NYC School and District Leaders
“We are grateful for Dr. Kemple's leadership and expertise over the last 15 years as the founder and Executive Director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools. The research that has come out of this center has been invaluable in shaping the educational experience for our students and educators alike. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Dr. Fancsali in her new capacity as Executive Director as we move toward a more equitable educational system that is rooted in research and evidence.”
– David C. Banks, NYC Schools Chancellor (2022 – present)
“The Research Alliance provides clear data reports… which have helped us understand trends that may not otherwise be apparent. This has had a direct impact on our policy decisions and daily practices.”
– Alex Brown, Assistant Principal, High School for Law and Public Service
“We rely on data and research to understand and improve the 1,800 schools that serve our 1.1 million students and their families. I thank the Research Alliance for its continued collaboration, and for helping New York City identify areas of strength and improvement within our schools.”
– Richard Carranza, Former NYC Schools Chancellor (2018 – 2021)
“Data and research are essential components of every decision we make as the nation’s largest school system—decisions that impact 1.1 million students and their families, and that other districts across the country look to. The work of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools is critical in understanding and improving our schools, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”
– Carmen Fariña, Former NYC Schools Chancellor (2014 – 2018)
“As a former chancellor and active participant in creating the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, I can say without hesitation that the Research Alliance has made a great contribution to helping understand what’s really going on in the City's schools. Too often, the debate about school reforms and how they are working is fueled by political rhetoric that generates lots of heat but little light. The Research Alliance places an independent, important, fact-driven check on these debates, one that is sorely needed.”
– Joel Klein, Former NYC Schools Chancellor (2002 – 2010)
“The wonderful foundation Jim Kemple has built at the Research Alliance has passed into very capable hands. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Cheri and the rest of the Research Alliance team, and offer my sincere thanks for everything they have done to make the Alliance a successful partner in education research and advocacy.”
– Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers
“The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators congratulates Cheri Fancsali on assuming the influential role of Executive Director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools. We are confident that, under her leadership, the Research Alliance will continue to impact the work of our City’s school leaders and the families they serve for years to come. We thank founding Director James Kemple for his admirable service in advancing equity within our system using robust research and meaningful evidence, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with the Research Alliance to promote racial justice in our schools.”
– Henry Rubio, President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators
“The Research Alliance was really flexible in terms of the needs of the school communities and students that were involved in the research. Researchers treated students and school members in an authentically loving and respectful manner.”
– Wanda Vazquez, Principal, El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice
Education-Focused Foundations
“The Research Alliance is an essential source of high-quality, nonpartisan evidence that helps advance equity and excellence in the City’s public schools. It is a leading exemplar of a partnership between a research team and a school district.”
– Adam Gamoran, President, W.T. Grant Foundation
“The problems the Research Alliance studies are ones that matter to the schools and to families; [their work] reflects high academic standards and candor in reporting findings. It’s a formula for success.”
– Michael S. McPherson, President Emeritus, Spencer Foundation
“Credible evidence on what works in public education is an essential ingredient in effective school improvement efforts. The Research Alliance plays an important role in providing New York City educators and others with knowledge they can use to strengthen educational outcomes for children.”
– Will Miller, President, The Wallace Foundation
Civic and Business Leaders
“FPWA congratulates the Research Alliance for recognizing and elevating such a qualified individual as Dr. Cheri Fancsali as its next Executive Director. Her commitment to center equity and racial justice in educational research is precisely the lens urgently needed today to identify and tackle the many ways in which implicit bias persists in all systems, including education. FPWA also thanks Dr. James Kemple for his stewardship of the Alliance over the last 15 years. His leadership and contributions have ensured a strong foundation for the continued success of the Research Alliance.”
– Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director & CEO of FPWA
“Jim Kemple's 15 years of leadership at the Research Alliance impacted NYC's education policy landscape in many ways. Among other achievements, Jim’s creation of the Research Alliance data archive benefitted the entire field by making it possible to examine the educational trajectories of millions of NYC students from pre-K through college. Cheri Fancsali's expertise in research and equity-driven practices makes her an ideal choice to lead the Research Alliance, and I know she will ensure that findings make a meaningful difference for students, schools, and communities.”
– Mark Dunetz, President of New Visions for Public Schools and Chair of the Research Alliance Steering Committee
“On behalf of El Puente, I extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Jim Kemple for his visionary leadership of the Research Alliance and his stellar accomplishments and contributions as its founding Executive Director. We congratulate Dr. Cheri Fancsali and look forward to our continued partnership to build upon the critical work of the Alliance to inform and advance our steadfast commitment to center and amplify the voices of our children, families, and communities in the movement for educational equity and social justice.”
– Frances Lucerna, Co-Founder and President of El Puente
“Under Dr. Kemple’s leadership, the Research Alliance has become the primary source of objective analysis of data generated by New York’s public schools. Its work has contributed to programs and policies that achieve better outcomes for students.”
– Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City
Scholars
“The Research Alliance expertly pursues research questions that help schools in New York City illuminate pressing problems of practice, and shares their findings in a way that encourages productive conversations among local and national stakeholders.”
– Elaine Allensworth, Lewis Sebring Director, UChicago Consortium on School Research
“It is still too often the case that academic research is not relevant to—or usable by—the policymakers and practitioners who are working to improve education. The Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU Steinhardt is at the forefront of a movement to build real working relationships and foster robust, meaningful conversations between academia and education practitioners and policymakers.”
– Dominic Brewer, Former Dean, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
“Jim Kemple succeeded where so many others had not. He created, nurtured, and skillfully led an independent Research Alliance, which has become an invaluable resource for improvement of practice and policy in New York City Schools. Under Jim's wise leadership the Alliance's record of producing actionable research evidence on both specific programs and big-picture issues is enviable, and the breadth and depth of its partnerships is extraordinary. The educators and schoolchildren of New York City have benefited tremendously from the work of the Research Alliance, and I know that Dr Cheri Fancsali will build on this strong foundation of excellence.”
– Augusta Kappner, President Emeritus Bank Street College of Education
“The positive impact Jim has had on NYU Steinhardt and the New York City education communities over the past 15 years is inspiring. I am extremely appreciative of his leadership and accomplishments, always providing data-driven, unbiased insight on the most pressing issues our school system faces. I know Cheri's vision will build upon this foundation and am thrilled to see the life-changing improvements the Research Alliance will bring to our country's largest school system.”
– Jack H. Knott, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University
“The Research Alliance has been a valuable partner to CUNY for many years under the thoughtful leadership of James Kemple, informing our strategies to ensure that students from New York City Public Schools can thrive in college. We look forward to collaborating with Cheri Fancsali in her new role to advance the Alliance's mission of producing actionable research that increases equitable outcomes in education, promotes social-emotional wellness and, ultimately, improves the lives of New Yorkers from all communities.”
– Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Chancellor of The City University of New York (CUNY)