Secaucus Educator Thomas Tufaro Earns Doctorate in Educational Leadership at College of Saint Elizabeth

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Secaucus educator Thomas Tufaro has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth.

MORRISTOWN, NJ (02/28/2013)(readMedia)-- Thomas Tufaro, department chair of secondary English and social studies at Secaucus Middle and High School in Secaucus, N.J., has successfully defended his dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J., to earn his doctorate in educational leadership. Tufaro's dissertation is entitled, "Finding Common Ground: Exploring the Connections between the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards and Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning at the Secondary Level." He is a resident of the Rainbow Lakes section of Parsippany, N.J.

"The CSE doctoral program has afforded me the opportunity to explore and expand my knowledge of leadership, learning theory and interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Through the ongoing conversation with professors, guest lecturers and the other cohort members, I have built a strong foundation of leadership skills rooted in empirical research and best practices," said Tufaro. "Those same people helped to broaden my vision with new ideas, but also challenged me to defend my beliefs about education, human nature, and organization structures. The act of questioning, rethinking, and validating one's beliefs in the face of new ideas is a cornerstone of the CSE program – one that has already paid dividends, and will continue to serve me well in the future as an educational leader."

Tufaro entered the teaching profession through the alternate route, having begun his professional career as a financial writer while simultaneously working with high school percussionists at night. That connection to students guided him toward a full-time career in education starting with substitute work as a high school English teacher in Secaucus in 1999. In 2009, he was promoted to department chair of English and social studies in that district. For the past four years, he has worked to philosophically and pedagogically merge the two departments.

Tufaro has a bachelor's degree in English from William Paterson College in 1997, a master of arts in educational administration from St. Peter's College in 2003 and has completed additional graduate courses at Fordham University, the Indiana University and the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis.

The doctoral program at CSE, which is dedicated to preparing leaders who are committed to social justice and ethical practice, began in 2007. "Integrated into all course work and learning activities are the central values and beliefs necessary for school leaders to function as morally purposeful stewards for their school communities," states Msgr. Thomas J. McDade, Ed.D., course of study coordinator for the CSE doctoral program in educational leadership. "This philosophy of servant leadership represents a major shift from the traditional paradigm of school leaders as managers of resources which is so prevalent in today's practices."

Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J., the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 1,700 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate, and two doctoral degree programs; an Ed.D.in educational leadership and a Psy.D. in counseling psychology. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.