17 Historic Female Changemakers in Education, from New Jersey to India

 

 

The impact women have made in education is immeasurable, with women dominating the industry not only in the United States, but globally. For example, women made up 70 percent of teachers in the United Kingdom by 1901, while Argentina’s teachers were 85 percent female by 1930.

Although education has historically been considered a women-heavy field, female educators still have to fight for equality within a sector they dominate. Two-thirds of U.S. high-school principals are men, as well as three-quarters of superintendents. Women are even fighting for equal pay, with research from 2009 finding that “occupations with a greater share of females pay less than those with a lower share…”

“It’s not that women are always picking lesser things in terms of skill and importance,” Paula England, one of the study’s authors, told The New York Times in 2016. “It’s just that the employers are deciding to pay it less.”

That’s why this list of 17 education changemakers is so important to highlight. Because even though women have contributed significantly to the field, they still face barriers. 

In addition to the women whose places are cemented in history, we are also lucky to have our own lineup of historymakers currently affecting change in New Jersey. Yes, they are our Alternate Route instructors! In addition to some of the well-known names featured from the past, we’ve featured the incredible women that are currently helping our candidates make their teaching dream a reality and improving education all across New Jersey.

Below are 17 women who have or are currently revolutionizing education for the better.

 

Librada Avelino 
Co-founded the Centro Escolar University

Filipina educator Librada Avelino was introduced to education’s power when she attended the first public school to offer girls education. The school was run by Luisa Bacho, who encouraged Avelino to pursue advanced studies in mathematics, language and syntax. In 1889, Avelino passed a civil exam for elementary teachers, which made her the first woman to earn a teaching certificate from the Spanish authorities. (The Philippines did not gain independence from Spain until 1898.)

After receiving her certificate, Avelino opened a free school that helped train students for the same teaching exam she took. Avelino’s ambition took her many places, from becoming the first female principal during U.S. occupancy (which ended in 1946) to studying in Hong Kong. However, it was Centro Escolar University where her legacy lies. With friend Carmen de Luna, Avelino opened the school with the goal of providing female students the same educational opportunities as their male counterparts. In 1907, the school opened with 27 students. By 1914, the school had more than 500 students and by 1930, the school was operating as a university.

 

Phyllis Bivins-Hudson
New Teacher Mentoring Specialist for iLearn Schools and Former New Jersey Vice Principal

Phyllis Bivins- Hudson has been an educator for 42 years, having begun her career as an English Language Arts middle school teacher in East Orange, NJ where she taught more than 16 years. She taught middle school students for an additional 12 years in South Orange, NJ and later worked as an administrator in Paterson and East Orange districts. She currently serves as District Mentor Coordinator for iLearn Schools and shares her experience mentoring new teachers in A Handbook for Mentors: Helping New Teachers Succeed & Persist, a book she authored in 2019 under a grant funded through the Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Dr. Bivins-Hudson is the founding instructor for Rutgers University's Alternate Route Teacher Program and continues to teach at the program's Hackensack location and help advance program innovations. She is also the author of Flying on Broken Wings, which is a memoir she wrote, in part, to pay homage to how exceptional teachers can offer immeasurable support to vulnerable students.  Dr. Bivins-Hudson holds an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University. Her M.A. in English Literature is from Middlebury College (Bread Loaf School of English), and her B.A. in General Elementary Education with a minor in Behavioral Science is from New Jersey City University. 

Dr. Bivins-Hudson holds an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University. Her M.A. in English Literature is from Middlebury College (Bread Loaf School of English), and her B.A. in General Elementary Education with a minor in Behavioral Science is from New Jersey City University. 

 

Tammy Bowling-Jenkins
Principal, Hillsborough Twp and National Distinguished Principal of the Year 2017

Dr. Bowling-Jenkins was named the 2017 National Distinguished Principal of the Year by National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and 2017 Visionary Principal of the Year by the New Jersey Principal and Supervisors Association (NJPSA). Both awards recognize excellence in leadership, innovation, and school success. SDr. Bowling-Jenkins is the  principal at Sunnymeade Elementary School in Hillsborough, New Jersey, which earned the National Blue Ribbon School Award by the U.S. Department of Education under her leadership.  

