As previously noted, teachers had various levels of expertise, with credentials ranging from those with advanced degrees to, more commonly, those with little to no teaching experience, including recent Harlem Prep alumni.
This portrait shows why staff diversity is more than a numbers goal. Students saw many ways to be an intellectual. A young teacher who found his calling, an Afrocentric scholar with a big public voice, alumni who came back to teach, immigrant educators, even Catholic nuns. Carpenter’s choice to value lived experience and commitment alongside degrees turned the school into both a mirror and a bridge for students.
