Andrew Gallagher
B Ed (Hons) Design and Technology, 1998
About me
- Senior Director for New York City Schools in USA
- B Ed (Hons) Design and Technology, 1998
- Contact me on LinkedIn
ABOUT MY CAREER
Manchester Met was one of the only institutions that offered an accelerated degree and, as a mature student who had already completed a prior degree, I was eager not to have to complete another 3 or 4-year program of study. Manchester Met’s 2-year Bachelor of Education was the perfect solution for me and allowed me to study alongside peers and colleagues whose career trajectory was similar to my own. Additionally, I was drawn to the programme’s strong focus on in-the-field work experience which, for a teaching degree, was hugely important for me.
A few weeks before graduating, I was offered my first teaching job at The Marches School and Technology College in Shropshire. This proved to be a significant and transformational experience and one that provided me with a robust foundation for each of my future roles in education. I worked at this school for several years both as a teacher and as an Assistant Head of Year. I then moved to a large school in Leeds, where I was a teacher and Senior Leader at Boston Spa Comprehensive school for two years.
In 2003, I made the transformative decision to move to New York City to work for the largest school district in the United States. During my 21-year tenure in New York City, I have served as a teacher, instructional coach, Director for the Central Department of Education, Deputy Network Leader, Executive Director for School Improvement, and Director of School Renewal (Turnaround/Transformation). In this last role, I oversaw schools’ ongoing improvement efforts and, over three years, each Renewal school I oversaw all but eliminated the Graduation gap, saw double-digit increases in metrics such as College Readiness, and achieved historically high state assessment passing rates. I was also the Director of School Improvement for the northern half of Brooklyn, a role in which I developed and implemented frameworks, systems, and structures to provide cross-functional support to more than 230 schools.
I am currently the Senior Director of Social, Emotional, and Academic Development for the New York City school system, where I oversee the work of multiple schools and districts related to the intersectionality of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning, ultimately helping schools strengthen their teaching practices in support of the mutually reinforcing relationship between SEL and academics.
Because of the nature of my degree, and the practical work experience that was deeply engrained into the programme, one of the biggest skills that remains core to my professional values is collaboration. I learned very quickly how collaboration can be a transformative experience when we extend the invitation to all stakeholders in our own and others’ educational experiences and journeys.
My personal journey into education was neither typical nor traditional; I wrestled with the timing and my suitability for the field. I took a non-traditional route, working in various other industries prior to my studies at Manchester Met. However, what my degree, and my professors, instilled in me was the importance of bridging theory and practice and that our life experiences are hugely valuable in contributing to the lives of students and their families. This now informs my leadership role within the nation’s largest and most diverse school system, where I advocate for the idea that every learning path is valuable and unique. I am continually grateful, almost 30 years since being accepted into my degree, that a programme existed for people like myself who came to realise, later in life, that teaching was indeed the perfect profession for them.
The beauty of my degree at Manchester Met was the amount of built-in student teaching we had to complete. While this meant much of our coursework had to be done on our own time, it meant most of our experience was highly practical and school based. It meant I learned the craft, art, and science of teaching from a wide range of practitioners, each of whom had a broad range of experience. I was fortunate to have the opportunity of completing three long-term student teaching placements, each of which afforded me unique opportunities to observe experienced teachers, teach alongside them, and teach on my own under their tutelage, guidance, and mentorship.
Since graduating, I have completed two Master’s degrees in the United States. One at the New York Institute of Technology where I gained my Masters in Instructional Technology where, upon completion of my degree, I received the University’s John J Theobald Graduate Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the university. My second Masters is in Education Leadership, which I received from Columbia University, one of the United States Ivy League Universities. Completing this Master’s degree was part of my Doctoral studies at Columbia University, Teachers College, one of the country’s most esteemed universities dedicated to education.
I am also certified by Columbia Business School as an Executive Leadership Coach, and I am currently working towards a similar qualification with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Additionally, I hold New York State School Building Leader and School District Leader certifications.
I am certified in Harvard University’s Data Wise School Improvement Framework. I am a proud graduate of Google’s very first Google Teacher Academy, as well as Apple’s Teacher Academy. I have presented at multiple conferences across the USA, and I also published the first peer-reviewed research on New York City’s school support structure implemented under Chancellor Joel Klein.
I remained in touch with some of my professors during the early years of my career because the school I first taught at was a partner school, and I became a mentor for student teachers. I also served as a mentor for first-year teachers, some of whom were graduates of Manchester Met.
In recent years I have connected with the Manchester Met alumni team because they have held events in the NYC area, which has been a wonderful way to reconnect with the work happening at the university and to consider ways I can contribute to its ongoing endeavours. I will be presenting at the summer 2024 conference about my work in School Turnaround and hope to participate in other ways that can support current Manchester Met students.
MY TOP TIP FOR STUDENTS IS
Remain open to the possibilities of exploring job opportunities across the country and the globe. When I graduated from Manchester Met, I would never have imagined I would teach in New York City, let alone be afforded the opportunity to support the turnaround efforts of some of NYC’s most persistently underperforming schools and, most recently lead the largest Social, Emotional, and Academic Development work in the United States.
I would also make the case that classroom experience is the single most impactful time for anyone considering a leadership role, whether it be in a school, district, or central office. Direct engagement with students and families, coupled with extended opportunities to hone one’s instructional skills, cultivates a much stronger ability to become an effective leader. Any eagerness to quickly transition from the classroom to a leadership role should be guided by ongoing self-reflection of whether you have sufficient teaching and classroom experience.
I’M INSPIRED BY
I am inspired by the possibilities that present themselves from the immigrant students and families that make New York City, and America, such a beautiful and enriching country. I am inspired by the wealth of skills and talents each student inherently possesses and my role in supporting students and families to find their own, unique, paths to success.
WHY I LOVE MANCHESTER MET
I most appreciated the autonomy that my professors/lecturers afforded me. Because mine was an accelerated degree program for more mature students, there was a level of confidence in our abilities and, consequently, a greater level of accountability to complete the required coursework and assignments independently. This was a wonderful foundation for entering my first, and future roles.