Erica Brentan

Erica Brentan has spent almost two decades as a teacher, instructional coach, and professional development specialist.

Admitted into the prestigious New York City Teaching Fellowship, Erica started her career in 2005 teaching elementary school students in New York City public and charter schools. During this time, she saw the profound impact social emotional learning had on her students and in 2012 was hired by Turnaround for Children to coach teachers across the city in building strong, equitable and trauma-informed classroom communities where children thrived.

In 2015, Erica founded School Works NJ, an education consulting company, as a way to bring critical SEL coaching and professional development to schools all around NJ. Schools that have partnered with School Works have demonstrated higher student engagement, greater teacher satisfaction, stronger classroom communities, and improved school culture.

Erica holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Masters in Education from Pace University. In addition to being a consultant with the School Culture and Climate Initiative, she is also a Professor-in-Residence at William Paterson University.