Learners and students with disabilities improved by roughly 35% on the June 2026 Algebra I Regents. That came from collaborating with the school community through professional learning centered on co-teaching design, collegial intervisitation, and strategic programming to optimize departmental meeting time.
"My role is simple: get out of the way of great teaching. When teachers feel supported rather than scrutinized, their natural ability to connect with students transforms entire learning communities."
Most research asks whether the average moved. I ask whether it moved for everyone.
A doctoral student in Educational Psychology on the quantitative methods track. My work sits where school practice and measurement meet, as practice without evidence is a well-intentioned guess.
Beyond the Mean
Research on parental involvement almost always asks one question: Does it raise average achievement? We asked a second. Using mixed-effects location-scale models, we modeled the mean and variance and found that parental involvement was linked not only to higher mathematics outcomes but also to lower variability in them. Students performed more consistently, not just better on average.
That distinction is the through-line of everything here. A school can raise its average while leaving its most vulnerable students exactly where they were.
AI and newcomer family engagement
My dissertation will examine the influence of andragogy on teacher development, parental self-efficacy, and student outcomes in multilingual school communities. Do community-based learning programs for ELL communities focused on adult learning improve family participation, student outcomes, and teaching practices?
Statistical practice
Analyses in R on artificial intelligence in education, parental involvement, student achievement, and teacher improvement across U.S. and international contexts. Responsibilities include cleaning and integrating multi-source datasets, applying regression and related methods, and translating results into briefs that practitioners can use.
Engaging in this research work alongside a supervisory role bolsters data conversations toward school-wide improvement. It’s why I read MAP Growth data the way I do, and why I’d rather know whether something worked than assume it did.
"Evidence-based research completes the story that practice begins. Without it, we are left with an unfinished script where assumptions replace understanding."
Guiding authentic musical expression from studio to stage.
Founder of The Poynt Studios in NYC and a founding member of The Poynt. I mentor musicians with credibility earned through years of dedication and creativity, sharing decades of experience with those walking the same path.
The Poynt Studios
Having lived on both sides of the studio experience, I built the room around what I know artists actually need: complete creative freedom, flawless technical execution, and someone who understands the vulnerability of the process.
Guitarist & vocalist
Multiple album releases, including our forthcoming record "Under Destruction." Countless studio sessions, creative breakthroughs, and production milestones are the kind of insight that only comes from having been there.
The philosophy is the same one that runs through the teaching: I don't shape an artist's sound. I create conditions where their voice can show up.
"When I hear music, I step into the composer’s mind and place myself into their composition. I can feel their emotions with every note, appreciating the dynamics, including the silence used to convey what words so often fail to do."
Four chapters that turned out to be one story.
Music, mathematics, leadership, and research. Four different stages, one shared mission: amplifying the potential in others.
Chapter one started with guitar strings and dreams. The Poynt wasn’t just a band. We were artists releasing albums, touring the East Coast, and chasing that perfect sound. But somewhere between performances, I realized my true passion wasn’t only making music. It was helping others find their voice. The Poynt Studios became my way of helping NYC artists do exactly that.
Chapter two started accidentally. Tutoring classmates in college felt natural, almost effortless. Watching someone finally get it, that moment when confusion turns into confidence, became addictive. Before I knew it, I was teaching mathematics full-time, over a decade of Algebra and Geometry in a New York City public high school.
Chapter three stemmed from frustration. Too many capable students had already decided they weren’t math people, often by ninth grade, and often because of something an adult said. The teaching improved when I stopped trying to cover everything and began to find out what each student already knew how to do. That’s also when I stepped into leadership, as the change I wanted to make was bigger than one classroom.
Chapter four demanded answers. Why do some students thrive while others struggle in the same building, with the same teachers? That question launched my doctoral research. This research isn’t just academic theory. It’s based on the core principles behind everything I do.
These chapters aren't separate stories. They're movements in the same symphony. My role is nurturing existing potential, not creating dependency.
Beyond the professional
Physical activity grounds everything I do. Weekly workouts and outdoor runs serve as both therapy and a source of mental clarity. My fascination with vintage musical equipment runs deeper than collecting; each piece holds history that influences how I hear and visualize music. Vintage game soundtracks continue to inspire me, as those composers achieved miracles within constraints that would likely halt most people writing music today.
