Joseph Zaza is a 35-year veteran educator serving both public and charter schools as well as teaching at the college level. Mr. Zaza has served as a School District Leader as Assistant Superintendent of District 31, Staten Island Pre-K to 12, Assistant Superintendent of Renewal Schools Initiative, and CFN Network Leader (the portfolio of schools included both comprehensive high schools and the specialized high schools of New York City). He wrote the charter and served as founding principal of the Lois and Richard Nicotra Early College Charter High School at St. John’s University; a fully inclusive school designed to serve students that are historically underrepresented in higher education. Before moving to district leadership, Mr. Zaza served as principal for the Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Brooklyn. In 2004, he was selected as a Cahn Fellow, a program of professional development provided to “outstanding school principals.”
Mr. Zaza holds a Master’s Degree in History and a postgraduate degree in Education and Administration and Supervision from Brooklyn College and recently completed a three-year term on ASCD’s Legislative Action Committee. He currently teaches in the Graduate School District Administrator Program at Hunter College.
In addition to presenting nationally on a myriad of topics including, principal leadership, integrated co-teaching, and use of technology, Mr. Zaza mentors and coaches both administrators and teachers across grade bands to improve their practice to improve student outcomes. As a school district leader, Mr. Zaza helped leaders move their schools into schools of good standing using the turnaround model. Other areas of expertise include the Danielson Framework, differentiated Instruction, social emotional learning, equity, school culture, leading professional learning teams, and social studies instruction.