John N. Spiridakis, Ph.D.

Dr. John Spiridakis serves as Interim Chair of the Department of Education Specialties and is Professor, Graduate Programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Bilingual Education, in the School of Education, St. John’s University. Dr. Spiridakis received a B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from The Florida State University and a J.D. from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. Dr. Spiridakis has numerous publications and has been a keynote and featured speaker at international, national and local conferences in the field of advocacy and education for immigrant students, families and language minority groups for over 40 years. He is currently serving as editor of the Athens Journal of Education. St. John’s recently honored him for his 40 years of service. Since 1978 he created and has led 10 Graduate Education Programs, including the Distance Learning and Global Study Programs. As part of the Vincentian Mission, he has secured millions of dollars for the University through highly competitive national research and development preparation grants which have sought to improve the literacy and academic achievement of neglected and under-served immigrant children and youth in New York and across the nation many of whom live in poverty. He also has obtained and directed numerous competitive state and city funded projects such as the New York State Education Department funded Clinically-Rich Intensive Teacher Institute which have helped prepare thousands of TESOL, bilingual and Special Education educators and School Counselors who could not otherwise afford to attend ant to help under-served, neglected minorities. He has also has directed the Teaching American History Project for the New York City Department of Education for Teaching American History and currently directs Project Bridge, a U.S. Department of Education “Javits” Project researching the efficacy of a mathematics curriculum for gifted English learners whose talents usually remain unidentified and neglected. Dr. Spiridakis has also advocated for the rights of immigrant students and families by serving on the NYSED Commissioner’s Advisory Council on Bilingual Education, the Latino Roundtable in New York City and New York State, and notably as a twice elected member of the NYC School Board of Community District 30, Queens. This district is home to the most diverse population of students in the nation if not the world. He has fostered vital global partnerships and research. As an international scholar, he was recruited to serve as a consultant and advisor for the European Union (EU) Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Universities based in Athens. In this role, he serves as President and member of (EU) External Evaluation Committees and has led groups of international deans, chairs and professors to evaluate and help improve the quality of Universities and Education Colleges in Greece. In addition, Dr. Spiridakis serves on the tenure and promotion boards of several universities in Greece. He was the recipient of a European Union multi-national multi-year, multi-million euros funded project to research Greek language education across the U.S.A. This major international project included the collaboration of the deans and professors at several universities in Europe and North and South America. Dr. Spiridakis has promoted global partnerships in China and in Europe. He has initiated and facilitated, on behalf of the School of Education, vital global partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding between St. John’s University and several major universities in China. As part of his global strategy for SOE to help promote exchange programs and bolster SOE and TESOL student recruitment from these countries, has also invited and hosted many international visiting scholar professors from China, Japan and Greece to share their insights with SOE faculty members. His strategy, with the help of Global Study personnel, also includes identifying and organizing TESOL alumni in China and recruiting them to highlight their many professional accomplishments at recruitment fairs and blogs. During his recent travel to China he met with several alumni to plan. Most recently, he was an invited guest, along with the leaders from many top-tier universities in China, to speak about his global strategies and experiences at the Asian Education Forum held in Chengdu, China. He is the recipient of many recognitions and awards such as the Congressional Achievement Award from Congressman Gregory Meeks, The New York State Bilingual Administrator of the Year from the New York State Association of Bilingual Educators, Hellenic American Educator Association Educator of the Year, and the St. John’s Faculty Recognition Award and the Special Recognition Award by the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research. He is also Past-President of the Greek-American Behavioral Studies Institute (GABSI) and has been certMulticultural Education Race and Ethnicity International and Comparative EducationFunded Programs TESOL Bilingual Education Heritage Language Education Education Law Program Evaluation

Courses Taught