May 20, 2015- WriteSteps’ principal, Emil Carafa, was selected as Visionary Principal of the Year from the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. In addition to this award, Emil Carafa is the New Jersey recipient of the National Association of Elementary School Principals National Distinguished Principal Award.
Along with his duties as principal at Washington Elementary School, Emil Carafa has been a leader in the educational community, serving as a board member and past president of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA). In addition, he served on the Educator Leaders’ Cadre for Common Core and PARCC, which helped him turnkey transitions that had to be made in order to change instruction. An instructional leader who spends a great deal of time in the classrooms, Emil focuses on the culture and climate of his school to ensure that parents, teachers, and students are involved in the conversation to bring the necessary changes to improve student achievement.
“Emil Carafa has been an invaluable principal that has went above and helping spread the word about WriteSteps after his school purchased our program,” said Suzanne Klein, Founder and CEO. “I couldn’t think of a principal more deserving of this award. His passion for his students and staff truly shows, and we are very proud of his accomplishments.”
Emil Carafa will be acknowledged by the New Jersey State Board of Education. The Commissioner of Education will make a special presentation during the award ceremony.
As a Principal of the Year, Emil Carafa will receive $5,000 to be used towards the students and staff at Washington Elementary School, and a $1,000 personal award.
About WriteSteps
In 2007, WriteSteps Founder and CEO Suzanne Klein committed herself to creating teacher-friendly writing lessons after her school decided to prioritize writing due to low student outcomes. The writing program she developed – WriteSteps – was so successful in raising test scores and student confidence that the company expanded its scope to refocus instruction on the Common Core State Standards for writing and grammar. Its Common Core release won a “Best of Entrepreneurs” Award from Ann Arbor SPARK in 2010 and launched nationwide in September, 2011. WriteSteps is the recipient of
Learning Magazine
2013 Teachers’ Choice Award, the 2013 eLit Gold Award, the 2013 and 2014 APEX award for publication excellence, 2014 District Administration’s Readers’ Choice Top 100 Products Award, and a 2014 EdTech Cool Tool Award Finalist. For complete information, e-Newsletters, and the WriteSteps blog, visit WriteStepsWriting.com.