"All students benefit from having teachers of color, research shows. A report by the Learning Policy Institute revealed that when taught by teachers of color, students of color have better academic performance, improved graduation rates, and are more likely to attend college" Education Week September 10, 2020
The RSEC Team:
Dr. Patricia N. Anekwe
Dr. Patricia Anekwe is a retired educator with more than three decades of experience, teaching and leading in an urban school district. She has a doctoral degree in education and serves as an adjunct in the graduate school of education at the University of Bridgeport. She is passionate about equity in education and believes that students can optimize their potential with support.
Dr. Anekwe has served in various capacities as an educator including, as a department head, assistant principal, instructional leader, and the director of a high-performing urban magnet high school. She is the author of “High-achieving Second-Generation Nigerians in the United States: Navigating Multi-context to success”.
Dr. Patricia N. Anekwe
Shaun Smith
Shaun Smith currently serves as the Director of Central Magnet High school Bridgeport CT. She has worked in urban education at the high school level for over 35 years, as an administrator and Science teacher in New York City and Bridgeport CT. She is a transformational leader that served as the interim principal both at the high school and elementary level.
She has demonstrated her commitment to ensuring quality education for all students. She coordinated and developed one of the first Health Magnet program and established the first Health Occupations Student of America (HOSA) chapter in the state of Connecticut.
Mrs. Shaun Smith holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry, M.S degree in Education and Science and a Sixth year in Educational leadership.
Shaun Smith
Dr. Carmen C. McPherson
Dr. McPherson is an experienced inspirational educational leader, workshop developer, researcher and problem solver.
In the field of education her research has led her to present workshops, discussions, and lectures on: Structural Inequities, Beliefs, Equity and Change.
She believes that building educator efficacy, and developing a strengths-based mindset around the success and achievement of Black and Brown children, must be used to combat the consistent failure paradigm.
Dr. McPherson believes wholeheartedly that given the right conditions, all can attain high levels of achievement, learn intellectually demanding information, and shift perspectives irrespective of their age, origin and placement in time and space.
Dr. Carmen C. McPherson