Dr. Pat Martinez-Miller

Hello South Pasadena Neighbors,

I am particularly enthusiastic about serving on the SPUSD Board during this very complex time, because I believe the depth and breadth of my experience in education can be a resource for continuing the success of our students, educators and administrators. 

Committed to success!

My entire career—whether as a classroom teacher, school principal, college professor, school and district coach or board member—has been devoted to helping students learn, creating schools where all students succeed, training successful classroom teachers and coaching school- and school-district administrators to promote kids’ successes.

Read my biography, experience and ballot statement to learn more about why I am committed to help our South Pasadena schools thrive amid the demands of today’s challenging environment.

I want to hear from you!

It would be my pleasure to get to know you and learn more about what you expect of a school board member. During the Safer at Home Order, I welcome individual phone conversations, group Zoom meetings, or even an appropriately masked and distanced get-together on my patio or yours!

Your 2020 School Board candidate,

Pat Martinez-Miller

BIOGRAPHY

Pat Martinez-Miller has been a resident of South Pasadena since 1979, and together with her husband, happily raised a son and daughter who benefited from South Pasadena’s exceptional schools. She is especially pleased and proud that her three grandchildren are now thriving SPUSD students too. 

Pat has been in education her entire adult life starting with earning a Ph.D. in Spanish language and literature at USC, and then putting those language skills to use in Los Angeles schools as a teacher and principal for 25 years. Because of her success in improving student learning, teacher development and community collaboration, she was sought out as the director of faculty for the UCLA Graduate School of Education’s School Management Program. She spent 20 years at UCLA, sharing her expertise across many school districts nationwide. 

Concurrent with her position at UCLA and while her children were students in the district, she served three successful terms on the South Pasadena School Board. She is especially proud that during these years SPUSD increased options for students, raised achievement results for all students in an already high-achieving district while closing the achievement gap, and implemented a shared decision-making model that ensured clear communication among all stakeholders—parents, students, teachers and administrators. 

 

EXPERIENCE and ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Three effective previous terms as a SPUSD Board member and president: raised student achievement results for all students by closing the achievement gap and implemented a shared decision-making model that ensured clear communication and a meaningful voice for all stakeholders—parents, students, teachers and administrators.
  • Twenty-five years as a successful public-school teacher and principal. While principal of an LAUSD school with 2000+ students, moved average student achievement, as measured by the California Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), from “far below standard” to “meets or exceeds standard,” outperforming all like schools in the LAUSD region.
  • Twenty years as director of faculty for the UCLA Graduate School of Education’s School Management Program (SMP). A 10-year longitudinal study of SMP showed that schools and districts that contracted with SMP averaged higher achievement gains on the Academic Performance Index (API) than those that didn’t, and that the longer they worked with SMP, the greater their achievement gains.
  • Author of Breaking Through to Effective Teaching (2007). Douglas B. Reeves, Chairman of the Leadership and Learning Center, writes: “At last we have a book that provides practical and constructive guidance for the walk-through. Rather than a device to humiliate teachers and generate confrontation, the protocols and practical advice in these pages will build bridges between teachers and administrators. With compelling examples, vivid detail, and impressive case studies, the authors offer vital assistance to teachers and administrators, from the most experienced veteran to the newest members of our profession.”  

Other achievements:

  • Current Board member of Let’s Talk LD, a nonprofit that supports students who learn differently.
  • Current Volunteer tutor/coach for several elementary through high school SPUSD students.
  • Continuous supporter of PTA and SPEF.