Susan Kaufmann

Senior Director, School & District Support, New York

A senior director of School and District Support at NCTL, Susan Kaufmann has been an educator for thirty-plus years, serving as a teacher, administrator, and administrative coach for the Rochester City School District. Her varied experiences have spanned the areas of curriculum writing, school reform, and school improvement. 

During her tenure as a principal, Susan was credited with successfully turning around two low-achieving schools through the improvement of culture and effective instructional practices. One of these schools progressed from having nearly the status of a “School Under Registration Review” (SURR) to become one of the top ten achieving schools in the district. Susan’s school reform work was recognized by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and highlighted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPREE), which noted substantial achievement gains among the schools’ African-American and Hispanic students, in particular.

Subsequently, Susan was named managing director for school improvement at the district level and then continued her work as chief of schools, assistant superintendent, overseeing twenty-two schools in Rochester’s  North East Zone. During this time, Susan was instrumental in helping schools   improve their high school graduation rates and increase the number of students who were prepared for higher education and the world of work.  

Most recently, Susan has worked as an executive coach, supporting the work of principals in all areas of school improvement and student achievement, and as an educational consultant working with districts in the areas of school improvement and curriculum-writing. Susan has a BA from the State University of New York at Brockport, where she completed her undergraduate work in education and her graduate work in administration. She also holds a Master’s in Education from Nazareth College.