Ultimate vision
The impact I want to leave is simple: helping others realize they were capable all along. This drives everything: leading schools, teaching mathematics, mentoring artists, and conducting research. The environments change, but the principle remains the same. People don’t need fixing. They need the right support to unlock the potential that was always there.
Professional Summary
Mathematics educator and Assistant Principal of Supervision with NYS Professional certification in Mathematics 7–12 and nearly two decades in NYC public schools. Over a decade teaching Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry, along with a decade of college-level mathematics instruction, followed by six years supervising instruction as a school administrator. Supervises Mathematics and four other departments in a 400-student high school, directing Advance-aligned observation and APPR evaluation cycles, curriculum adoption, programming, and compliance. Achieved a ~20% increase in June 2026 Algebra I Regents results, with ELL and Special Education students improving by ~35%. Sustained ~90% graduation rates across three consecutive years.
Pairs mathematics content expertise with doctoral training in Educational Psychology and quantitative methods, using MAP Growth, Regents, and diagnostic data to build RTI/MTSS tier structures and target department-level improvement. Ten years as a CUNY adjunct and College Now instructor, teaching College Algebra & Trigonometry and Elementary Statistics to high school students. Experienced supervising both general education and special education teachers, including ICT and co-teaching models. Additionally certified in School Building Leadership (SBL) and School District Leadership (SDL). Bilingual (English/Spanish).
Professional Experience
Assistant Principal of Supervision
- Direct instructional supervisor for Mathematics and four additional departments (English Language Arts, Special Education, English as a New Language, and World Languages), overseeing more than 20 general education and special education teachers, department leads, and coordinators across curriculum, instruction, assessment, scheduling, and staff evaluation.
- Conduct Advance-aligned formal and informal observation cycles and APPR evaluations for every Mathematics teacher and across four additional departments, authoring evidence-based write-ups and content-specific coaching feedback memos and drafting department-level narratives for annual summative reviews; 100% of educators earned “Effective” or higher.
- Supervise ENL and Special Education programming alongside department coordinators, sustaining ~100% compliance with mandated services and IEP requirements while strengthening ICT and co-teaching practice through targeted professional development, intervisitation rounds, and scheduling design.
- Co-lead the school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan, using Regents, MAP Growth, credit accumulation, and grade data to diagnose learning needs and monitor impact. Year-over-year gains: Algebra I Regents ~20% (ELL and Special Education ~35%), June 2026; ELA Regents ~15% (ELLs ~30%), January 2026. Sustained ~90% graduation rates across three consecutive years and 85% school-wide course pass rates.
- Design and lead the school’s RTI/MTSS framework, deriving tier classification from MAP Growth data across grades 9–12 to target mathematics and literacy intervention, and direct a school-wide academic-writing initiative including baseline assessment analysis, bilingual student surveys, PD rollout, and instructional intervisitation rounds.
- Present instructional data and improvement priorities to school leadership, the Staff Development Committee, the School Data Committee, district teams, and families.
- Partner with school leadership on programming and resource decisions across the five supervised departments, including master-schedule input, teacher and section allocation, curricular purchasing, and professional development budgets.
- Manage partnerships with district offices, CUNY, and other university partners, community-based organizations, and instructional programs (Elevate Education and Young Debaters).
- Supervise curriculum evaluation, selection, and implementation, including Illustrative Mathematics for the Mathematics department, plus HMH, Phonics for Reading, and Vista Higher Learning across ELA, ENL, World Languages, and Special Education, ensuring alignment with NYS Next Generation Learning Standards and CR-SE frameworks.
Graduate Research Assistant — Educational Psychology (Quantitative Methods)
- Conduct advanced statistical analyses in R on artificial intelligence in education, parental involvement, student achievement, and teacher improvement across U.S. and international contexts.
- Clean, integrate, and analyze multi-source datasets (surveys, assessments, demographics), applying regression and related methods to address equity- and opportunity-focused research questions.
- Translate complex statistical findings into accessible visualizations and briefs for academic, practitioner, and policy audiences.
- Collaborate on study design, measurement, and interpretation, contributing to manuscripts and conference proposals on educational outcomes.
