She earned her Master's degree in elementary and early childhood education from Bank Street College of Education and her doctoral degree from the Steinhardt School at NYU in Educational Leadership. Her dissertation, entitled In the Playground Trenches: Early Childhood Directors Experiences on 9/11/01, studied the leadership abilities of early childhood directors who worked in close proximity to the World Trade Center during that turbulent day. Dr. Shapiro’s research has focused on ethical leadership and on crises in Early Childhood Education.