Dr. Bowling- Jenkins has dedicated her life to educating, motivating and inspiring people as a mentor, presenter and motivational speaker. She is the co-author of the book Notes To Me, which offers cross-cutting and inspiring  daily messages for anyone seeking self-actualization or supporting this process for others, including new teachers, school superintendents, principals and other education professionals.

Dr. Bowling-Jenkins received an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University. Her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership is from Kean University and her B.A. in Psychology is from Rutgers University (Douglass College). She teaches in the 400-hour Alternate Route program at the Bridgewater location through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education. 

 

Lori Cobb
Former Chief Academic Officer for iLearn Schools and Education Entrepreneur

Formerly the Chief Academic Officer at iLearn Schools, a charter management organization operating four high-performing public charter schools in Northern NJ, Ms. Cobb currently operates a successful child care center providing high quality early childhood education to the Clifton School District and area residents. 

Ms. Cobb holds an M.A. from Grand Canyon University. Her B.A. in Psychology is from William Paterson University. She teaches in the 400-hour Alternate Route program through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.

 

Alice Chipman Dewey 
Co-Founder and First Principal of The Dewey School and Education Reform Influencer 

Alice Chipman Dewey entered the University of Michigan in 1883 and became a philosophy major. While at the University, she became a charter member of the University's Philosophical Society and met her future husband and famed educator John with whom she co-founded the University Elementary School, otherwise known as "The Laboratory School” and "The Dewey School" at the University of Chicago. Alice Dewey was the school's Principal, Director of English, and a teacher of English Composition and Literature throughout the school's existence – from 1896-1904. 

Under Alice Dewey's leadership, the spirit of inquiry was emphasized and The Dewey School functioned to discover how children learn best and what is effective in curriculum and instructional methods. Teachers were required to appeal to the curiosity already active in children and learn about their students to meet their diverse needs. Alice Dewey's work demonstrated her beliefs about what schooling ought to be. Her work reminds us of the critical educational principles that should be at the heart of every educator's work and educational institution- especially today. 

 

Katherine Dunham
Creator of the Dunham Technique and Dance Anthropologist

Through dance anthropology, Katherine Dunham brought elements of Afro-Haitian and dance culture to modern American dance. She did field work in the Caribbean and wrote her thesis on Haiti's dance culture, in addition to being a globally recognized dancer and choreographer. 

In 1930, she founded the Katherine Dunham Company, the first African-American modern dance company that she led for nearly 30 years. Originally called Ballet Nègre, the Katherine Dunham Company began as a student troupe at the University of Chicago. Successful in both the anthropology and dance disciplines, Dunham saw an opportunity with dance and split from her academic pursuits to focus on dance full time - including taking her troupe on multiple successful world tours.

The Dunham Technique was developed from her anthropological studies, combining indigenous African and Afro-Caribbean dance with elements of ballet and the integration of mind, body and spirit. After disbanding her dance company, Dunham turned to East St. Louis, where she utilized the arts as a community-impact tool. In 1967, she opened the Performing Arts Training Center (PATC) to offer better educational opportunities to St. Louis’ economically depressed Black community. 

 

Catherine Ferguson
Founder of Sunday School of New York

At eight years old, Catherine Ferguson witnessed her mother - whom she never saw again - sold to a slave owner. At 16 years old, Ferguson’s own freedom was bought for $200. Despite being illiterate, Ferguson is regarded as a prolific religious instructor who gave her life to serving New York’s disadvantaged youth. 

Every Sunday, she invited children from her neighborhood to her home for instruction. Word traveled and a local minister invited Ferguson to utilize his church’s basement, where the first Sunday School of New York was founded. 

