From fighting for Bronx classrooms to championing statewide education advocacy, a longtime educator’s journey came full circle at a recent gala.
The Bronx County Democratic Party honored StudentsFirstNY’s own Crystal McQueen-Taylor at its annual dinner gala earlier this month at Marina Del Rey in Throggs Neck.
StudentsFirstNY is one of the state’s largest education advocacy organizations dedicated to improving public school options for all New York children.
Among other honorees, the Sept. 16 gala recognized and celebrated McQueen-Taylor’s far-reaching career as well as her significant contributions toward expansion of educational opportunities for children across the state.
McQueen-Taylor, who has served as StudentsFirstNY’s executive director since 2021, has driven academic advancement through statewide education advocacy, amplifying parent voices and the collaboration of educators, advocates, community leaders and policymakers in order to shape effective, equitable and well funded public schools in the Bronx and throughout New York state.
In her five years at the organization, McQueen-Taylor has worked closely with Bronx elected officials which include State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on various education initiatives in the borough.
She has also actively lobbied for legislative reforms to protect tuition dollars and secure critical rental assistance for Bronx charter schools, which has benefited several educational institutions in the borough such as the Bronx Charter School for the Arts and Zeta Charter Schools.
Prior to assuming her role at StudentsFirstNY, McQueen-Taylor served as the Regional Senior Director for large public charter school network Uncommon Schools NYC, where she directly managed district-charter partnerships, governance and parent organizing.
According to a 2025-26 report from the NYC Charter School Center, there are currently 100 public charter schools in the Bronx, more than any other borough. Of these 100 schools, 42 are independent and 58 are network-affiliated.
A daughter of Grenadian immigrants, McQueen-Taylor graduated from Brown University with honors in Education Studies before she attended Bank Street College of Education and received her Master’s of Science in Education.
She began her career in 2004 as a Department of Education teacher at P.S. 75 in Hunts Point through non-profit organization Teach For America, which aims to find, develop and support the expansion of education opportunities for children.
From 2007 to 2016, she helped lead the NYC Teaching Fellows program at TNTP, officially founded at The New Teacher Project, which was the country’s largest alternative certification program at the time.
During that nine-year tenure, she recruited, trained and placed thousands of teachers in the city’s highest-need schools, including several educational institutions throughout the borough.
McQueen-Taylor said her experience with Bronx students and families helped shape her commitment to ensuring every child has access to an excellent education across all school districts.
“To be recognized by the Bronx Democratic Party, in the place where my journey began, means so much to me,” McQueen-Taylor said. “I’ll keep fighting to make sure every child gets the high-quality education they deserve.”
Currently headed by Bailey, the Bronx Democratic Party’s mission is to help elect Democrats across the borough who will champion progressive causes and fight for residents who live in the borough, according to the organization.
“Today, the Bronx is showing the rest of New York City what’s possible — it has become the engine of charter school excellence in this city,” McQueen-Taylor said.
Nearly one in every three Bronx kindergarteners attends a charter school, while more than 27% of all Bronx students between grades K-5 attend a charter school in the borough. In addition, 60% of Bronx charter schools have been open for more than a decade.
“From the classroom to leading statewide education advocacy, Crystal continues to elevate the voices of parents and champion policies that create brighter futures for New York’s children,” the Bronx County Democratic Party said in an Instagram post.
McQueen-Taylor added she will keep fighting to make sure every child gets the high-quality education they deserve.
“Bronx parents want exceptional schools that deliver for their children, and we owe it to them to keep expanding opportunity in every neighborhood,” she added.
McQueen-Taylor, who was appointed to former NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ education transition committee in December 2021, currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Uncommon Schools NYC. She has also been named to City & State’s Albany Power 100 and Responsible 100 along with PoliticsNY’s Power Players in Education as well as Nonprofit Power Players.
