Elise Goldman

Elise Goldman is the Lower School director of curriculum and learning. Before coming to The Leffell School she was the Lower School director at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn and, prior to that, the assistant principal at Ethical Culture School in Manhattan. Before becoming an administrator, she was a staff developer for Project New Beginnings, a partnership between Bank Street College of Education and the Newark Public Schools. She also worked as a staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City and suburban schools, and was a classroom teacher for the first ten years of her career in education. Ms. Goldman received her master’s degree in education from Bank Street College of Education, and took administrative courses at both Teachers College and Bank Street. Her undergraduate degree is from Oberlin College, which fostered her belief in the importance of making the world a better place. Accordingly, she tries to infuse this belief in her approach to curriculum development, seeking opportunities for students to learn that they can have agency in the world. She values opportunities to work with students in their classrooms in all curriculum areas, including lunch and recess. She lives on City Island with her husband, where she enjoys gardening and cooking.