About Us

The NYC Parent Academy is dedicated to supporting student achievement by creating and enhancing partnerships within school communities and strengthening parent involvement.

The Academy can provide school communities with the training and resources they need to support their families and to help parents become informed and involved partners in the educational lives of their children.

The Academy was created as a partnership between the New York City Department of Education’s Division of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) and Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn.


Here is some information about the Parent Academy leaders: 

Varleton McDonald (Mac), DOE Senior Project Director   

As FACE’s Senior Project Director of the Parent Academy, Mac is responsible for overseeing operations and working as a liaison between the LIU project staff and the Department of Education.   

For six years he worked as a Network Leader for Empowerment Schools, a critical component in the DOE’s Children’s First Initiative, serving 23 schools throughout the New York City area with grade levels from pre-k through 12. In this role he was responsible for leading development of instructional strategies, facilitating effective collaboration with school administrators, staff, students, and school communities, including community based organizations and vendors, for the schools in his network. He spearheaded initiatives that incorporated community relationships, parent involvement, and brought together resources to support school communities toward improvement.

With Masters degrees in administration and guidance, Mac has also served New York City public schools as a Local Instructional Superintendent, high school principal, assistant principal, and coordinator of guidance.  Mac formerly served as an adjunct professor in educational leadership at Brooklyn College, leadership coach at Teacher’s College, and motivational speaker and mentor for at risk youth.  He is currently a doctoral student of Education Leadership at St. John Fisher College.

Evelyn Castro, LIU Project Director  

Described as an “inexhaustible, hands-on, and visionary leader,” Dr. Castro began her distinguished career as a student teacher while still in undergraduate school at Morgan State University. Upon graduation, she returned to New York City, where she earned an M.S. in early childhood/elementary education from Bank Street College of Education and an Ed. M. in education and an Ed. D. in education administration from Columbia University. While pursuing her post-graduate education, Dr. Castro taught in the New York City public schools. Quickly identified as a gifted educator and a strong administrator, she rose to the position of principal at Magnet School P.S./I.S. 308 and then became principal at the Hunter College Elementary School, a laboratory school for gifted students. Dr. Castro also served as director of early childhood for the New York City public schools. In this role she initiated a collaborative team teaching program.

Her achievements in diverse academic settings led to her appointment as superintendent of Community School District 17, the district which encompasses Crown Heights and Flatbush which had over 30,000 students, 3,000 employees, and an operating budget of $130 million. During her tenure as superintendent, reading scores improved 11.2 points in four years. She created two new schools, while also expanding pre-kindergarten service for 1,500 students. Her success in expanding and improving technology efforts in the district earned her recognition from the Congressional Black Caucus and from Congressman Major Owens.

Dr. Castro also has extensive experience at the university level. She has served on the faculties at Hunter College, Queens College, Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers. At present, Dr. Castro is an associate professor at LIU Brooklyn, where she has also served as Assistant Dean within their School of Education.

Kathleen Feeley, LIU Curriculum Developer  


Kathleen M. Feeley, PhD, BCBA is an Associate Professor at LIU Post and the founding Director of the Center for Community Inclusion.  Dr. Feeley began her career in the New

York City Department of Education teaching students with severe intellectual disabilities. She earned her PhD from the University of Minnesota and has been on the faculty at LIU for 10 years. Dr. Feeley is also the Director of the Long Island Parent Center which was  awarded to the Center for Community Inclusion in July of 2011. Dr. Feeley has over two decades of experience providing staff development and onsite technical assistance within preschools, agencies, and school districts, and works closely with parent groups across New York State. She has recently co-authored the book “Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Learners with Moderate to Severe Disabilities” (Brookes Publishing Co.) and has published several studies addressing interventions for communicative impairments in children with intellectual disabilities.


About Long Island University


LIU’s Brooklyn Campus is the original unit of Long Island University, one of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the country. Known for its excellent academics, renowned faculty, comprehensive career services, state-of-the-art facilities, Division I athletics, and small class size, the campus educates more than 11,000 credit-seeking and continuing education students, preparing them for meaningful careers and inspiring them to make a difference in their own communities and in the world. LIU has been providing outstanding educational opportunities to students from all walks of life for more than eight decades.