District 9 Team Member Spotlight

Craig Pinckey-Lowe, Director of Teaching and Learning

Craig Pinckney-Lowe is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning for District 9. He has been a dedicated educator for more than twenty years, who began his career as a Humanities teacher in East Harlem. Craig has held a wide variety of roles, primarily in the Bronx, including: a Social Studies cluster teacher, fourth grade classroom teacher, and literacy coach in a District 12 elementary school; a testing coordinator for the former Region 2 (Districts 8, 11, and 12); a Teachers Center coach for a District 10 middle school; an Achievement Coach for former Network 607, with schools in Districts 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, and 27; a principal of PS 102 in East Harlem; an Educational Administrator/Literacy Instructional Coach in the Bronx, primarily serving District 7; and the Director of Teaching and Learning for grades K-8 in the Bronx. This range of experiences gives Craig a strong foundation for supporting effective teacher and leadership practice, which in turn strengthens our students' learning experiences. Indeed, a core value of Craig's is that by supporting the adults who work with our children in their practice, and doing so with respect and dignity, we help to create the conditions for effective, nurturing learning environments where all students can thrive.

He provides support with Science instruction and the Advance teacher development/observation system for teachers and administrators.

Craig is a Native New Yorker, born in Spanish Harlem, spending his formative years there, as well as in Hempstead, Long Island, Denver, Colorado, and Bel Air, Maryland before returning to New York City for college. Craig worked in retail for several years before entering the education field, and also volunteered as a tour guide/docent at Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. It was volunteering at the Schomburg Center, giving educational guided tours to elementary and middle school students, that sparked his interest in becoming a teacher.

Craig is very happy to be a part of the District 9 team and to serve our schools and our diverse families. The late Mayor David Dinkens referred to New York City as a "gorgeous mosaic", and that richness is alive across all of District 9, in all of our schools. It is Craig's privilege to be in service to our gorgeous mosaic, and to nurture the innate brilliance of our students and families.