Center Educational Consulting
About Mitch
Mitch Center started working in schools more than two decades ago because at the age of 22 he believed it was the best place to make positive change in the world. He still believes that. Throughout his career he has been fortunate to have worked with thousands of outstanding teachers, leaders and thinkers across dozens of schools, and is excited to have launched Center Educational Consulting to provide tailored supports to leaders in education. Mitch holds a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Masters in Educational Leadership from Pace University, and has his principal and superintendent’s licenses in both New York and New Jersey. These days he continues his education by reading everything he could get his hands on, and by talking with and listening to educators across the country who always have something new to teach him.
After working ten years in education and youth development, Mitch began his journey in educational leadership in 2005 as a principal-in-residence with the nationally-renowned school leader development program, New Leaders. Following his residency, he joined the burgeoning Success Charter Network in 2006 where he was fortunate to join several brilliant teachers and leaders at the flagship school in year one, and where he went on to become the founding principal at Success Charter School 4.
From 2012-2016 Mitch worked as Assistant Superintendent in Newark Public Schools where he led a network of schools serving more than 10,000 kids in New Jersey’s largest city. In Newark, Mitch helped lead the design and implementation of the city’s new teacher evaluation and development framework, and he worked closely with district and school leaders as he managed and supported fourteen K-8 schools and four early childhood centers.
About the Work
Mitch coach's leaders one-on-one, collaborates with leaders for virtual and in-person leadership development sessions (masterminds, summer institutes, retreats, etc.), and collaborates with school and district leaders to create tools and resources that support leaership priorities (i.e. teacher and leader evaluation tools). Having worked with thousands of educators in district, charter, private & parochial schools, Mitch has gained a few key insights that he is bringing to his work with Center Educational Consulting:
First and foremost, school leadership is critical - where there is an outstanding school, there is an outstanding leader at the helm. While there are countless examples of greatness in many classrooms across the country – dynamic teachers who are making magic for the subset of kids they serve - whole-school improvement comes with strong leadership. Given how critical this role is, Center Educational Consulting coaches and supports leaders to be their best.
Second, when adults learn, kids thrive. Great schools and districts are places where adults are committed to their own learning, and to cultivating a culture of continuous improvement. The Japanese have a name for this approach – Kaizen – and it is essentially the opposite of the cynicism and defeatism that sometimes creeps into our schools and school systems. By collaborating with schools, districts and organizations that support learning, Center Education Consulting provides support with program and school design, and helps adults get better and smarter at what they do.
Third, the best schools and districts are the ones who don’t go it alone. Just as they encourage teachers to learn from one another by visiting each other’s classrooms, high functioning schools partner with and learn from many of the education organizations that work to support them. Center Education Consulting works directly with these organizations to create content and connections, and to ensure great programs and resources are designed to meet the real needs of students, teachers and schools.
For more information about the services provided by Center Educational Consulting, please contact us. We will listen, seek to understand, and if we think we could help, we will tailor our supports to meet your needs. We look forward to collaborating!