Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_3986" align="alignleft" width="214"] Cindy Martin, '88, is the new superintendent of Sand Diego Unified School District.[/caption] Cindy Marten built her educational roots as a student in UW-L’s teacher education program in the 1980s. Today the superintendent of one of the largest school districts in America is using her training and 25-year career in education to reshape dialogue around public education in America. Marten, newly appointed superintendent San Diego Unified School District, the sixth largest in the nation, says schools across the country have experienced years of underfunding and a lack of public trust. They’ve been boiled down to a test score. “I want to rebuild that trust by showing that one of the largest school systems in the nation can be highly effective,” she says. Marten, ’88, knows what it takes to run an effective school. As a principal of an elementary school in the district, she worked with a team to transform one of the lowest-performing schools to the highest. About 99 percent of the students came from families living below the poverty line and 85 percent of the families didn’t speak English. Those challenges were met by finding ways to keep quality, long-term faculty and meet basic needs of students, so they could focus on school. Marten limited staff turnover by providing on-site employee daycare. She partnered with two healthcare organizations to bring a doctor and nurse to the school regularly. She promoted strong curriculum and ongoing professional development. “I worked with a team. A strong leader doesn’t do anything by him or herself,” notes Marten. “We used a community-based approach — finding solutions locally and engaging in research-based practices.”

Martin now leads 200 schools

Marten was formally appointed superintendent July 1. Now her approach to educational success will extend to 200 schools district-wide. It’s a career jump she didn’t expect. She recalls the initial late-night phone call from a board of education member asking if she would be willing to be considered for the position. She thought they were asking her to be on the search committee. “I was shocked,” she says, “It was not something I was applying for or planning for.” The news of her appointment was announced at a press conference at 7:30 p.m. the following day. Marten said at first the community was upset by the small amount of dialogue on the appointment. “I told the board that the community needs to weigh in — I’m already going to disagree with you,” Marten recalled. But, as principal, Marten was very visible in the community and people knew her. Within two weeks of her appointment, area business and parent groups announced support of her appointment. “I feel fully prepared to take on the challenge and am humbled by a tremendous amount of support,” she says.

UW-L experience helps her move forward

Marten is already getting out in the community to engage and begin a dialogue around public education. In speeches, she frequently mentions her UW-L degree in elementary education. “I give credit to UW-L for providing me with a very solid education,” she notes. “UW-L started as a teacher's college and those roots ran deep — providing me with a traditional and strong foundation.” In Marten’s first teaching job, she was the only second grade teacher and had to write the curriculum for the accreditation process. “I was so frightened,” recalls Marten. “I credit UW-L for preparing me to take that on. I was able to write the entire second-grade curriculum and the school received full accreditation.” Marten subsequently wrote a letter to UW-L Education Department to thank them for preparing her so well. “If it hadn't been for such an excellent four-year, intensive, elementary education experience, I would have never been able to do that!” she says. Now she’s working to give that foundation to students in her district so they, too, can be contributing members of society and make a positive difference in the world.