Ferguson loved children so much that she opened her home to 48 children and allowed them to stay until they found a home or could sustain themselves on their own. Her legacy of love, support and education is deeply felt in her New York neighborhood, even today.

 

Neyda Fernandez-Evans
Assistant Principal and former Math Supervisor, Metuchen School District

Formerly Regional Mathematics Coach for the New Jersey Department of education, Neyda currently drives achievement and innovation in all content areas as an Assistant Principal with the Metuchen School District.  Prior to committing to leadership in a single school, Ms. Evans was a district-wide Supervisor for Mathematics and Technology, advancing data analysis and job-embedded professional development to improve instruction and curriculum.

Ms. Fernandez-Evans holds an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership and an M.A in Mathematics Education from Western Governors University. Her B.A. in Art History is from Montclair State University. She teaches 45-Hour Math Alternate Route online classes through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.

 

Fanny Jackson Coppin
Co-founder of Bethel Institute, principal of the Institute for Colored Youth and namesake for Coppin State University

At 12 years old, Fanny Jackson Coppin was freed from slavery and used that freedom to invest in education - both her own and other Black Americans. In 1865, Jackson Coppin became one of the first Black women to earn a college degree and worked at the Institute for Colored Youth, a Quaker school in Philadelphia, shortly after. Within four years, Jackson Coppin was appointed to head principal of the school, becoming the first Black woman to become a principal. She also briefly served as a superintendent, making her the first Black superintendent of a school district. She returned to her post as principal and worked at the Institute until 1902. Maryland's Coppin State University, formerly known as Fanny Jackson Coppin Normal School, was named in her honor and recognizes the outstanding contributions she made to teacher education.

Following her tenure at the Institute for Colored Youth, Jackson Coppin got involved in missionary work with her husband, Reverend Levi Jenkins Coppin. Together, they founded the Bethel Institute in South Africa, with Jackson Coppin using her leadership experience to provide counseling to South African women. 

 

Victoria Mercogliano
District Supervisor for Monmouth Regional Schools

Ms. Mercogliano has extensive school leadership experience which includes her current position as District Supervisor for Monmouth Regional Schools.  She also worked in Tinton Falls School District where she taught high school English as well as middle school students.  

Ms. Mercogliano holds an M.A. in Instruction and Curriculum and a B.A. English and Secondary Education. She teaches 45-Hour Literacy classes through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.

 

Jasmine Marshall-Butler
Associate Director Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program and Former English Teacher   

Ms. Marshall-Butler joined the Rutgers Alternate Route team in 2019 and played an integral role in launching the program's Teacher Portfolio Coach initiative and its job-embedded course for second year alternate route teachers. She has also taught courses for the Urban Teacher Education Program at Rutgers-Newark and the First Year Writing Program at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Ms. Marshall-Butler values supporting new teachers as demonstrated by her contributions at Bank Street College of Education as Project Director for Prepared To Teach and her current role as the Coordinator of Fieldwork and Coaching for the Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program at the University of Pennsylvania GSE.  

Ms. Marshall-Butler is a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University and holds an M.A.T. in Education from the University of Chicago. Her B.A. in English was conferred by Rutgers University. Ms. Marshall-Butler teaches the 60-Hour Supervised Provisional Teaching II course through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education. 

 

Mary McLeod Bethune
Founder of Bethune-Cookman University

Mary McLeod Bethune’s impact in education was driven by her role as a civil-rights leader. The daughter of former slaves, McLeod Bethune saw how education transformed lives, especially during the Reconstruction Era’s post-war education efforts. Originally intending to become a missionary, she turned to education after no church would sponsor her.

In 1904, McLeod Bethune opened Daytona Beach Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls, which eventually became a college and merged with the all-male Cookman Institute to form Bethune-Cookman University in 1929.

McLeod’s impact on education and Black Americans was so large that President Franklin Roosevelt named her director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration in 1936. She remained in this role until 1944.

