Phillip Woods is empowering teachers and learners in his community as the superintendent of Aliquippa School District by using knowledge, skills and experiences that he gained as a student at Slippery Rock University.
Woods, who earned a master’s degree in special education from SRU in 2004, is part of the proud ranks of SRU alumni in prominent educational leadership positions who advocate for high quality public education that nurtures the futures of students, communities and the nation through quality teacher training and support for educators.
Woods’ academic career has been spent studying education at various levels in Pennsylvania’s State System for Higher Education, including SRU for his master’s and principal certification and Indiana University of Pennsylvania for his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees. The State System promotes the proliferation of high-quality degrees and workforce training for Pennsylvania residents at an affordable price.
“I picked SRU for my master’s degree because it was a state school, so it was affordable and I was eligible for grants and financial aid,” Woods explained. “The program design was also flexible, and that flexibility allowed me to be able to do coursework without having to sacrifice work or time with my family.”
While pursuing his master’s in special education, Woods was also working for Holy Family Institute, and alternative school with a residential component and also preparing to take his Praxis exams for his teacher certification, something that his degree at SRU helped him to ace.
“After my undergrad, I tried to take my Praxis exams and was unsuccessful in passing them,” Woods explained. “After finishing my master’s at SRU, I was able to retake and pass all of my exams. I believe it was a combination of the experience I had working, and then also the knowledge and training I got through my program.”
After graduating from SRU, Woods was encouraged by Robert Isherwood, associate professor of special education, to pursue a principal certification through SRU before earning his doctoral degree at IUP. These credentials allowed him to finally reach one of the highest levels of educational leadership by taking on his superintendent position at Aliquippa in 2021
As a highly invested member of his school community, Woods actively pursues solutions for supporting teachers to bolster retention and to increase the quality of the education that the students of his district receive.
“I attended a PASSHE summit that was designed to figure out ways to support people moving to education from other industries to help fill the teacher shortage,” Woods explained. “We were exploring different approaches to supporting these people through different programs.”
One type of programming that is helping people in this position is the introduction of master’s degrees in teaching that allow students with bachelor’s degrees in other subjects to study education and pursue teaching certification. Woods himself has worked with school employees pursuing this program at SRU.
“People think that just having worked with kids means that someone can just go into education, but there are really strategic standards of pedagogy that come from things like student teaching and classes on child development,” Woods said. “Without proper training, people can’t succeed in the classroom.”
While not all school employees need teaching certifications, Woods spoke to the opportunities for advancement that pursuing certification can offer people working as instructional aids or substitute teachers.
“When you have these credentials and you’re able to be a teacher, you can work for a salary, you can join the union, and you can get the other benefits that come from being a certified teacher,” Woods said. “It enables you to level up in your career. To have a future in education, you need to have a certification!”
Teachers who are well trained and highly prepared for classroom instruction also offer a superior education to the students in their districts, something that Woods is cognizant of as a leader. After being invested in by the SRU faculty, Woods’ own commitment to investing in the future of others was bolstered, leading him to the work he does today.
“I want to invest in my staff and faculty’s futures in this way, because I know that it pays off,” Woods said. “I’m passionate about promoting programs like this, whether we’re talking about the program that I pursued at SRU or the new programs at SRU. Education is a foundation for so much of what people go on to do, so the better foundation that we give teachers, the better the foundation we give students and the better we’re investing in the future of our communities, our country and our world.”
More information about graduate-level education programs, including the principal certificate and Master of Education in special education, is available on the University’s website.
