Overview
Sara Martinez brings extensive expertise in educational leadership, focusing on advancing family and community engagement to boost student achievement and drive school improvement. As a key contributor to WestEd’s Family Engagement Services, especially Academic Parent–Teacher Teams (APTT), she helps foster meaningful partnerships among families, educators, and communities. Her family engagement services go beyond traditional parent–teacher conferences, enabling families and teachers to network, build strong bonds, and collaborate effectively to address student learning needs.
Martinez emphasizes the critical role of families as knowledgeable, active members of the academic team. She delivers training, technical assistance, and coaching to schools and districts, helping build their capacity for effective family engagement practices. By integrating data-driven strategies and collaboration, strategic family engagement strategies empower families and educators to cocreate solutions that enhance student outcomes.
Martinez’s work includes conducting training sessions, coaching, interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, and data analysis. She develops tools, coordinates data collection, and contributes to reports that guide schools and districts in implementing impactful family engagement strategies. She collaborates closely with state, district, school, and community partners to ensure these strategies are tailored to meet local needs and make a lasting impact.
Beyond her role at WestEd, Martinez has served as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Marymount University, shaping the next generation of educators. With over 2 decades of experience, including roles as a bilingual teacher and Emergent Bilingual District Specialist, she has a deep understanding of how to design and implement programs for diverse student populations.
Education
- Reading Specialist Credential, University of California, Irvine
- English as a Second Language Certificate, University of California, Irvine
- MA in education, Pepperdine University
- Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a Cross-Cultural, Language & Academic Development Emphasis, Pepperdine University
- BA in liberal studies with a concentration in kinesiology, health, and life management, California State University, Long Beach
Honors, Awards, and Affiliations
2001 Santa Ana Unified School District Teacher of the Year