 

Mary Ellen Merrill
Former New York City Supervisor and National Education Consultant

As an educational consultant with Access Educational Advisors and IDE Corp., Ms. Merrill’s experience includes mentoring teachers, writing language arts and social studies curricula, and conducting workshops. At North Plainfield Adult High School, she mentored, taught, and supervised. She has also taught all levels of high school English in the New York City school system; as well, she coordinated a reading program for a high school with over 5,000 students.

Ms. Merrill holds an Ed.S. in Literacy with a minor in Supervision from the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. Her M.S. in Secondary Education is from Richmond College, City University of New York. Her B.A. in English with a minor in Secondary Education was also conferred by Richmond College, City University of New York. She teaches 45-Hour Literacy online classes through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.

 

Patsy Mink
Congresswoman and Title IX Coauthor 

Patsy Mink’s career in congress almost didn’t happen. She had her sights on going to medical school, but was denied admission because of her gender. When she changed directions and made her way through law school, she faced discrimination as a working mother.

Mink decided to do something about the discrimination she, and countless other women, faced in education. In 1965, Mink became the first woman of color to be elected into the U.S. House of Representatives. A third-generation Japanese American, Mink was born and raised on the island of Maui and represented Hawaii in congress. Most notably, Mink co-authored the historic Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination within any school or education program that receives federal funding. 

Prior to Title IX, only 300,000 young women participated in school sports. As of 2018, there were 3.5 million female high-school athletes.

 

Savitribai Phule
Co-founder of India’s first school for girls and the Literacy Mission 

By nine years old, Savitribai Phule was married. Her marriage is where she learned how to read and write through her husband, Jyotirao, who was 13 at the time of the marriage. Education quickly became a passion for the two, and Phule took teacher training programs to begin a career for herself. In 1851, Phule and Jyotirao founded their first school for girls and by the end of that year, they were running three schools, which had a combined 150 girls enrolled. 

Phule is also an important figure in India’s feminist movement, as there was pushback toward women’s education during the time. She received threats, experienced violence and Jyotirao’s father eventually expelled the couple from his home because he viewed their work as sinful.

The couple didn’t stop, though. By the time of her death in 1897, Phule and her husband had opened 18 schools. In addition to their education service, Phule and Jyotirao opened Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha, a care center for pregnant rape victims and women who have faced sexual exploitation and abuse.

 

Faye Saul-Lewis
Former New Jersey Principal and National Education Consultant

Dr. Lewis has extensive school leadership experience, having served as principal in Hopewell Valley (NJ), Roselle (NJ), and Trenton (NJ) school districts. Previously, she was assistant principal and teacher in the South Orange/Maplewood (NJ) school district; she also taught in the Orleans Parish (LA) school district with Teach for America’s charter corps in 1990. Dr. Lewis currently uses her education and leadership expertise to support individual educators and organizations through her consulting work. Dr. Lewis thrives on encouraging and supporting teachers, as they take pedagogical risks to create amazing learning spaces for students and to explore what’s possible in the world of teaching and learning. .

Dr. Lewis holds an Ed.D. from Rowan University. Her M.Ed. is from St. Peter’s University and her B.A. in English Literature is from Rutgers University. She teaches in the 400-hour Alternate Route program in Mercer & Burlington Counties through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.

 

Stacy Young
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Montgomery Public Schools       

Ms. Young has extensive school leadership experience which includes her current position as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Montgomery Public Schools.  She also served as Supervisor of English for Bound Brook School District as well as the district's first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ms. Young was the first Assistant Director of Rutgers Alternate Route, where she played an integral role in the oversight of the program's Literacy Curriculum and the reinvention of the one-year 200-hour program as a successful two-year 400-hour program. She also worked in Hamilton School District where she taught English to Middle School students and is the author of several blog posts addressing social media, literacy and teacher motivation. 

Ms. Young is a doctoral candidate at Rowan University and holds an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. Her B.A. in English Education was also conferred by The College of New Jersey. Sheg teaches 45-Hour Literacy online classes through the Rutgers-Graduate School of Education.    

 

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