Classnotes
Cindy Marten, ’88, is the new superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District.
super superintendent C
indy Marten built her educational roots as a student in UW-L’s teacher education program in the ’80s. Today, as superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the country, she’s using her training and 25-year-career in education to reshape dialogue around public education nationwide. Marten, newly appointed superintendent of the 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
“I worked with a team. A strong leader doesn’t do anything by him or herself.” Cindy Marten, ’88 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. Marten met needs of employees and students. She limited staff turnover by providing on-site employee daycare. She promoted strong curriculum and ongoing professional development.
24 UW-La Crosse Lantern Summer 2013
“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 researchbased practices.” Marten says the board hired her to create quality schools and reshape the dialogue around what quality education means. She is already getting out and about to communicate with the community. In speeches, she frequently mentions UW-L where she earned a 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.”