About the Center for Educational Leadership @ Salem State University (CEL@SSU)

We Grow Leaders

Leaders & districts work with us to build the leadership capacities, knowledge, and practices of formal and informal leaders.

But what they most value about our work is that we collaborate and co-create alongside them—with consideration for the complexities and challenges of their unique contexts.

MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GIFTS FROM
PEGASUS SPRINGS & THE CUMMINGS FOUNDATION

CEL@SSU is built on a theory of change that centers adult learning in service of excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.

We push the work of the McKeown School of Education beyond preparation to work directly with current educational leaders to support transformational leadership.

Our Vision

We envision vibrant, equitable schools where adults and children have what they need to engage in ongoing learning, change, reflection, and growth.

By supporting educational leaders, we enable schools and districts to work toward improved student outcomes with greater efficacy and stability.

Fill the
Support Gap

Fewer than 25% of elementary principal have mentors/coaches or support systems in place.

While professional learning for teachers and other educators is often robust, fewer ongoing opportunities exist for leaders. 

Reduce
Turnover

Principal turnover affects more than 25% of districts annually.

This turnover creates at least $75,000 of annual costs for districts.

Facilitate Change

Leaders in schools are key to instructional change.

Instability and lack of leadership support hinders change efforts and leads to teacher turnover.

Meet Our Directors

Dr. Megin
Charner-Laird

  • Co-Director, Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State University

  • Program Co-Director, Educational Leadership (CAGS & Teacher Leadership)

  • Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Instruction, McKeown School of Education, Salem State University

Megin received her master's and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore. During her time at Harvard, she was the director of the school's undergraduate teacher education program. Prior to her graduate studies, Megin taught elementary school in California's Bay Area.

 Megin’s research and publications focus on the intersection between leadership, instructional practice, and educational policy. She draws on her research and publications in her teaching and work with educational leaders.

    • Charner-Laird, M., Ippolito, J., Noonan, J. (2021). Can distance bring us closer? Developing new routines for connection in a leadership preparation program. The Learning Professional. 

    • Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2020). Disciplinary literacy: Exemplary processes and promising practices. In E. Ortlieb, S. Grote-Garcia, J. Cassidy, & E. H. Cheek (Eds.), What’s hot in literacy: Exemplar models of effective practice (Literacy Research, Practice and Evaluation, Vol. 11) (pp. 17-31). Emerald Publishing Limited.  https://doi.org/10.1108/S2048-045820200000011005

    • Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2020). Middle and high school literacy programs: Attending to both instructional and organizational challenges. In A. Swan Dagen, & R. M. Bean (Eds.), Best practices of literacy leaders: Keys to school improvement (2nd Ed.) (pp. 187-208). New York: Guilford Press.

    • Nehring, J. H., Szczesiul, S. A., & Charner-Laird, M. (2020). Bridging the progressive-traditional divide: A unifying vision for teaching, learning, and system level supports. New York: Routledge.

    • Nehring, J. H., Charner-Laird, M., & Szczesiul, S. A. (2019). Redefining Excellence: Teaching in Transition, From Test Performance to 21st Century Skills. NASSP Bulletin, 103(1), 5–31. 

    • Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2019). Disciplinary literacy inquiry and instruction: A teachers’ guide to implementing disciplinary literacy. West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.

    • Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2018). Investing in implementation: Professional learning mechanisms for stronger disciplinary literacy instruction. Literacy Today, 35(4), 16-17.

    • Charner-Laird, M., Ng, M., Johnson, S. M., Kraft, M. A., Papay, J. P., Reinhorn, S. K. (2017). Gauging Goodness of Fit: Teachers’ Assessments of their Instructional Teams in High-Poverty Schools. American Journal of Education.

    • Dobbs, C. L., Ippolito, J., & Charner-Laird, M. (2017). Investigating disciplinary literacy: A framework for collaborative professional learning.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

    • Ippolito, J., Condie, C., Dobbs, C. L., Charner-Laird, M., & Blanchette, J. (2017). Planting seeds: To grow science disciplinary literacy skills we must layer basic and intermediate literacy skills across K–12. Massachusetts Reading Association Primer, 45(2), 14-23.

    • Nehring, J. H., Charner-Laird, M., & Szczesiul, S. A. (2017). What real high performance looks like. Phi Delta Kappan 98 (7), 38-42.

    • Ippolito, J., Dobbs, C. L., & Charner-Laird, M. (2017). What literacy means in math class: Teacher team explores ways to remake instruction to develop students' skills. The Learning Professional, 38(2), 66-70. 

    • “Becoming a community of novices: How teacher agency bolstered professional learning in a pandemic context” (with Noonan, J., Ippolito, J., & Dobbs, C. L.) [Paper session]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. April 2022.

    • “The role of agency: Teachers, administrators, and caregivers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic” (with Dobbs, C. L., Leider, C. M., Uy, P. S., Ippolito, J., & Szczesiul, S. A. [Paper session]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. April 2022.

