Tiffany Hicks

Tiffany entered the field of education and started her career in District 28 as a New York City Teaching Fellow in 2001. Tiffany’s love of literacy and desire to uncover best practices led her down the path towards becoming a Literacy Coach in 2005. During that time, she refined her skills and was able to shape the practices of her colleagues. It was then that Tiffany learned two valuable lessons: 1. Never forget what it’s like to be a classroom teacher; and 2. Never ask others to do something that she would not do herself. Tiffany quickly found that coaching teachers was just one piece of the puzzle. To truly understand why they were teaching specific lessons, they had to use the data to guide them in a strategic decision-making process. Tiffany was accepted into the Emerging Leaders Program in 2011. She had the opportunity to lead teachers through a data-driven cycle, where they carefully looked at their assessments, refined their plans, and taught specific standards to mastery. She began to coach teachers and view instruction with a different lens. Upon completing that program, Tiffany was accepted into the New Leaders Aspiring Principal Program and served as a Resident Principal for one year at PS 161. Throughout her time in New Leaders, she developed the skills needed to strengthen the instructional core across the school, design and enact an improvement plan, and foster high expectations. In 2013, Tiffany was appointed as Principal at PS 160 in District 28. Her goals for the school have centered on making thinking visible and building the capacity of teacher teams to close the gaps in ELA and mathematics. This journey has forced her to see her strengths and growth areas. She knows her participation in the Gray Fellowship for Principal Excellence will help refine her skills to become the transformational leader that she aspires to be.