Doreen J. McSain

Glenwood Elementary School
Vestal Central School District
Vestal, New York
djmcsain@vestal.k12.ny.us

Before she became principal of Glenwood Elementary, Doreen McSain taught at the elementary and middle school level for 16 years. In that role, she says she was “always on a quest to reach the unreachable students.” As an administrator, this remains her work but with the added challenge of reaching teachers to build their leadership potential—a mission which she grounds in her sense of responsibility for the future of public education. This dual focus reflects McSain’s belief that teaching and learning are fundamentally intertwined and that teaching comes with a responsibility to continuously learn and grow. McSain has implemented this principle at a curricular level through cross-grade-level programs that develop students as teachers, mentors, and leaders. Standards-aligned intervention, for example, has been delivered through a student-centered program called L.E.A.P., which has led to improved achievement in literacy. McSain credits a peer mentorship program called Friend Families an overall decrease in disciplinary referrals. Always a collaborator, McSain has worked with stakeholders to develop resources that have expanded Glenwood’s social and academic learning opportunities, including a dedicated play space and Maker Space that emphasizes STEAM learning. McSain has taught as an Adjunct Faculty at Binghamton University’s School of Education, where she also received a M.S. in Literacy Education. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Leadership and a B.S. in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland.