Dr. Ruby Ababio Fernandez

“[T]he demands in education, in its scale, pace, and complexity often lead those of us in the trenches going up against some time perceived and other times real pressures for deliverables and results that compromises impact because we ascribe quick fixes absent deep study of the very issues we’re trying to solve… This artificial separation results in a fractured approach to solving problems and a lack of coherence embedded in any resulting strategy. In education, all too often, the crisis of the day drives the pace and the scale of strategy.  This pattern often leads to a never-ending cycle of urgency over competency at the expense of impact and sustainability.”- Shifting Self and System

STRATEGY FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND IMPACT

My professional practice interests center around transforming systems for the primary purpose of achieving educational equity for under-resourced and disenfranchised students and communities. Specifically, I am interested in advancing leaders capacity in the following areas: 

  •  Developing culturally competent leadership and cultivation of human capital(all dimensions of self) as a lever for building sound educator disposition, content, instructional practice and craft knowledge to confront inequities.

  • Understanding and effective response to the impact of the current workplace climate on outcomes; developing skills for the complexities of leadership in diverse environments, fostering inclusion, engagement and innovation that drive meaningful and sustainable change.

  • Developing leaders capacity to examine and challenge beliefs, values, assumptions that perpetuate the routines, responsibilities, and actions in the workplace that hinder collaboration, distributive and adaptive leadership approaches

  • Engaging in deep system level calibration involving all stakeholders focused on problems you’re trying to solve, the historical context for its complexity, and evidence-based decision making forging new paths for disrupting generational cycles of economic and educational insecurities from childhood  into adulthood

  • Building leaders lens for and capacity to focus on emerging patterns as driver for adjusting strategy in curricula, instructional methodology, and the adult dispositions necessary to create a culture of belonging and high achievement

  • Orienting to reflective practice as a complex, rigorous, intellectual and emotional enterprise that can support  adult learners’ personal and professional growth and efficacy. 

  • Developing competency for compassionate and empathetic leadership reflective of active listening, understanding the needs and emotions of others, and communication; fostering a supportive environment where team members feel valued, heard, and contribute to organizational success.

  • Exploring the role of work, life, identity, mentorship, success and amplifying the distinctive challenges encountered by women in leadership roles, especially women of color, to drive change and dismantle societal barriers.

Dr. Ruby Leads…

“We can begin by doing small things at the local level… That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously.”-Grace Lee Boggs


CASE STUDIES

The Challenge: Launching the largest ever public school equity agenda

Over the past decade, the NYCDOE launched the ambitious Equity & Excellence agenda, which introduced a series of “for all” initiatives, including Pre-K for All, AP for All, and Implicit Bias training for all staff. These programs aimed to ensure that every NYC student received a high-quality, rigorous education from Pre-K through 12th grade. While these efforts brought about notable transformations, such as expanded access to early childhood education, they also exposed persistent gaps, particularly among students with diverse racial, cultural, learning, and language needs. Disproportionality data revealed ongoing disparities in academic and social-emotional outcomes, underscoring the struggle to provide equal opportunities for all students.

     Expertise in Action: A Tiered Approach to Sustainable Shifts in Practice and Policy

Pearls of Wisdom...

A Podcast Experience

Join Dr. Ruby as she reflects on leadership, work, womanhood, parenting, health and wellness practices, spirituality, life, and all things humanly possible.

“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.”- Hon. Justice Sonia Sotomayor


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