Program & Site Leader — Summer Rising
- Site Supervisor across multiple large NYC Summer Rising sites (K907 Legacy School of the Arts, Q005 Walter Crowley IS, M860 Frederick Douglass Academy II), overseeing daily operations, master schedules, and supervision of full instructional and enrichment staffs in partnership with CBOs (YMCA, Beacon, CEI).
- On-site lead for event logistics and partner coordination, managing vendor relationships and ensuring safe, engaging learning experiences for 60–300+ students per site across multiple summers.
- Strengthened program consistency through clear communication, structured routines, and responsive problem-solving across sites.
Leadership Fellow
- Collaborated with senior administrators on school-wide improvement initiatives and facilitated bi-monthly 10th-grade inquiry team meetings, including data collection and student identification for targeted interventions.
- Participated in leadership development seminars on employee relations, school culture, special education compliance, and family engagement.
Mathematics Teacher & Teaching Fellow
- Taught Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry for over ten years, designing standards-aligned curricula and Regents preparation sequences emphasizing student-centered instruction and differentiation; earned consecutive “Highly Effective” ratings in instructional practice and student outcomes.
- Led monthly mathematics departmental inquiry cycles, using Regents item analysis and common assessment data to refine curriculum, calibrate grading, share best practices, and target remediation and enrichment.
- Held a dual leadership role as Athletic Director, managing operations and budgets for 14 teams and 200+ student-athletes, including scheduling, compliance, and coordination with families and citywide athletics leadership.
Adjunct Lecturer, College Now Faculty
- Designed and delivered College Now mathematics curricula (MAT115: College Algebra & Trigonometry, MAT120: Elementary Statistics, MAT107: Mathematics and the Modern World) for diverse learners over a decade.
- Supported over 90% college credit attainment across semesters, sustaining a decade-long bridge from high school into advanced and postsecondary mathematics coursework.
Selected Instructional Initiatives
School-Wide Data Wise Improvement Cycle
- Facilitated the Data Wise Improvement Process (Steps 1–6) with the Staff Development Committee and School Data Committee, leading a multi-year professional learning arc for more than 20 educators on data-driven instruction and disciplinary literacy across content areas. Built recurring cycles of data collection, hypothesis testing, and instructional response that now drive department-wide planning; 100% of educators earned “Effective” or higher in annual ratings.
Multilingual & Special Populations Instructional Support
- Co-developed targeted training and coaching for ENL and Special Education teams, aligning program design with NYSED mandates and compliance requirements. Coordinated schedules, co-teaching, and monitoring systems to maintain ~100% mandated service delivery and high-quality instructional support for multilingual learners and students with IEPs.
Advanced & Dual Enrollment Mathematics Pathways
- Designed and taught dual-enrollment College Now mathematics courses for over ten years, establishing a sustained postsecondary bridge for high school students into advanced quantitative coursework and supporting over 90% college credit attainment across semesters.
Education
Selected Research & Presentations
- Zhang, B., Alarcon, E., Waugh, M., & Huang, F. (2026). Beyond the mean: Revisiting parental involvement and student achievement with mixed-effects location scale models. Modern Modeling Methods (MMM) Conference; modeling both the level and the stability of achievement, with parental involvement linked to lower variability in mathematics outcomes.
- Co-authored quantitative research on financial literacy, parental involvement, and student achievement across domestic and international contexts; developed and delivered workshops on data-informed instruction and improvement science for educators and school leaders.
- Dissertation research examines the influence of andragogy on teacher development, parental self-efficacy, and student outcomes in multilingual school communities, with direct applicability to family engagement strategies in large, high-need school contexts.
Certifications, Frameworks & Skills
- Certifications: NYS Mathematics 7–12 (Professional); NYS School Building Leader (SBL); NYS School District Leader (SDL)
- Mathematics: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, College Algebra & Trigonometry, Elementary Statistics; Illustrative Mathematics; Regents preparation and item analysis; dual-enrollment and advanced course design
- Data & Tools: R, MAP Growth, Regents/ATS-STARS data analysis, data visualization, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace
- Frameworks: Advance (Danielson 2013 Framework for Teaching), APPR, Data Wise Improvement Process, NYS Next Generation Learning Standards, CR-SE, MTSS/RTI, ICT/co-teaching models
- Languages: Spanish (professional working proficiency), with bilingual instruction, family communication, and translation