Dr. Miller's expertise in mindset development, school systems and revitalization, and leadership development attracts business professionals, school administrators, teachers and community leaders from across the nation who are seeking ways to elevate black and urban youth and get them more engaged in education, academic achievement and career pursuits.
He trains school officials, teachers and parents on how to improve the mindsets of youth so that they embrace a "championship mentality." Diligently working to eliminate the so-called achievement gap, he is a powerful voice and authority on issues pertaining to the social, economic and educational welfare of the urban and minority communities.
Overall, his goal is to make a difference in the lives of minority and at-risk youth, empower and educate parents and those who work with urban youth; and to shatter disparities in achievement.
His strategies are proven to increase student performance and teacher effectiveness.
What’s your “WHY”? Why do you do what you do?
Dr. Paul Miller is the Principal and CEO of Green Tech High Charter School, a highly successful school for boys in Albany, NY. An expert in urban education, Dr. Miller has specialized in school reform and redesign for over 20 years, counseling school officials and administrators on effective strategies to increase performance among Black males and establish a culture of success. He has committed his life to educating and empowering low-income urban youth with the intention to facilitate change and undo the trend of academic underachievement that often plagues young Black men from the inner city. The passion did not begin with his professional career, but was implanted in him as a youth growing up in the projects of Rochester, NY. Similar to many of his students, Dr. Miller understands the challenges that often knock young minority men off-course and hinder their ability to reach their full potential. However, he teaches students not to be victims, but to use adversity as fuel to succeed and rise above their circumstances.
Since taking over Green Tech in 2012, Dr. Miller has turned the school into one of the best in New York State. Under his leadership, graduation rates have soared, reaching an impressive 95% with a 100% college acceptance rate for graduates. In addition, students have earned over $25 million in scholarships, compared to only $200,000 before he arrived. Dr. Miller has been recognized by the City of Albany as a Man of Valor, and as one of the top 40 Under 40 African American Leaders by the City of Rochester, among many other accomplishments. He is often invited to speak to students and to offer strategic counsel to school leaders on improving school systems and more effectively engaging students. Dr. Miller has emerged as one of the top and most highly sought after urban education leaders in the nation.
Dr. Miller’s mission is to educate as many people as possible in a variety of different ways, including his written works. He is currently the author of two books, We Need to Do Better: Changing the Mindset of Children Through Family, Community and Education, and Cyberbullying: Breaking the Cycle of Conflict.
We Need to Do Better examines the environmental factors that inhibit Black boys in the inner city from embracing education and seeing it as a viable way to succeed. It also addresses the need for families, educators and the greater community to take more responsibility in providing resources, the necessary guidance and support to assist them on their journey to a brighter future. Educators can benefit from sections that discuss everything from safety to academic development and classroom leadership.
Cyberbullying is a study on the prevalence of bullying in the online social media world and its impact on young Black women. Complete with interviews and data collection, the book helps teachers, administrators and parents identify and manage teen conflict.
However, Dr. Miller’s real why is because of what he is “In Love”. Being in love is different than loving. When you’re in love, it comes with a higher sense of romance; it comes with flowers, candy, long walks and talks. Dr. Miller had to soul search to figure out his why. When he initially thought of it, he proclaims he provided a stereotypical answer: “I love the kids, I love education, I love helping,” but when he went deeper into his core, he found that he is in love with WINNING. Dr. Miller is so competitive that he wants to win in everything and all that he does. If you are walking down the street next to each other, he wants to beat you to the spot; if you are cooking a meal, he wants to cook it better than you; if you are educating children, he wants his children to outperform your children. This innate desire to win has created a burning passion to win for children. He refuses to let them fail and is in love with developing championship mindsets all over the globe so his students, and especially Black men, have the ability to succeed in life.
What made you want to become an author?
Dr. Miller never wanted to be an author because he never felt he was a good enough writer. He turned his first book, Cyberbullying: Breaking the Cycle of Conflict, into a book from his dissertation. While writing his dissertation, he was made to rewrite his first chapter 26 times. Yes, 26 times, and was ready to give up numerous times. Dr. Miller’s will to win would not allow him to give up; he used the failure as fuel to achieve success. His dissertation chair, Dr. Jeannine Dingus-Eason, pushed him beyond belief and would not accept mediocrity. After 26 rewrites, it finally clicked, and he was able to produce a product that won Dissertation of the Year for St. John Fisher College. He went on to publish it as a book, now sold worldwide and used in colleges as a textbook. Additionally, Dr. Miller had the confidence to write his second book, We Need to Do Better: Changing the Mindset of Children Through Family, Community, and Education which has seen a lot of success and opened doors for Dr. Miller to be on national scales as an expert educational leader around the country.
What are your plans for the future?
Dr. Miller is not just the CEO/Principal of Green Tech High Charter School, he is also the CEO of Urbane Education Alterations (www.urbaneeducation.com), which is an education and executive leader coaching and consulting company. Dr. Miller has built systems that work in schools, specifically focusing on assuring high graduation rates for Black males. His focus for the future is to work with other leaders throughout the country and to support them in their efforts to make sure our Black men and students of color succeed. His desire is to teach others his systems and methodology because it’s supported by research, theory, and practice, but more importantly, with results of young Black men graduating. Dr. Miller recently wrote a TV pitch called School Rescue, with the desire to rescue low performing schools, instead of more bars and restaurants being rescued on TV. Dr. Miller states that if people can see the struggles of our babies, day in and day out on their TV screens, it may put education issues at the forefront enough to create a desire for sustainable change. Education is an industry where the bigwigs don’t like to admit they are failing our children. In short, if you don’t admit you have a problem, you won’t look for a solution. Dr. Miller is aggressively pursuing avenues to expose as many people as possible to solutions that work, and he wants to change the face of education in our country by taking graduation rates for Black males to the 90th percentile or more!
Dr. Paul Miller
CEO/Principal of Green Tech High Charter School
99 Slingerland St.
Albany, NY 12202
www.paulmilleredd.com