New UWS Principal Looks To Bring Local School Back Together

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Marciarie Rodriguez, the new principal of an Upper West Side school that had years of complaints from parents over former leadership, did not want to come into her new role and make large changes immediately.

Instead, Rodriguez, who started as principal at the Manhattan School for Children in November 2022, came into her new role with an emphasis on listening.

"I came in with a coaching ear," Rodriguez told Patch, who outside of her 17 years of experience at the Upper West Side's Mott Hall II also trained as a life coach. "I didn't want to come in and do any big changes, the very first thing I would do is meet with everyone and really just go on a listening tour that featured everybody in the community."

In those beginning months, Rodriguez met with students, parents, the parent association and had one-on-one sessions with all 85 members of her staff.

The listening sessions were all the more important given the kindergarten through eighth grade school's recent history with leadership.

Rodriguez is replacing the controversial former principal Claire Lowenstein, who received multiple no confidence votes from the school community and inspired protests outside of the school for her departure.

In 2019, nearly 80 percent of school employees said they did not support Lowenstein's continued leadership.

More than 100 parents signed a letter in the summer of 2022 to replace Lowenstein, with the families accusing her of having an "actively hostile" relationship with parents, not giving enough attention to students with disabilities, and that she had hired too many white teachers, according to reporting from the New York Post.

"I think in this situation there's been a lot of turmoil and she needs to move on," now Upper West Side Council Member Gale Brewer said at the time. "The school needs to come together and be the great school it has been."

Lowenstein voluntarily stepped down from her nearly decade-long leadership position at the school shortly before Rodriguez had her first day.

The Start Of Changes

Rodriguez began making changes in January 2023, and a primary focus was reconnecting members of the school.

"One of the big goals we had was bringing the community together," she told Patch.

In recent months, those school community events have included a spring fair, a Black history panel, a community planting event and an upcoming school film festival.

Rodriguez emphasized that she was warmly welcomed by the Upper West Side school community.

“I think I was welcomed extremely, extremely well, one part of it is I do just have a warm nature, if I do say so myself," Rodriguez said. "I come with this smile and an open heart, and really just wanting to listen, but also I come with years of experience, and years of experience at a very successful middle school on the Upper West Side.”

Before arriving at Manhattan School for Children, Rodriguez worked for 17 years at Mott Hall II, first as a math and science teacher, and then moved into the administration through the Department of Education LEAP program to assistant principal.

"The entire MSC community is ecstatic that Marciarie is our principal," Gui Stampur, a parent of a first grader at the school, told Patch. "Her energy, dedication to inclusivity and community building are infectious and flowing throughout the halls of the school."

Rodriguez reiterated her love for the "parent" community, but noted that she would love to see even more people get involved.

"I love our parent community, but I would love to see more people participating," she told Patch. "I think they're slowly coming out because there was some apprehension in the past due to the leadership but everybody has been super welcoming."

Olivia Greer, a parent of a first and third grader at the school, believes Rodriguez can bring the school back together.

"Marciarie has a clear vision for healing and strengthening our school, and positioning it to be a standard-bearer for progressive education over the longterm," Greer said. "She is strategically building trust, opening dialogues and identifying areas of critical focus."

As Rodriguez continues to leave her fingerprints on the Upper West Side school, she is looking to return Manhattan School for Children back to being a leading "progressive school in the district."

"I think we've lost a little bit of that, and so it's about bringing that back," she said. “What does that look like in terms of community? What does that look like in terms of instruction and learning? What does that look like in terms of our values, our vision?"

How Her Personal Background Shapes Her Work

Rodriguez was raised in East Harlem by a mother who taught and a father who never graduated high school.

“I’m a Puerto Rican who grew up in the city and is a product of the New York City educational system," she said. "I think that appeals to some parents as someone who has been through the city, who is diverse, who can speak Spanish, but who is also extremely educated and has a wealth of knowledge about education.”

"For me, I saw Black and Latino kids in excellence in education, there was nothing we couldn't handle, there was nothing we couldn't achieve," she added.

Rodriguez also shapes her outlook through her own experience as a parent.

"The other key thing is I'm the mom of a kid with ADHD and dyslexia, so I come from not only an educator lens, but also a parents lens of I know what you're going through," Rodriguez said.

"I know what it is to have a kid who struggles, that learns differently, who needs a little bit more of a tender touch when it comes to learning and academics, but I believe in whole child education, I believe in getting every kid what they need."