Introducing Martha Bakken, Incoming Director of Student Services
The following letter from Superintendent Dr. Midge Connolly was sent out to the Weston Public Schools community via email on April 29, 2021. If you have any questions, please email superintendent@weston.org.
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Dear Weston School Community,
I am pleased to announce that Martha Bakken will be the next Director of Student Services for the Weston Public Schools. Ms. Bakken will officially begin on July 1, 2021 but she will be working with us later this spring as she transitions to Weston from Stoneham, where she is the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. Ms. Bakken began her career as a Bilingual First Grade Teacher in New York City, and has taught and held leadership positions in Boston, Everett, Westwood, and Lexington. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University; a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; a Master of Science from Wheelock College; and a Master of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
During her time in Stoneham, Ms. Bakken prioritized collaboration in pursuit of high expectations for every student. Supporting the use of data to inform instruction, especially with the goal of meeting the needs of students with special needs, has been critical to her work as a district leader. Several years ago she worked with staff to identify, pilot and select district-wide progress monitoring tools in reading, math and other related areas for all special education students. To support this effort Ms. Bakken and her team developed a successful multi-year professional development program around the use of data and progress monitoring that included both job alike groups and individual 1:1 coaching for every teacher. She also facilitated the first district-wide Data Team to review and analyze discipline and academic data and monitor the success of the progress monitoring professional development. While in Stoneham, Ms. Bakken helped reduce the out of district caseload by 20 students by working with families, staff and experts in the field to use district data to create high quality in-district programs that meet the needs of students with significant social emotional and developmental disabilities. In addition, as part of the district wide initiative around social emotional learning, she worked with the clinical staff, teachers and administrators to analyze current social emotional and discipline data. This work ultimately identified district needs and created a district-wide behavioral support referral process and implemented a year long Cognitive Behavior Therapy training for clinical staff.
Ms. Bakken has shared that she is incredibly excited to join the Weston Public Schools and bring her energy, enthusiasm, and experience to support the success of all students. We are looking forward to her arrival.
Sincerely,
Dr. Midge Connolly
