Alumna Credits Her Time at TCNJ with helping her Succeed in Public Education in New Jersey
JoAnn Bartoletti ’66, MEd ’74 is executive director of New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, which provides professional development opportunities for the more than 7,000 principals, vice principals, supervisors, directors, assistant superintendents, superintendents, and chief school administrators it represents.
JoAnn Bartoletti ’66, MEd ’74 knows how important it is to have the best teachers in the classroom. She still remembers the inspiring professors she studied with while a social studies education/language arts minor at then-Trenton State College.
“I was fortunate to have as my supervisors Dr. Helen Carpenter and Dr. Wright. Professors such as Dr. Alex Liddy and Dr. Alex Karras helped develop my love of literature and history,” JoAnn said.
One experience in particular from her student-teaching days still resonates with her. JoAnn was having problems with a particularly unruly class, and, unsure of what to do about the students, reached out to Dr. Carpenter for help. “[My supervising teacher] was shocked that anyone would invite their college supervisor, who determined the student’s teaching grade, to a class that was problematic’” JoAnn recalled. “But Dr. Carpenter made good suggestions, and she and my cooperating teacher led me through a most successful experience.”
It is experiences such as these that help JoAnn, now executive director of New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), work to improve the quality of teaching and learning in New Jersey. Her organization provides professional development opportunities for the more than 7,000 principals, vice principals, supervisors, directors, assistant superintendents, superintendents, and chief school administrators it represents.
JoAnn’s journey through the state education system began in 1966, when she was hired as social studies/language arts teacher at Lawrence Junior High School. Two years later she was asked to teach at the high school. She moved form the classroom to the administrative side in 1976, when she was hired as assistant principal at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. Eight years later, she became the school’s principal.
During her time as a teacher and principal, JoAnn said, she maintained close contacts here at the College. “Student teachers and administrative interns from TCNJ became part of the fabric of experiences at the high school,” she explained.
It was also during this time that she became actively involved with the NJPSA. She served as president of the organization in 1985, and became executive director in 1991.
Over the past 18 years, she has helped the organization’s membership grow dramatically, and has also witnessed the establishment of the Foundation for Educational Administration, a source for professional development for school-based leaders in the state. During her tenure, the association has forged a strong relationship with the NJ Department of Education through the EXCEL (Expedited Certification for Educational Leaders), which permits the association to provide certification for principalship, and Leaders to Leaders (L2L), which is the state-required mentoring program for school administrator certification.
“I have always been proud to tell people that I acquired both my graduate and undergraduate degrees from TCNJ,” Bartoletti said. “The strong educational programs, high standards, and personalized attention offered at the College helped shaped my character and gave me the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in life and in public education in New Jersey.”
Posted on May 14, 2009