    • “Understanding the systems, structures, and leadership that support disciplinary literacy professional learning in a middle school context” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.) [Paper session]. Literacy Research Association’s Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA. December, 2021.

    • “Building collective expertise within teacher teams” [Paper session]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA (Conference Canceled). April 2020.

    • “Windows into disciplinary literacy collaborative inquiry: What improvements do teacher teams explore?” (with Dobbs, C. L., & Ippolito, J.) [Paper Session]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA (Conference Canceled). April 2020

    • “The Massachusetts Innovation School Policy and the Missed Opportunity for Radical Change” (with Szczesiul, S.) [Paper Session]. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA (Conference Canceled). April 2020

    • “Preservice teachers’ perceptions of professional agency following a graduate course on research, inquiry, and advocacy” (with Duhaylongsod, L. & Pomerantz, F. K.) [Paper Session] Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA (Conference Canceled). April 2020

    • “Building K-12 disciplinary literacy instruction through teacher inquiry” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.) Presented at the International Literacy Association’s Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA. October 2019

    • “Disciplinary literacy K-12: Connecting adult & student learning” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.) Presented at the Annual Learning Sciences Building Expertise Conference, Orlando, FL. June 2019.

    • “Moving towards joint work: Collaborating across disciplines on disciplinary literacy instructional practices at the middle school level” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. April 2019

    • “Considering the possibility of disciplinary literacy as a critical construct” (with Dobbs, C. L. & Ippolito, J.). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. April 2019

    • “Looking back and looking forward at disciplinary literacy: Connecting inquiry and instruction” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Reading Association, Quincy, MA. April 2019

    • “A framework for understanding how teachers approach disciplinary literacy inquiry” (with Dobbs, C. L. & Ippolito, J.). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Indian Wells, CA. November 2018

    • “Wraparound supports for excellent teachers” (with Szczesiul, S. A. & Nehring, J. H.) Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, April 2018.

    • “Trauma-sensitive teaching practices in urban classrooms” (with Szczesiul, S. A. & Nehring, J. H.) Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, April 2018.

    • “What happens when interdisciplinary teams of teachers tackle ‘disciplinary literacy’ instruction?” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, April 2018.

    • “What do we mean when we say disciplinary literacy? Exploring a messy construct” (with Dobbs, C. L. & Ippolito, J.) Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, April 2018.

    • “The professional learning needed to connect K-12 disciplinary literacy instruction” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.) Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Reading Association, Quincy, MA, April 2018.

    • “Rediscovering citizenship through disciplinary and cross-disciplinary literacy work” (with Ippolito, J. & Dobbs, C. L.) Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Tampa, FL, November 2017.

    •  “Toward a more detailed model of professional learning within disciplinary literacy professional learning projects” (with Dobbs, C. L. & Ippolito, J.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX, April, 2017.

    • “Positing a theoretical model for teacher-led collaborative professional learning” (with Dobbs, C. L. & Ippolito, J.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX, April, 2017.

    • “Virtuoso at work: What schools and systems can learn from excellent teachers” (with Nehring, J. H. & Szczesiul, S. A.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX, April, 2017.

    • “How school context mediates the enactment of teacher beliefs in urban schools” (with Nehring, J. H. & Szczesiul, S. A.). Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX, April, 2017.

See Megin’s full SSU profile here.

Dr. Jacy
Ippolito

  • Co-Director, Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State University

  • Program Co-Director, Educational Leadership (CAGS & Teacher Leadership)

  • Professor of Leadership and Literacy, McKeown School of Education, Salem State University

Jacy received his master's and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware's Honors Program. Prior to coming to Salem State, Jacy was a middle school reading specialist, drama teacher, and literacy coach in the Cambridge Public Schools.

Jacy's recent books and articles represent his overlapping interests in the roles that teachers, teacher leaders, principals/assistant principals, and instructional coaches play in helping lead and maintain instructional change across grade levels.

See Jacy’s full SSU profile here.

From Harvard’s Graduate School of Education to the classroom to Salem State University

How do you transition from a teacher to a leader?

Find the right partners.

Under Jacy & Megin’s leadership, the CEL@SSU is dedicated to the professional and personal growth at the center of your transformation.

Megin & Jacy met at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Their careers took them in separate directions for roughly ten years before they found themselves as colleagues in different departments within the McKeown School of Education at SSU.

During those years apart, Jacy & Megin each spent time teaching, working directly with students across grade levels and content areas, as well as working to support teachers’ professional learning across K-12 classrooms. This on-the-ground experience in schools has deeply informed their current teaching, research, and coaching.

Their work at SSU has been defined by collaboration in research and writing, particularly in the realms of educational leadership, teacher leadership, adolescent/disciplinary literacy, and instructional coaching.

In recent years, their work has been bolstered by collaborations with SSU’s James Noonan, together researching adult development implications of leadership preparation and professional learning.

The offerings at CEL@SSU are designed to go beyond technical, knowledge-building endeavors to support adult learners in transformational, developmentally appropriate experiences that create lasting change in schools.