GSE Alumni Awarded for Excellence in School Administration
Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE) alumni, Dr. Raymond Gonzalez (Ed.M. and Ed. D. in Educational Administration and Supervision) and Dr. Christopher Manno (Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision) were recipients of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Excellence in Educational Leadership Award. Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Manno were nominated by Rutgers University faculty in recognition of their commitment to improve school administration and inspire young professionals who are interested in becoming administrators.
Dr. Gonzalez currently serves as the superintendent of Wayne Township Public Schools and Dr. Manno currently serves as superintendent of Burlington Township School District. As superintendents, both are responsible for overseeing activities within the schools and are always striving for improvement and innovation in educational administration.
As part of his many achievements as superintendent, Dr. Manno initiated and facilitated the All Students Achieving Plan, which was designed as a collaborative, continuous-based improvement process with focus on improving student achievement, community engagement, safety, and management/operations. He also addressed technology use in the classroom by initiating projects such as Google Apps for Education to encourage the use of collaborative tools for both students and staff. Outside of his role as a superintendent, Dr. Manno also teaches graduate-level courses in educational leadership at Rutgers University and The College of New Jersey.
Strong leadership skills are essential according to Dr. Gonzalez. He centers his goals as a superintendent around this aspect by opening up opportunity for interested individuals to take on leadership roles. His contributions to his school district include advocating for increased support of young administrators to prepare them for the future. Dr. Gonzalez encourages aspiring administrators to challenge themselves through practical experience and participating in opportunities to apply their leadership skills.
For both recipients, the role of a superintendent means acting as the driving force behind making the decisions to improve the quality of education in their school districts.
“It’s on me to put all my education, training and experience into practice to help make the difference in the lives of our students,” says Dr. Gonzalez.
Individually, their studies at the GSE made a significant impact on their professional achievements. For Dr. Gonzalez, his experience at the GSE enabled him to connect his research to his practice as an administrator. Dr. Manno found that his educational experience was rigorous, but allowed him to view important educational issues through the lens of current, relevant research, thus expanding his knowledge of the field.
“My GSE experience has made me a very proficient consumer of educational research and has equipped me to make better decisions,” says Dr. Manno.
Both recipients are humbled by the honor and will continue striving to make a difference within their school districts.
To learn more about the doctorate programs offered at the GSE click here.