Jacy Ippolito

Jacy Ippolito is a Professor in the Secondary and Higher Education Department at Salem State University's McKeown School of Education. He serves as Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State (CEL@SSU) and Co-Director of Educational Leadership Programs. His professional journey spans academic, research, and practical roles in literacy education and instructional coaching.

Education:

• Ed.D. in Language & Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education (2003-2009)
• Ed.M. in Language & Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education (2000-2001)
• B.A. Honors in English & Psychology, University of Delaware, Summa Cum Laude (1996-2000)

Jacy Ippolito's research focuses on the intersection of educational leadership and literacy instruction, with particular emphasis on how teachers, teacher leaders, principals, and coaches facilitate instructional change in middle and high school settings. His work explores disciplinary literacy across content areas, the role of instructional coaching in school reform, and the development of teacher leadership. Through extensive collaboration with educators in K-12 settings, he investigates how professional learning communities can effectively integrate content knowledge with literacy instruction to improve student outcomes across diverse disciplines.

Analysis of Ippolito's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on the systems and context that support effective literacy coaching and disciplinary literacy implementation. His work increasingly examines how coaching models function in virtual and hybrid environments, the integration of social-emotional learning with academic instruction, and the development of leadership capacity among educators. A recurring theme is the importance of aligning coaching content with specific contextual factors in schools, recognizing that effective coaching requires understanding both the subject matter and the unique circumstances of each educational setting.

Professional Activities:

• Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership at Salem State (2022-Present)
• Co-Director of Graduate Educational Leadership Programs (2017-Present)
• Co-recipient of $200,000 BARR Foundation Grant to diversify educational leadership pipeline
• Co-author and Principal Investigator of $40,000 School Reform Initiative Research Grant

Ippolito maintains an active consulting practice through Ippolito Consulting, working with school districts across Massachusetts on literacy, instructional coaching, and leadership development. His research collaborations extend to multiple school districts including Wakefield, Brookline, and Cambridge Public Schools, where he has supported the design and implementation of instructional coaching models from K-12. His TEDx Talk and numerous conference presentations demonstrate his commitment to translating research into practical strategies for educators.