Derrick Ciesla, an educator with 24 years of experience as a teacher, administrator and mentor, joined Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester as its new head of school, the third in the institution’s 23-year history.
Ciesla, who previously served as the principal of Russell Elementary School in Dorchester, stepped into the role at Codman Academy beginning July 1.
“I felt a tremendous responsibility,” Ciesla said of being hired for the position. “I was very humbled and appreciative of the opportunity to lead the school and its community.”
He took over from interim Head of School Diana Lam, who began in the role in 2023.
Leading a charter school has always been a dream of his, said Ciesla, whose first experience in education was teaching at the Boston Renaissance Charter School in 1999, a stint that formed the foundation of his career in education.
Ciesla has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Boston College. He also held a mentorship role at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was a leadership recruitment fellow for Boston Public Schools.
Ciesla accepted the head of school position back in February and spent the subsequent months working as an independent contractor for the school as he became familiar with the role. Under Lam’s guidance and mentorship, Ciesla learned the different facets of the organization, began working with the Codman Academy Foundation Board and the school committee, and got to know the students, families, faculty and staff.
With the new school year fast approaching, Ciesla said his focus as Codman Academy’s head will be “cultivating a standard of excellence” and ensuring that students receive “high quality, tier-one instruction in everything they do, using high-quality instructional materials that are standards-based,” he said, “and that the faculty and staff here are implementing the curriculum with fidelity.”
Ciesla’s emphasis on achievement set him apart from his contenders.
“One of the things that, right away, Derrick brought to the table was this idea of pushing for academic excellence,” said Mbakwe Okafor, president of the school’s Foundation Board, who was on the selection committee.
Okafor pointed to Ciesla’s work at Russell Elementary School and in the Boston Public Schools as examples of the new head of school’s “unwavering belief in the potential of all students” and his commitment to helping Codman Academy raise its academic standards.
Ciesla’s track record of “taking resources that were available to him and trying to maximize the success of the students” instantly made him a top candidate, Okafor said, particularly given that some Codman Academy students come from under-resourced backgrounds.
In the 2023-2024 school year, 69 percent of students enrolled in the school were African American and 28 percent were Hispanic.
The Codman Aacademy Charter Public School, Dorchester, Massachusetts. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOMES.COM
The search for a new leader, which began after former Head of School Thabiti Brown left in 2023, lasted about a year and a half, Okafor said. Though the school year is yet to begin, Okafor said he has been “impressed” by Ciesla, whose appointment signaled the “next chapter” for the school.
“Derrick has assembled a terrific leadership team from … various experiences that he’s had. And so they’re coming in, and they’re super excited to be at Codman, and they’re super excited to really dig in and kind of get some work done,” he said.
Schools in urban settings like Codman Academy face unique challenges that suburban schools don’t, he added. Ciesla’s challenge then, Okafor said, will be “building teamwork and also camaraderie and uplifting the faculty and staff,” who “go above and beyond.”
“They’re in the work not for the money, but because of a calling that they want to make a difference in these young people’s life, and with that comes a lot of stress and burnout,” Okafor said.
Ciesla will have to contend with a pending union effort after a group of educators at Codman Academy in April announced their plan to unionize with the Boston Teachers Union.
The school has yet to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union, Ciesla said.
“At the end of the day, we’re here to serve students and families, and that’s our main objective,” he said. “With unionization, I think that provides a clear structure to roles [and] responsibilities in the work environment. So we are anxious and looking forward to negotiating a fair agreement with Codman Academy faculty.”
Ciesla begins his new role as charter schools across the state confront declining college enrollment and lagging outcomes on the MCAS, the state’s standardized test, following the pandemic.
In 2023, the average scaled MCAS scores for Codman Academy students were all within the 470 to 499 range, according to state data, an achievement level classified as “partially meeting expectations.”
Overall, Codman Academy is making “moderate progress towards targets,” an accountability classification outlined by the state’s Department of Education to rate how well schools are faring in returning to 2019 levels of MCAS achievement.
“We’re not teaching to the tests. The test is just a symptom of what we do in class,” Ciesla said. “So if we’re having high-quality, tier-one instruction, we’ll see our MCAS scores elevated, and therefore our accountability rating will be stronger.”
His other priorities include boosting alumni support and college and career readiness, enhancing student engagement programming and improving the school’s course selection to give students a competitive edge.
As he begins his tenure, he said he sees a “lot of great changes” on the horizon.
“We want equity and access for all students. We want them to have a world-class education,” Ciesla said. “And I think with me transitioning here to Codman Academy with a lot of energy, I’m very hopeful that I can breathe new life into a school that has a historic past and is very well respected. … We are set out to be one of the best charter schools, not only in Massachusetts, but here in the United States.”
