Neubauer Fellows Community

Dr. Yonaira Rodriguez

Principal, William Cramp Elementary School
School District of Philadelphia
2024 Neubauer Fellow
Sector
Hunting Park
Grade Level
K-5
Student Enrollment
371
School/Org Neighborhood
District
Education
EdD in Educational Leadership, St. Joseph’s University
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Graduate Certificate, Walden University
Master of Education with a Principal Certificate and Autism Endorsement, Neumann University
BS in Education Chestnut Hill College
I am a principal because our schools are the most important system in a thriving democracy. Our goal is to prepare students to be adults in society with the skills required to enact change. Education is an act of social justice-we are preparing citizens who identify and address inequities.

Dr. Yonaira Rodriguez has served as the proud Principal of William Cramp Elementary in the School District of Philadelphia since April of 2024. Previous to Cramp, she was principal at Isaac A Sheppard Elementary where she impacted student achievement by positively impacting 2023 PSSA scores, increasing 4th grade Science scores by 19%, ELA Proficiency scores by 4%, and Math Proficiency scores by 5%. Yonaira also decreased students in the Below Basic ranking of Math by 26% and students in Below Basic in Science by 31%. Additionally, Sheppard saw an increase in student attendance by 22%. While at Sheppard, she established a partnership with Taller Puertorriqueño and the Julia de Burgos bookstore. Via private and corporate fundraising, she raised over $5,000 for students at Sheppard to shop three times a year from the pop up book fair which was curated with a focus on BIPOC authors and characters.

Dr. Yonaira Rodriguez began her teaching career in 2000 as middle school teacher at Julia de Burgos in the School District of Philadelphia. In 2002, she taught 6th and 7th ELA at Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. In 2003, she taught 3rd grade Spanish dual language at Pineloch Elementary in Orange County Public Schools. Yonaira was awarded Orange County Public Schools Teacher of the Year in 2005. In addition to her teaching experience, Yonaira worked as an instructional coach for Success for All Foundation from 2008 to 2015. In 2015, she served as a District Instructional Coach in William Penn School District located in Delaware County, PA. In 2018, she rejoined the School District of Philadelphia in the Office of Curriculum and Instruction as an ELA Specialist and then Director of Literacy. Outside of her work in SDP, Yonaira is an adjunct professor at the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, University of Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph University. She serves on the Executive Board for the Pennsylvania Association of Hispanic School Administrators whose goal is to increase opportunities for latino leaders in the educational space.

While she was born in Puerto Rico, Yonaira has spent most of her life in Philadelphia, PA. Yonaira is a proud SDP alum having graduated from Edison High School in 1996.

Fellow Listing