By all accounts ASCD's new president, Martha Bruckner, has approached the top of her career as an educator. A former teacher, principal, school board member, and university professor, Bruckner now works as the associate superintendent for educational services in Millard Public Schools outside Omaha, Neb.
As if helping to troubleshoot for a school district of 19,000 students weren't enough, Bruckner decided that starting an ASCD student chapter at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) would be worth filling her spare hours. "I wanted to continue to influence prospective educators and contribute to the university. The concept of a student chapter seemed like a perfect fit," says Bruckner.
Although Bruckner taught about educational administration at the UNO graduate school for eight years, she had to strategize anew to reach high-quality undergraduates, many barely out of their teens. So e-mail and the ubiquitous campus poster campaign have become her tools to inform and attract students as she competes for their time.
Through three meetings each semester, Bruckner helps student chapter members explore their chosen profession with topics such as international education and workshops on job hunting. She wants these future teachers to persevere, especially after they realize "how hard teaching is," as they learn to apply the theories of education to classes amid varied and complex demands, whether they're in a primary or secondary school.
"One of our first members discovered ASCD SmartBrief and couldn't stop talking about how wonderful it was," says Bruckner. Other students have told her that at job interviews a link with ASCD makes a strong impression on prospective employers, she adds.
Creating Flexibility
When it comes to improving education, Bruckner enjoys experimenting with "intriguing" options. As a member of the school district's strategic planning team, she's supporting efforts to create more flexible school calendars and differentiated diplomas. Although current exit exams ensure that Millard's students are meeting the district's standards, differentiated programs could challenge top performers to strive to achieve their best, Bruckner says.
With Bruckner's influence, Millard seems certain to try new ideas. When she was principal of Ralston High School in the early 1990s, she linked her Nebraska school to a network of 24 schools across the nation taking part in the ASCD Consortium on High School Futures, led by Gordon Cawelti. After Ralston's participation in the consortium, which was designed to significantly change high schools, students had to show their competence in class subjects through a variety of hands-on demonstrations, projects, and tests.
"It was so novel at the time that the local chamber of commerce said that any Ralston grad that had to go through these demos would be well worth hiring," recalls Bruckner.
Bruckner also introduced "intersessions," which were periods of five days inserted between quarters to provide three days of elective enrichment or remedial work for students and two days off for the school. That gave Bruckner a taste of "playing with the sacred school calendar" for the benefit of students and teachers, she notes.
A Strong Work Ethic
Bruckner's father, John T. Grant, is a retired Nebraska Supreme Court judge who instilled in her a great faith in the public schools, an understanding of diverse viewpoints, and the expectation of "doing your best," she says. With "a phenomenal sense of humor," her father also urged young Martha to set limits on her bouts of late-night homework, she recalls.
Although Bruckner admits to sometimes still working "too hard and too much" because education gives her fulfillment, she builds in time for fun as well. With her husband, Bob, an elementary school principal in a neighboring school district, she makes annual treks to the Atlantic Ocean for vacation. "In Nebraska, you couldn't be farther away from the ocean, so we love to be right on the beach for a week each summer," says Bruckner.
With spring's fresh outlook, Bruckner is embracing her new role as ASCD president, representing the organization's "vision that all children can learn and that all teachers will be able to teach what children need to be successful in life."
Although Bruckner still playfully questions her father about why he didn't encourage her to become a lawyer, she says her work of 31 years and counting confirms that she "found her passion in education."
