Melissa Aviles-Ramos became the first Latina to hold the highest rank in the city’s school system when she was appointed chancellor. This article on bronx1.one will tell you how she went from being a regular teacher to a top official at New York City Hall.
A Rapid Career in Education
Aviles-Ramos has Puerto Rican roots but was born and raised in the Bronx. She was raised by her mother and became the first in her family to graduate from high school and attend college. From a young age, Melissa dreamed of being successful and proving to everyone that a poor Latina girl could find a respectable place in American society.
She got her education in New York, first attending a Catholic school, then earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Fordham University. Later, Melissa received a master’s degree in English from City College of New York and an educational administration certificate from the College of Saint Rose in Albany.
Aviles-Ramos began her career at Truman High School in 2007. She systematically climbed the career ladder. Her experience in the public school system is extensive: she worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, deputy superintendent, and acting superintendent. In each position, she demonstrated a high level of professionalism, empathy, and engagement with every problem that arose.
When Melissa Aviles-Ramos became the principal of Schuylerville Preparatory School, she increased the graduation rate from 23% to 68% in her first year alone, and from 68% to 83% in her second year. At the same time, academic success rates significantly increased among English language learners, with 71% of them prepared for college entry.
In 2022, Aviles-Ramos advanced to a new level, becoming the Senior Executive Director in the Office of the First Deputy Chancellor, and then the Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, where she served from January 2023 to February 2024. Her next position was vice president of a community college in the Bronx. Six months later, Aviles-Ramos returned to the Department of Education headquarters in Lower Manhattan, this time as a senior deputy.
A Respected Position and Controversial Circumstances
In September 2024, Melissa Aviles-Ramos’s rapid appointment as chancellor, which came less than a day after the unexpected resignation of David Banks, surprised everyone.
Aviles-Ramos was known for the important role she played in enrolling over 40,000 migrant children who had arrived in the city over the past two years. There were those who criticized her for paying too much attention to migrants while there were many other pressing problems in the education system. But for the most part, the feedback on Aviles-Ramos’s work was positive.
During the meeting where Banks announced his decision to hand over his authority to his successor, Melissa said: “As a former teacher and mother of a public school student, I believe in our work and in the need for stability during this transition.” She also emphasized that her goal is to implement new initiatives and strengthen ties between communities and families for the benefit of children.
Mayor Adams, while recognizing Banks’s nearly 40-year career in the education system, assured that his resignation was not related to the numerous investigations concerning the administration. However, many people believe that the tense situation surrounding the mayor of New York, caused by a number of accusations and suspicions, was what prompted such sharp personnel changes.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos had always actively helped Banks in communicating with the press amid the FBI’s attention related to the corruption investigation. Being highly educated and composed, she always chose meaningful and clear justifications and statements. Adams and Banks stated that Aviles-Ramos’s appointment as chancellor was part of a previously planned strategy and asked people not to perceive it as a hurried cover-up for weaknesses under difficult circumstances. The mayor said that conversations about Banks’s resignation began as early as January 2024. Even back then, talks were held with Melissa about her future appointment.
Although managing the country’s largest school system is prestigious, experts believe that it’s very difficult to find a talented leader from the outside given the circumstances that had developed around the mayor and his team at the time. First, Banks’s successor might only be in office for a year if Adams doesn’t win re-election. And second, there are huge reputational risks. Who knows how the investigation will end and what light the mayor and his supporters will be seen in? “It’s quite hard to imagine who would want to work for Eric Adams under the current circumstances,” said Aaron Pallas, a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
But Melissa Aviles-Ramos was not afraid to take on the responsibility and didn’t wait for better times to build her career and achieve her dreams. And what she dreams about, just as she did many years ago, is one thing: that all children have the right to a guaranteed, high-quality education.
Respect and Support from the Educational Community
During a press conference, Eric Adams introduced Melissa Aviles-Ramos as a talented manager who impressed City Hall by coordinating the work of several agencies to support migrant students through the “Open Arms” project. Aviles-Ramos also earned the fierce loyalty of the colleagues she worked with in the Bronx and New York.
“She is the type of person you would follow to the gates of hell and back,” said Ron Link, principal of the Theater Arts Production Company School in the Bronx. He met Melissa when she oversaw his school as deputy and acting superintendent and admits that that period was the most productive and exemplary for “Theater Arts” in many respects. Her school still operates under the innovations that Melissa Aviles-Ramos brought to the institution back then.
John Powers, who retired as principal of Herbert Lehman High School in 2023, also came to support the new chancellor. He has known Melissa since 2016, when she took over as principal of Schuylerville Preparatory Middle School, a small school in the same building. Powers recalls that the school was in terrible shape back then; less than a quarter of all students were even graduating, let alone achieving any results. In just a few years under her leadership, Aviles-Ramos elevated the Schuylerville school to a high level and improved academic performance, attendance, and discipline metrics by almost four times.
The parent community also supported Aviles-Ramos’s appointment. She had spent three months as deputy chancellor overseeing family engagement in the educational process.
“She respects and values parents, families, and the voice of the community,” said Shirley Aubin, co-chair of the Parent Advisory Council.
A Firm Stance on Migrant Students, Spanish Language, and LGBTQ+ Issues
Ms. Aviles-Ramos often served as a public representative for the education system on matters related to new migrants, raising questions of enrollment, housing, and transportation at city council meetings and the mayor’s press conferences. There are ongoing difficulties in finding enough Spanish-speaking educators and mental health counselors. Many teachers complain about a lack of guidance from the Department of Education on how to support migrant students in the classroom.
Since July, when Aviles-Ramos took on the role of vice-chancellor, she became the highest-ranking Latina and Spanish-speaking official in the Department of Education. For her, migrant issues and the Spanish language have always been a priority. It’s worth noting that this isn’t just about personal priorities; these are genuinely pressing problems. In recent years, the number of Spanish-speaking students in New York City’s public schools has grown significantly. According to the latest data, 42% of public school students in the city identify as Latino. This number is startling, which is why the new chancellor emphasizes the need to better meet the needs of these students and their interests in the educational process.
Melissa Aviles-Ramos also reaffirmed her support for LGBTQ+ students in a letter to families, stating that the Department of Education’s policies and guidelines remain in effect despite recent executive orders from President Donald Trump. She stressed the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for all students, free from discrimination and intimidation.