Alison Lanza
Summary
Dedicated social justice educator focused on empowering students through engaging curricula that drives civic action and community resilience. Utilizes restorative practices to cultivate empathy and accountability while promoting equitable school policies that honor cultural strengths.
Overview
1
1
Certification
2027
2027
years of professional experience
Work History
Restorative Justice Coordinator & Social Justice Educator
NYCDOE M964
East Harlem, NY
2020 - Current
- Developed structured curricula that supported program goals, met compliance requirements, and improved youth engagement in grades 4-8.
- Facilitate restorative justice practices including community circles, peer mediation, and harm‑repair dialogues to build empathy, accountability, and collective care.
- Guide students through civic action projects addressing housing equity, environmental justice, and youth empowerment.
- Partnered with community organizations to create experiential learning opportunities, enhancing student leadership skills.
- Delivered professional development for staff on restorative approaches, anti-bias pedagogy, and community-centered teaching, fostering an inclusive school environment.
- Advocated for equitable school policies recognizing and honoring cultural and social strengths of East Harlem youth, promoting a supportive educational climate.
- Supported colleagues in developing and implementing school initiatives and policies.
- Organized training sessions for staff on new educational tools and resources.
- Certified in TCIS (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools) through Cornell University, applying trauma‑responsive, relationship‑centered crisis prevention and intervention strategies.
P5 Teacher and Exhibition Coordinator
LEGO International School of Billund
Billund, Denmark
2018 - 2020
- Achieved certification as a LEGO Agent of Play to facilitate engaging learning experiences for students.
- Led workshops and professional development on gender awareness and inclusion to enhance educational practices.
- Collaborated with Harvard Graduate School of Education for Project Zero, focusing on integrating pedagogy of play into curriculum.
- Implemented Responsive Classroom school-wide to foster a positive learning environment.
- ISB's playful curriculum is built upon the rigorous educational framework of the International Baccalaureate, which provides students with a solid and transferable foundation of academic skills.
2nd-6th grade ICT Teacher
NYCDOE M964
East Harlem, NY
2011 - 2018
- Plan, develop, and differentiate math lessons using TERC Investigations curriculum.
- Experience tailoring Teachers College Reader's/Writer's Workshop curriculum to present more culturally relevant curriculum to students of color.
- Collaborate with colleagues across grades through teacher-led studies, inter-visitations, and planning meetings in order to strengthen instruction, calibrate assessments, and collaborate on how to use assessment-data to inform future instruction.
- Foster meaningful relationships with families through the Remind app and a personal class website, regular email/phone contact, parent workshops, and parent meetings to build strong support systems for students' academic and social/emotional achievement.
- Implemented Responsive Classroom and The First Six Weeks to build a positive and inclusive classroom community.
Education
BSEd - CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, GRADES 1-6
The City College of New York
New York05-2011
BA - PSYCHOLOGY
The City College of New York
New YorkM.A. - CREATING CULTURALLY RELEVANT CURRICULUM
Teachers College Columbia University
M.A. - CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION: STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Hunter College CUNY
Skills
- Curriculum development
- Restorative practices
- Youth Advocacy
- Trauma-informed strategies
- Civic engagement
- Project Coordination
- Community building
- Team collaboration
- Collaborative leadership
- Knowledge sharing
- Organization
- Deadline management
- Time management
- Communication
- Written communication
- Cultural competence
- Relationship building
- Communication skills
Certification
- Certified in TCIS (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention in Schools through Cornell University
Publications
- Pedagogical Third Spaces: Inclusion and Re-Presentation of LGBTQ Communities in and through Teaching as a Matter of Justice, Theory Into Practice, Mariana SoutoManning, Alison Lanza, 2018, 10.1080/00405841.2018.1536
- Students Rights to Author Their Identities, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Mariana SoutoManning, Alison Lanza, 2017
Timeline
Restorative Justice Coordinator & Social Justice Educator
NYCDOE M964
2020 - Current
P5 Teacher and Exhibition Coordinator
LEGO International School of Billund
2018 - 2020
2nd-6th grade ICT Teacher
NYCDOE M964
2011 - 2018
BSEd - CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, GRADES 1-6
The City College of New York
BA - PSYCHOLOGY
The City College of New York
M.A. - CREATING CULTURALLY RELEVANT CURRICULUM
Teachers College Columbia University
M.A. - CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION: STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Hunter College CUNY