Buffalo, NY - For Mark D. Mambretti, educating students is more of an art than a science.
“We’re trying to inform, educate, nurture and inspire young people, not create a perfect product,” he says.
Mambretti is in his inaugural year as director of evaluation, assessment and grants for the East Aurora School District. The newly created position is the latest leadership role for this educator-turned-administrator who is known nationwide for setting the pace, character and quality of education for children in his schools.
Mambretti began his career as a social studies teacher at the former Catholic Central School in Buffalo. He “fell into administration” when Catholic Central adopted a Nativity model and tasked Mambretti with developing the academic curriculum for at-risk boys in grades 6-8. Since then, Mambretti was principal of St. Peter’s School in Lewiston, the elementary division of Nardin Academy and most recently, East Aurora Middle School.
Under his leadership, the school saw considerable changes in its culture, climate and most notably, academic performance. During Mambretti’s eight-year tenure, East Aurora Middle climbed from 13th to 5th among public schools on Buffalo Business First’s annual school rankings. It was also one of only four public schools to win subject excellence awards in English language arts and math, according to the newspaper’s rankings.
The U.S. Department of Education recognized this academic excellence in 2012 by awarding East Aurora Middle a coveted National Blue Ribbon. The following year, the School Administrators Association of New York State and the National Association of Secondary School Principals named Mambretti as the New York State Middle School Principal of the Year. And, the National Association of Middle School Principals recognized Mambretti as the National Principal of the Year in 2014.
