Child of immigrants, this educator’s mission in Miami would be educational equity

The journey of immigrant to district leader is one that is well-known and repeated often in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. It’s a story of resilience and triumph — and within the school district, it’s a story that more often than not belongs to outgoing Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

But as the School Board readies itself to interview the three finalists vying to become the district’s next superintendent, it’s a story that is —in many ways — shared by one of the candidates hoping to replace him: Rafaela Espinal.

Espinal, 51, arrived in New York City from the Dominican Republic in 1977 at age seven to join her mother, who had left her children behind to pursue a better future for the family. She attended P.S. 125 Elementary School, where 30 years later, she became the principal.

Now, she is the assistant superintendent in the office of talent management and innovation at the New York City Department of Education, a post she’s held since 2018.

The board is also expected to interview José Dotres, 59, the deputy superintendent of Collier County School District and Miami-Dade school district veteran, and Jacob Oliva, 47, senior chancellor of the Division of Public Schools for the Florida Department of Education. The public interviews are set for 2 p.m. Monday.

Espinal is the only female candidate and only applicant from out-of-state to be considered for the post. She declined to comment for this story.

Rise through the ranks

Espinal’s journey toward becoming an educator began at City University of New York, where she obtained a teaching degree in bilingual elementary education in 1993 and later, several master’s degrees, including one in educational leadership and another as a reading specialist. She was the first in her family to graduate from college.

She went on to earn a second master’s and a doctoral degree in organization and leadership from the Teachers College at Columbia University. She completed her dissertation, “The wounded educational leader: How six superintendents describe and understand a wounding experience,” in February.

During her nearly 30-year tenure in education, Espinal has held many positions. She served as a bilingual classroom teacher, an instructional team leader and reading teacher and a principal at various schools across the city.

For East Brunswick Public Schools in New Jersey, where she worked from 2008 to 2009, she was the district supervisor of English language arts, where she oversaw the implementation of curriculum, selected books and materials and trained staff.

In 2014, she was selected to be a regional superintendent in the Bronx, and oversaw the district’s effort to double its literacy scores under her tenure, according to her resume.

She was removed as superintendent in 2018 after “refusing to do the ‘Wakanda Forever’ salute,” a cross-arm salute featured in the film “Black Panther,” according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit she filed against the district in 2021.

The New York City Department of Education at the time disputed her claims and, in a statement to the Herald on Thursday, reiterated its position. The lawsuit was dismissed in November.

Ready to lead

Though the School Board on Tuesday neglected to explain why certain candidates, including Espinal, stood out above the rest, Vice Chair Steve Gallon III alluded to her qualifications.

“Another candidate, from New York, [has] done some transformational work. She’s challenged the status quo,” Gallon said of Espinal. She’s “very experienced, very seasoned and very deeply committed to issues around educational equity.”

Espinal’s devotion to educational equity emerged as a theme from those who’ve worked alongside her.

“Espinal possesses the leadership ability to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by a diverse student body and community,” Jeffrey Young, a professor of practice in educational leadership at the Teachers College at Columbia University, wrote to the School Board supporting her candidacy. “Above all, it is [Espinal’s] deep and abiding sense of social justice and equity that drives her practice.”

Young continued: Her “student-centered philosophy turns out to be critical in designing policies and practices that serve to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps that too often burden historically disadvantaged populations.”

Communication issues with parents

Espinal’s departure from her superintendent position was a welcomed one, said Ilka Rios, a district parent and former president of the Community Education Council for D12, where Espinal served as superintendent.

(A Community Education Council is a group of parents, voted in by other parents, to represent the community, promote student achievement, opine on educational policies and communicate with the education chancellor and Panel of Educational Policy. Each of New York City’s 32 districts has a CEC.)

For one, Rios said, Espinal “drove in and out” daily and was “an outsider coming in,” she said. More importantly, though, Rios felt Espinal often overlooked parents and pushed them aside.

Each year, CEC groups are tasked with evaluating its district superintendent. And in Espinal’s superintendent evaluation for the 2017-18 school year, obtained by the Herald, the CEC indicated there was “no collaboration with us” and wrote “there is no good communication between the superintendent and parent leaders of the district.”

And in one response, the CEC wrote that it and the superintendent have “never partnered up in any capacity to create an environment that is inclusive of all families.”

Rios, for her part, admitted Espinal is great with children — “My daughter loved her,” she said. But when it came to communicating with adults outside of her administration and staff, Espinal was “disrespectful toward parents [and] that’s a problem,” Rios said.

Praise for her leadership

Still, those who’ve worked with Espinal stand by her ability to lead through strong communication.

Espinal “consistently promotes a positive and professional environment that includes mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff, administrators and the board,” said Eleanor Drago-Severson, director of the PhD program in educational leadership at the Teachers College at Columbia University, in her recommendation of Espinal to the School Board.

Espinal understands the importance of caring for the whole person as a leader, she said. Moreover, in Drago-Severson’s 30 years as a professor of both graduate students, she “truly believes that Rafaela is a shining star.”

Miami Herald Research Director Monika Leal contributed to this story.

This story was originally published January 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Sommer Brugal

Miami Herald

Sommer Brugal is the K-12 education reporter for the Miami Herald. Before making her way to Miami, she covered three school districts on Florida’s Treasure Coast for TCPalm, part of the USA Today Network.