The Oct. 18 session of the Institute for Retired People (IRP) will feature Sharon Contreras, superintendent of the Syracuse City School District. She will discuss the district’s five-year plan for ensuring the success of the city’s students.
The IRP program runs from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and is free and open to the public. IRP sessions are held at the First Baptist Church of Syracuse, 5833 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville. For more information, visit http://uc.syr.edu/irp, call 315-443-4846, or e-mail cmkarlho@syr.edu.
Contreras began her career as a high school English teacher and then a curriculum specialist at the high school level in Rockford, Ill. Soon thereafter, Contreras was appointed principal of the award-winning Lewis Lemon Global Studies Academy magnet school. She implemented one of the nation’s first multi-tier literacy initiatives. Contreras was promoted to area superintendent over elementary, middle and high schools. Later, she became assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services, with responsibilities for special education, gifted, pre-kindergarten and ESOL programming.
In 2004, she accepted the position of chief academic officer for the 52,000-student Clayton County Public Schools in Jonesboro, Ga.
In 2007, Contreras became the chief academic officer for Providence Public Schools in Rhode Island. She implemented an Aligned Instructional System, improved the graduation rate and rolled out a Pathways to Prosperity initiative to provide high school students with greater access to college and careers.
Contreras attended Binghamton University, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature. She also earned a master of arts in teaching; a master of arts in English literature and a master of science in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently completing her Ph.D in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is a dissertator.
IRP is a community program established by University College of Syracuse University, dedicated to the principle of lifelong learning.
For most of his time as a public servant, Sean O’Keefe G’78 adhered to a few guiding principles: Step up when someone calls upon you to serve. Be open to anything. Challenge yourself. Those values helped O’Keefe navigate a career…
Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…
Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…
For the first time in the 12-year history of the program, both nominees from the Whitman School of Management have been selected as recipients of the 2025 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to top-performing undergraduate women…
The Whitman School of Management’s Distinguished Professor Johan Wiklund was recently listed as one of the most prolific business and economic research scholars globally, according to “What We Know About the Science of Science in Business and Economics? Insights From…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
