Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison in California

Monday, June 6, 2016

Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison in California

An award-winning teacher with more than 4 decades of experience in education, Cissy Lewis is the former academic dean, Head of Upper School, Assistant Head of School, and interim Head of School at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. Cissy Lewis has also supported such educational initiatives as the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison in California.

Following the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, incarcerated individuals could no longer receive Pell Grants and were therefore unable to attend college. Founded in 2003 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2006, the Prison University Project (PUP) strives to provide higher learning opportunities for persons incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison, as well as increase public awareness and promote dialogue about criminal justice and education. Currently, PUP operates a college preparatory program and an associate of arts degree program for approximately 330 students. Education within prison has proven to be a sound way to reduce recidivism and in the ten years of the program’s inception, not a single PUP graduate has returned to prison for committing a violent crime.

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About Me

Cissy Lewis, an award-winning educator, has been involved in schools all of her life. As an eleven-year-old, she started her first school in Santiago, Chile, teaching reading and writing to children who had no school options. She comes from a line of educators – her mother earned a Ph.D. in political science in an era when few women were earning advanced degrees, and her grandfather taught Greek and Latin.

She started her teaching career at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, where she taught English in both the Upper and Middle Schools. At The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, she was honored with the Best New Teacher award. At the Castilleja School, she twice received the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Cissy Lewis held leadership positions at The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at The Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. At Baylor, she joined the administrative team, initially as Dean of Girls and then as Assistant Head of School, to help the school implement the transition from an all-boys school to coeducation. At Castilleja, she was academic dean, Head of Upper School, Assistant Head of School, and interim Head of School. Her responsibilities included oversight of the daily academic operations of the school, and coordinating the recruitment and hiring of new faculty. She also oversaw curricular review, the faculty evaluation system, and faculty professional growth.

Ms. Lewis attended Mt. Holyoke College and subsequently received bachelor’s degrees in both biology and English cum laude from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She pursued graduate studies at The Bread Loaf School of English where she received her M.A. and was honored as Class Marshall. She also earned an M.Ed. at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where she was influenced by Carol Gilligan’s groundbreaking research as reflected in her seminal work In a Different Voice, and focused on the psychology of adolescence and the education of girls.

Ms. Lewis has served on the Board of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California, and The Carey School in San Mateo, California. She enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, and travelling.