Rosemarie Barbiere Nicoletti is a dedicated educational leader with over 50 years of experience in Brooklyn Elementary Schools. Joining the Educational Leadership Institute as a mentor and coach, Ms. Nicoletti brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for fostering excellence in New York City school leadership. Her extensive background includes 25 years of teaching special, general, and gifted students in kindergarten through grade five. Her administrative experience consists of 8 years as a Special Education Supervisor and Assistant Principal and 19 years as Principal of PS 197.
Under Ms. Nicoletti’s guidance, PS197 grew significantly from 400 to over 1100 students. This growth in numbers resulted in increased funds requiring skillful budgeting. As principal of PS 197, a school with over 40% English language learners, she recognized the importance of enrichment opportunities for her students. She used school funds and secured legislative grants to refurbish parts of the 100-year-old school building including computer, science and hydroponics labs. She secured state-of-the-art technology and built a robust arts program by hiring licensed teachers of visual arts, dance, drama, vocal, and instrumental music.
Ms. Nicoletti believes learning is a lifelong process in our rapidly changing world. As a leader she created many opportunities for embedded professional development, utilizing external and internal staff developers, and classroom intervisitations with opportunities to analyze and share best practices.
Her commitment to educational excellence has been recognized through several affiliations and honors. Ms. Nicoletti was selected as an Ally (2006) and a Fellow (2010) in the Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished New York City Principals. She participated as a Collaborative Community of Practice School with Columbia University Teachers College (2006) and was a TCRWP Project School where she participated in teacher development and leadership conferences. She was nominated as an honoree by the Catholic Teachers Association (2019) for her dedication and hard work on behalf of her students and families.
Currently, Ms. Nicoletti is eager to share her experience and best practices with New York City school leaders through the Educational Leadership Institute, where she serves as a mentor and coach.