School Director Emily Fernandez previously served as dean of instruction for grades 3 and 4 at Brooklyn Ascend Lower School, where she supported and coached teachers, used data to guide instruction, and worked to push students to the highest level of academic achievement. During the 2013-2014 school year, Fernandez created Common Core workshops for parents and teachers and led the after-school tutoring program to prepare grade 3 students for the New York state exams. Before joining Ascend, Fernandez taught for several years at KIPP:AMP Academy in Brooklyn, serving as a mentor teacher, teacher leader and reading department chair. She was formerly a Teach for America corps member and fourth-grade teacher at a public school in Miami, Florida. Fernandez is a graduate of Boston University, and she earned her master’s degree in childhood education at Hunter College, Teacher U.