Meet the Team

Immigrated from Guyana, South America, as a child, raised and nurtured within the communities of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn & Jamaica, and Queens. A proud graduate of NYC Public Schools and the CUNY system. She’s transitioned careers, previously working in customer service management, to now growing her experience and developing leadership skills within the field of education. She is motivated by her need for purposeful work and to positively impact the lives of children who look and come from communities similar to hers. Jonella’s goals and vision are driven by & centered on improving the outcomes for students, their families, and the larger community.

Amanda joined the Continuous Learning Team in the fall of 2023 and brings with her years of experience supporting teacher teams both as a school building principal and an Instructional Lead. She has been an educator in NYC for 15 years and has dedicated her career to supporting Multilingual Learners. She loves her family, reading and spending time by the ocean.  

Jedidah Calvert is a Brooklyn native and former NYCPS student. As an Evaluation Associate, she analyzes school-level data to help understand the impact of the Improvement Science process and the Continuous Learning Program. Jedidah is passionate about amplifying the voices of the underserved and is committed to this in her work at NYCPS and beyond. 

Christina Dessources served as a middle school math teacher in Queens and Brooklyn for a decade before joining the Continuous Learning Team. Christina shared her passion for math and technology with students and colleagues in her various teacher-leader roles to develop and implement school-wide initiatives and events. Through facilitating professional development and coaching teacher teams using inquiry cycles, Christina shared her knowledge of instructional practices that developed and enhanced the skills of various learners, including English Language Learners (ELLs) and Honor students. 

As a member of the NYCPS Continuous Learning (CL) team, Kayla plays a pivotal role as a Community Coordinator for the Networked Improvement Community (NIC) through equitable school resource analysis and allocation, which aims to support all educators across 25+ schools in the NYC area in their journey of empowering multilingual learners through equity and improvement science practices. Throughout the school year, Kayla leads and supports in facilitating Continuous Learning-led Convenings and Improvement Science Foundations (ISF) professional learning events to support school & teacher leadership.

Prior to joining the CL team in 2022, Kayla earned her B.A in English from CUNY Brooklyn College while working part-time as a Group Leader in the community-based non-profit organization Center for Family Life in Sunset Park. In her time there, she orchestrated participant and family-centered community events, fostered participant growth, and honed her leadership skills in training and supervising Assistant Group Leaders and Counselors to ensure they excelled in performing job responsibilities, grasping program protocols, and group dynamics.

As a native New Yorker and former student of the NYC Public School system, Kayla has seen firsthand how important the work done at Continuous Learning is and hopes that the tools provided by CL will help future educators continue the work of supporting NYC students to excel.

Jessica Kelly, a CL lead coach, has worked for the NYCPS for nearly 15 years. Throughout her tenure, she has worked with MLL students at 3 International’s Network for Public Schools high schools as an ENL Social Studies teacher, Curriculum Coach, and Assistant Principal. Her focus has been on the Bronx community throughout the years, and she is committed to improving educational practices for MLL students by providing teachers with tools to create accessibility and equitable learning experiences. 

Aaron Lucas is a Continuous Learning Lead Coach and supports a cohort of middle school teacher teams use improvement science methods to enhance outcomes for multilingual learners. Aaron started his career nearly 15 years ago as an elementary school teacher and is passionate about supporting educators in amplifying instructional practices for multilingual learners that are both rigorous and accessible. Over the years, he has served in various educational leadership roles, including as a citywide ELA Common Core Fellow, adjunct lecturer of TESOL methods, and as an ELL Services Administrator at the Bronx Borough Office. Proud to hail from the Bronx and a graduate of New York City Public Schools, Aaron earned a B.A. in English from the City College of New York, an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from New York University, and an M.S.Ed. in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. 

For 18 years, Katherine has worked in NYCPS as a middle school English teacher, instructional coach, and Director of Professional Learning for two different city-wide programs. Katherine joined the Continuous Learning team in 2019 and has had the privilege of supporting the Brooklyn NIC in its last year and supporting the Citywide NIC for all four years. She loves continuous improvement because it centers the students whom the status quo is serving the least, is all about learning, and honors teachers’ expertise and students’ voices.

Alia Summers has dedicated 14 years to education, teaching at the secondary level, supporting teacher teams, and coaching school-building leaders. In the fall of 2020, she joined the Continuous Learning Team, where she facilitated professional development and coached teacher teams using inquiry cycles. Her work has enhanced the skills of diverse learners, including English Language Learners (ELLs) focused on improving outcomes for Black and Latinx students. Alia holds a Bachelor's in English from Spelman College, a Master's in Education Policy from Columbia University, and a Master's in Education Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. 

Jin Tang currently serves as the Lead Senior Director of Curriculum & Instruction at NYC Public Schools, focusing on continuous improvement based on insights gained during her tenure with the Continuous Learning team. Prior to this role, Jin dedicated eight years as a principal in a community deeply committed to biculturalism among Mandarin-speaking and Spanish-speaking families. Her journey into educational leadership began as a Director within NYC Public Schools' Department of Academics, Performance, and Support, where she specialized in professional development for educational leaders.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston College, a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and completed Educational Leadership studies at The City College of New York. Currently, she continues her professional growth through educational leadership courses at Harvard University.

Jin remains committed to advocating for historically marginalized students, striving to contribute positively through her leadership and dedication to educational excellence.

Brigid is a data analyst and applied researcher who loves using quantitative and qualitative data to help improve classrooms and schools and make them great for all children. After navigating NYC’s kindergarten process as a parent, she was inspired to pursue a new career in education policy. She has worked in education as a data analyst, program evaluator, and researcher since 2015, focusing on adult learning, leadership development, instructional improvement, early childhood education, alternative education, and multilingual learner education. 

Elma Yuan is a Program Coordinator with 4 years of experience in working with international students. She holds a Master's degree in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania and started her career as an ESL teacher after graduation. Elma has successfully supported various projects in Continuous Learning, ensuring they meet organizational goals and deliver impactful results. She is known for her project management, data visualization, and budget management expertise. Outside of work, Elma likes traveling and petting every dog that passes by.