Joe Militello is a School Change Coach with CSSR.  Joe has been an extremely active member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, an organization representing over 30,000 middle level and high school principals and assistants. As a board member and eventual president of the Association, he worked diligently to support secondary school reform on a national level.  Throughout his 40 years of educational service, including 33 years as a building administrator, Joe has been a leader in various settings including middle level and high school administration in both urban and suburban schools.  Joe also served on the board of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals for over twenty years and as RIASP president in 1993.

Among his accolades, Joe was named the NASSP Rhode Island Principal of the Year in 1989 and in 1995 was presented with a National Educator Award by the Milken Foundation for his educational achievements. 

As principal of Archie Cole Middle School in Rhode Island for 28 years, Joe worked with the faculty and community to transform their school from a traditional junior high school to a high-performing “Turning-Points” middle school that includes flexible block scheduling, teaming, and common-planning time for faculty.  He also led his school to numerous awards, including being recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National “Blue-Ribbon” School of Excellence in 1989, a National Drug-Free School in 1993, and a National NCLB Blue-Ribbon School in 2004.

A strong advocate for middle-level schools, Joe served on the NASSP National Alliance of Middle Level Schools Advisory Board, the Rhode Island Middle Level Educators Board of Directors, and the Commissioner’s Certification Committee to revise RI Middle Level Teaching Endorsement. 

A native of New York City, Joe received a B.S. in Education from the City College of New York, a M.S. in Educational Administration from Fordham University and completed the coursework for a Ed.D. in Educational Administration from Boston College.

For forty years, Joe has worked to insure quality education for students.  He has recently retired as principal of Archie Cole Middle School, a nationally recognized “Blue-Ribbon” school in Rhode Island.