Esther Fusco

Esther Fusco is currently an associate professor at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She is the chair of the Department of Teaching, Literacy, and Leadership. She served as an adjunct at Hofstra for 15 years before becoming a full-time faculty member. Before coming to Hofstra, Dr. Fusco was the principal of the Port Jefferson Elementary School for 8 years and the principal of the Babylon Elementary School for 8 years. In Babylon, she also served as the director of Curriculum K–12 and the director of Special Education. In addition, Dr. Fusco was a Middle School Reading Coordinator and Elementary Gifted Coordinator in the Shoreham Wading River School District. Currently, Dr. Fusco is the facilitator for the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) National Network on Language, Literacy, and Literature and the chair of the Balanced Literacy Special Interest Group for the International Reading Association. Dr. Fusco has authored several children’s literature programs, numerous articles on curriculum and instruction, and a series of books on portfolio assessment.

In 2006, Dr. Fusco was named New York State Elementary School Principal of the Year by the State Association of Administrators of New York, and she was awarded the title of National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Administrators and the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, she received the Hofstra University Teacher of the Year Award.