Equity & Diversity Photos

The Making of a Leaders To Learn From Cover

By Jaclyn Borowski — February 13, 2023 1 min read
Chimere Stephens, Senior Director of Diversity and Recruitment for the New York City Department of Education, reads a book to a class of K-2 students at PS 55 elementary school in the Bronx, New York., January 19, 2023.
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Picking the cover for any edition of Education Week in print is a thrilling, yet deliberative process. But no cover generates quite the excitement, or the focus, as the one we select for our annual Leaders To Learn From special report.

As I meet with the editors to review the options, we discuss all of the Leaders, their work, their impact, and what they’re doing for the field.

And, of course, we examine the strength of the visuals.

This year, we had three solid options for the cover, but after our discussions, the answer became clear.

Leaders to Learn From cover featuring Chimere Stephens

This year’s Leaders To Learn From project was our first time working with New York City-based photographer Mostafa Bassim, and the imagery he sent back was stunning. In particular, the intimacy and impact of his portraits of Chimere Stephens, the senior director of diversity and recruitment and NYC Men Teach in New York City public schools, stood out.

Plus, Stephens’ work helping to nearly double the percentage of men of color teaching in the city’s public schools was cover-worthy.

Check out our Leaders To Learn From project, and read more about the work of all eight of our Leaders, in print, on Feb. 15.

Chimere Stephens, Director of NYC men teach at The NYC Department of Education, reads a book to a class of first grade students at PS 55 elementary school in the Bronx, New York., January 19, 2023.

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