Experienced education administrator Erica Zigelman currently lends her talents to New York City's Middle School 322, where she serves as principal. Well versed in teacher development, administrative oversight, academic assessment, dispute resolution, and fiscal and strategic planning, Ms. Zigelman has worked her way up through positions of increasing responsibility, holding various roles within the New York City Department of Education since 1979. Today, as principal, Erica Zigelman upholds a commitment to standards-based instruction and to classroom practices that serve as a model for other schools in the area. Since assuming her post in 2005, Erica Zigelman has garnered numerous recognitions. For her leadership efforts during the 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 instructional years, she secured a principal's performance bonus for school improvement and exemplary student achievement from the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. She also accepted an invitation to participate in the Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals. Furthermore, her school earned distinction among Region 10 schools for its science curricula. Erica Zigelman has also utilized her position to secure several grants for Middle School 322. She received in excess of $100,000 to improve technology offerings, and she secured a Tween-to-Teen grant to assist students in their emotional and social development. Most recently, for the 2011-2012 school year, she accepted an iZone grant. Before becoming principal, Erica Zigelman gained invaluable experience as a grade school teacher at Public School 86 and as dance teacher at Arturo Toscanini Junior High School. Later, she held positions such as Region 10 literacy coach and adjunct professor. To prepare for her current responsibilities, she trained in the New York City Leadership Academy for Aspiring Principals. She completed her formal schooling at New York University and Iona College.
An experienced principal with the New York City Department of Education, Erica Zigelman has received the CSA Principal’s Performance Bonus for School Improvement and Exemplary Student Achievement several times.
Erica Zigelman is an experienced educator and principal with the New York City Department of Education for 33 years. Leveraging nearly four decades of educational experience toward her position as …
An educator in the New York City Department of Education for more than 40 years, Erica Zigelman serves as the principal of Middle School 322 (MS322) in New York City. Last year, Erica Zigelman was …
An educator in the New York City Department of Education for more than 40 years, Erica Zigelman serves as the principal of Middle School 322 (MS322) in New York City. Last year, Erica Zigelman was honored for her work as a principal with a performance bonus from her union, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.
With a BS and an MA in education from New York University and a professional diploma in school administration from Iona College in New Rochelle, Erica Zigelman went on to become the principal of Mi…
With a BS and an MA in education from New York University and a professional diploma in school administration from Iona College in New Rochelle, Erica Zigelman went on to become the principal of Middle School 322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy in Washington Heights. In her role as principal, Erica Zigelman is involved in many projects and initiatives to support her students and the community at large. She recently met with Northern Ireland’s minister of education John O’Dowd and representatives from the Children’s Aid Society National Center for Community Schools (NCCS) at Salomé Ureña de Henriquez School, a community school in Washington Heights.
Erica Zigelman has been the principal of MS322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy in New York City, New York, since its inception in 2005. In her almost four decades in education, including 15 years as a middle school principal, Ms. Zigelman has been the recipient of many awards and accolades for enhancing student interest and curriculum development. In 2019, she received a Tier One CSA Performance Bonus for Exemplary Progress for her work at MS322, which is the highest bonus a recipient can receive. In 2020, Erica Zigelman won the Outstanding Principal of the Year Award for the Manhattan borough, and was honored as a Distinguished Principal by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA).
The Outstanding Principal awards were given to one outstanding middle school principal in each of New York’s five boroughs. Winners are nominated by members of the Middle School Principal’s Association, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and the CSA. The awards ceremony took place in March at the MSPA’s annual leadership conference. The CSA also presented the “Lifetime in Education” award to Dr. Philip Composto, superintendent of District 30.
To learn more about the CSA and award recipients, please visit https://www.csa-nyc.org/.
Middle School Principals’ Association Recognizes Excellence
A principal with more than 40 years of experience, Erica Zigelman has held various leadership positions with the New York City Department of Education. In recognition of her contributions to the school system, Erica Zigelman was named a 2019 Distinguished Principal by the Middle School Principals’ Association.
The Middle School Principals’ Association, a division of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, provides school leaders with professional development opportunities to help them implement best practices in their schools. In operation for nearly 60 years, the organization collaborates with the New York City Department of Education and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators to recognize unique contributions from school leaders through several annual awards. The organization also provides professional networking and encourages the sharing of information across all New York City boroughs.
The Middle School Principals’ Association presented the Outstanding Principal of the Year Award at its annual conference on March 2, 2019, which was attended by hundreds of New York City school administrators.
Erica Zigelman served for more than three decades as a principal with the New York City Department of Education. Beyond her work as a principal, Erica Zigelman supports organizations such as Hillel at Miami University (MU).
MU Hillel offers students a variety of resources and programs, including opportunities to travel to and learn about Israel. Notably, the Birthright Israel trip affords students and young professionals the opportunity to develop an understanding of Israeli history and politics, not to mention their own identities, through unforgettable firsthand experiences.
Students for Israel at Miami University (SIM) and the David Project, meanwhile, work toward spreading awareness about Israeli culture on the Miami campus. TAMID, on the other hand, provides students in the Farmer School of Business not only with insight into effective business leadership principles but also with knowledge of the economic landscape in Israel.
Israel-focused programming is further enhanced through the work of HawkPAC, the school's AIPAC chapter dedicated to improving United States-Israel relations on the MU campus, as well as throughout Oxford, Ohio. To learn more about travel and educational opportunities through these programs, please visit www.muhillel.org.
