Carlos R. McCray, Ed. D

Born and raised in Jemison, Alabama, Carlos McCray recieved his BA & M.Ed from Alabama State University, and eventually went on to recieve his Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Bowling Green State University.

Dr. McCray is currently an associate professor in the Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy department in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University. He teaches courses on Educational Leadership, Social Justice, and Urban Education.

Dr. McCray’s research interests and area of expertise include building level leadership, multicultural education, and urban education. Much of his time has been spent researching how leaders of K-12 schools are dealing with the increasing amount of diversity that is occurring within their schools and whether they feel equipped to deal with an increasingly heterogeneous student population. In addition, Dr. McCray has written extensively on the aforementioned topics as well as the issue of cultural collision and collusion within urban schools.

He has co-authored a book that is scheduled to be released in early 2011; the book is titled “Cultural collision and collusion: Reflections on hip-hop culture, values, and schools.” In addition, he is currently writing a second book on multiculturalism and culturally relevant leadership in schools, which is titled, “School leadership in a diverse society: Helping schools to prepare all students for success.” The book is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011. Lastly, Dr. McCray is currently researching the role of school leaders in bridge building with communities of color and communities of low SES backgrounds.

Dr. McCray enjoys dividing his time between his research, writing, and teaching endeavors; he believes his research/scholarly activities and teaching are inextricably connected. As a college professor, he wants his teaching to be enhanced by his research and writing. Dr. McCray believes students learn best by becoming inquisitive learners and says, "I enjoy the interaction with the students the most. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work at a University such as Fordham and interact with students on such a high level. The most important aspect of teaching to me is maintaining students’ interests. I think it is critically important for students to be engaged in the material that is being covered."