District 205 Board Approves New Principal of Conrad Fischer Elementary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2023

District 205 Board Approves New Principal of Conrad Fischer Elementary School
– Welcoming Dr. Efraín Martínez, a highly accomplished educator and leader, to District 205 –

Elmhurst, IL – The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education approved Dr. Efraín Martínez as the new principal of Conrad Fischer Elementary School. Dr. Efraín is set to begin his tenure on July 1, 2023.

Conrad Fischer has over 550 students enrolled and more than 300 of those students identify as Hispanic. Conrad Fischer is also home to the District’s Dual Language program. As part of the strategic plan, District 205 focuses on attracting and retaining high-quality, purpose driven educators to serve the diverse needs of all students. Prior to beginning the process, the District felt strongly that it was important to receive feedback from the Fischer community about what they felt was important for the next principal. The feedback was overwhelming that the next principal must be fully bilingual and have a strong history of proven success in leading a diverse community and a strong commitment to student success. Throughout the interview process, it was consistently clear that, among a pool of highly qualified candidates, the diverse experience and success that Dr. Martínez has made him the best candidate for the position and aligned perfectly with both the District objective and community feedback.

Dr. Martínez has over 17 years in education, including classroom experience as a Spanish teacher, an ESL/Bilingual coordinator, an Assistant Principal and, most recently, Principal at Northwood Middle School in North Shore School District 112. While leading at Northwood, Dr. Martínez led the school to their highest growth from Fall to Winter NWEA MAP and worked closely with teachers and community members to build a strong, collaborative community that empowered families, teachers and students through collaboration and a shared pride in their community.

“The feedback we received from our Fischer community was key as we embarked on this search,” said Dr. Keisha Campbell, Elmhurst District 205 Superintendent. “It was imperative that the person we chose for this position was a proven leader in education and was someone that would effectively relate to all of the Fischer students, parents and teachers. From his robust experience in achieving student success to the passion that he exudes for connecting with his students and families in all areas including bilingual, dual lingual and monolingual, we are excited to welcome Dr. Martínez to District 205 and look forward to seeing him continue the great work that is already in motion there.”

There was a tremendous amount of engagement from the Fischer community with 34 family members and 25 staff members participating in the virtual and in-person focus groups and, 120 community members, families, staff, and students completed the electronic survey. The information gained from the focus groups and survey were critical in helping to form the profile of the next principal of Conrad Fischer Elementary School.

There were a total of 62 applicants that applied for the principalship and five of those applicants were selected to participate in first round interviews, and three applicants were selected to participate in the second round interviews. Throughout the second and third round interviews, the District enlisted engagement from representatives from the district level, school level, the Dual Language Parent Advisory Council, the Bilingual Parent Advisory Council, and families with students in monolingual, dual language, and English Language learning programming.

Described by his former teachers as a ‘supportive leader that sees potential in his team and works tirelessly to continue developing and growing their potential,’ Dr. Martínez is an innovative and student-oriented leader with proven success in increasing outcomes, developing systemic solutions, and a keen ability to collaborate with all stakeholders. Dr. Martínez is a bilingual educator committed to empowering each student through acquiring knowledge and life skills.

“I am honored to have been chosen as the new principal for Conrad Fischer Elementary School,” shared Dr. Martínez. “My passion for promoting cultural awareness and bilingual education aligns perfectly with the school's mission. I look forward to collaborating with the faculty, students, and parents to provide a stimulating and supportive learning environment. As we embark on this journey together, I firmly believe that when we do good things, good things happen.”

Dr. Martínez received his Doctorate of Education from National Louis University. He also holds a Master of Educational Leadership, a Master of Arts in Hispanic Studies and a B.A. from California University of Pennsylvania in Spanish where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

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