Elizabeth Rohatyn - Education Advocate and Founder of Teaching Matters
Erica Zigelman’s more than three-decade career as an educator includes her current role as principal of MS 322 in New York City. As principal, Erica Zigelman has garnered recognition from several groups, including Teaching Matters, which named her and her school a semifinalist for the Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters.
The founder and former chairwoman of Teaching Matters, Elizabeth Rohatyn stood out during her lifetime as an advocate for public education. She established Teaching Matters with the vision that the organization could raise the level of education for students by providing vital support to teachers. To date, Teaching Matters has reached educators in over half of New York City’s public schools.
Ms. Rohatyn’s work on behalf of education also included her forming the Technology Empowerment Initiative, serving as a board member of New Visions for Public Schools, and sponsoring and directing a project of the I Have a Dream Foundation. Apart from education, Ms. Rohatyn affiliated with numerous arts institutions, including Lincoln Center and the New York Public Library, the latter of which she led as chairwoman.
Elizabeth Rohatyn died in 2016 at the age of 86. In the days following her death, her family encouraged those interested in celebrating her memory to make a donation to Teaching Matters.
After spending over 20 years with the New York City Department of Education, Erica Zigelman founded Middle School 322: The Renaissance Leadership Academy, where she serves as principal. Erica Zigelman is one of the graduates of the NYC Leadership Academy (NYCLA), a special training program for school principal candidates.
NYCLA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on training educators to be effective leaders for all students, including those that face difficulties or limitations such as poverty or language barriers. The program was started in 2003 to address a need for qualified principals in the New York region, but it now works with schools all over the country to improve education as a whole.
When NYCLA started, it worked well as an intensive program for a select group of individuals and included a yearlong paid residency. Demand for high-quality principal candidates is still high in New York, however, and so the program expanded to provide curriculums and consultations for related external programs and reduced its residency to six months.
Some NYCLA graduates also provide mentorship services to potential school leaders to help get them on track. In addition, NYCLA added programs for educators to improve their skill sets without necessarily having to go on to become principals. This wide range of support and training is designed to help educators, and thus students, in all kinds of situations succeed.
The Wallace Foundation’s School Leadership Program
Erica Zigelman is an educator and school administrator with decades of experience. The principal of Middle School 322 with the New York City Department of Education since 2005, Erica Zigelman has been recognized with several awards, including selection as a semifinalist in the Third Annual Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools competition. In 2012, Principal Zigelman was invited to the Wallace Foundation’s Exemplary Principals Meeting.
A national philanthropic organization, the Wallace Foundation seeks to enable improvements in learning, enrichment for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the health of the arts. The foundation uses research in combination with funding for innovative ideas in the education field to advance its mission.
The foundation also maintains several initiatives, including one targeting school leadership. The initiative focuses on supporting school districts to better train, hire, evaluate, and support principals. In place since 2000, the initiative has touched over 24 states and been featured in numerous publications. For additional information, visit www.wallacefoundation.org.
Learning with the National Association of Secondary School Principals
A graduate of New York University with a master’s degree in education, Erica Zigelman has more than 30 years of experience as a principal with schools across New York City. In addition to her work as a principal, Erica Zigelman belongs to professional organizations such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Established in 1916, NASSP provides advocacy, education, resources, and student programs for middle school and high school leaders throughout the world. With members in more than 35 countries and throughout the United States, NASSP is dedicated to ensuring that every school has leaders who are committed to the individual success of every student. To achieve its goals, the association keeps its members up to date with comprehensive information on changes in the field, events and national conferences, and the tools that school administrators need to address challenges in their day-to-day professional lives.
NASSP also supports assistant principals through its Assistant Principal Leadership Center that includes both online and on-site professional development programs. Key to NASSP’s online learning programs is the McKinsey Management Program for School Leaders, a partnership with McKinsey Academy. The three-course program covers communication, team management, and ways to master challenging conversations through five- to eight-week classes. Alternatively, school leaders can take the courses individually. In terms of on-site learning, NASSP offers a range of customizable options to meet the needs of each individual, school, or district. Moreover, school leader and change leadership training programs are designed with assistant, established, or aspiring school principals in mind. These programs involve pre-assessments, six-hour courses, and a follow-up webinar.
On Monday November 3rd, 2014, Middle School 322’s Global Partners Junior program hosted a group of visitors from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. The group of visitors came to present information about their Japanese culture, and in turn learns more about the culture of our school and our program. Our visitors started off by giving a wonderful presentation about where they came from and what they were doing visiting our school. The presenter’s talked about what their goals were in visiting the school and learning more about our program. After they gave the presentation the presenters, along with the students worked on creating origami. MS 322 students also had the opportunity to taste Japanese chocolate treats. The students were excited to learn how to make origami. After the students finished working with the visitors to create origami, the visitors stayed to watch a session of the Global Partner’s Junior. The students worked on creating flyers to spread environmental awareness.
After viewing a video from Japan produced by our visitors, our students were asked to speak on video about their schooling in the United States which will be shown in reciprocity to students in Japan who our visitors work with. Our students spoke clearly and from the heart about their education at Middle School 322.
Global Partners Junior is the global awareness program which was founded and conceived by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The program mission is to connect New York City youth to their peers around the world on the internet. Students communicate online using an original curriculum that guides their conversations and activities throughout the school year. Located in the Mayor's Office for International Affairs, NYC Global Partners is a not-for-profit organization. Schools across the globe have connected with students across the five New York City Boroughs.
Erica Zigelman, Principal | Tumblr @ericazigelman - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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