Brenda Bertram
Oakland,CA
Summary
Strategic leader offering skills in Special Education and IEP development and implementation. An innovative and enthusiastic School Director promoting success for students and teaching professionals while supporting students with unique needs Highly-motivated employee with desire to take on new challenges. Strong worth ethic, adaptability and exceptional interpersonal skills. Adept at working effectively unsupervised and quickly mastering new skills. Motivated Vice Principal enthusiastic about relating to diverse staff, teachers, and students, and cultivate positive relationships. Personable and proactive with talent for building consensus and developing successful strategies.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice Principal
Berkeley Unified School Dist
Berkeley, CA
07.2024 - Current
- Developed and implemented school-wide systems for monitoring student performance and progress.
- Conducted regular meetings with faculty to discuss current issues in education and develop strategies for improvement.
- Provided guidance and support to department heads in developing individualized educational plans for students with special needs.
- Coordinated professional development activities for faculty members on topics such as technology integration and differentiated instruction.
- Evaluated teacher performance using established criteria such as lesson planning effectiveness and classroom management skills.
- Created opportunities for meaningful parent involvement in their children's education.
- Collaborated with administrators to create effective policies related to school safety and discipline.
- Monitored student attendance records to identify patterns of truancy or other potential problems.
- Promoted collaboration across departments within the school by encouraging communication between faculty members.
- Resolved conflicts between students, parents, staff members, or community members through mediation sessions.
- Investigated complaints made against faculty or staff according to established procedures while ensuring fairness throughout the process.
- Worked with parents to help improve student behavior and academic performance.
- Evaluated student behavior issues by reviewing established discipline standards and noting trends in infractions.
Director of Special Education
Oakley Union Elementary School District
Oakley, CA
07.2023 - 06.2024
- Created and managed a budget for the Special Education department.
- Provided ongoing support to teachers, staff and parents concerning special education services.
- Served as an advocate for students with disabilities in school settings.
- Developed and implemented Individualized Education Programs for special needs students.
- Supervised and evaluated special education personnel.
- Collaborated with administrators, counselors, psychologists and other professionals to ensure appropriate services were provided to students with disabilities.
- Conducted team meetings to develop IEPs that meet individual student needs.
- Attended conferences, workshops and seminars related to special education laws and regulations.
- Monitored compliance of IEPs by providing technical assistance to school-based teams.
- Initiated communication with outside agencies such as mental health providers, hospitals or community based organizations regarding resources available for special education students.
- Conducted professional development activities for educators on topics related to best practices in teaching diverse learners.
- Assessed current programming and made recommendations for improvement based on data analysis.
- Managed caseloads of assigned students including tracking progress towards meeting IEP goals.
- Ensured compliance with all local, state, federal laws and regulations pertaining to Special Education Services.
School Director/Principal
Anova Center For Education
Concord, CA
07.2022 - 03.2023
- Resolved IEP compliance issues and implemented corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
- Planned and led professional development activities for teachers, administrators and support staff.
- Cultivated dynamic relationships with students, parents and guardians by serving as school resource.
- Encouraged educators and staff to achieve professional best by offering guidance.
- Met individually with teachers to offer feedback and insights on job tasks after careful review.
- Resolved various situations to cultivate strong student and parent relationships.
- Monitored and evaluated performance of school employees.
- Facilitated staff meetings to convey policy changes and hear employee input.
- Cultivated positive relationships with parents and staff to facilitate school operations and student success.
- Determined allocations of funds for classroom supplies and materials, authorizing purchases.
Coordinator-Special Education
San Mateo-Foster City School Distrcit
San Mateo, CA
07.2020 - 06.2022
- Oversaw school complexes and provided direct support to sites for Special Education and General Education classrooms
- Managed Private School Students
- Oversaw Speech and Language Pathologists including evaluations
- Managed assessment programs and trained staff on administering special education assessments
Special Education Program Specialist
Santa Maria Bonita School District
Santa Maria, CA
08.2016 - 06.2020
- Oversaw Mild/Moderate Special Day Class Programs, including Autism and Therapeutic Learning Programs
- Facilitated IEP Meetings
- Evaluated student needs to provide helpful resources and support.
- Demonstrated appropriate behaviors using behavior modeling and positive reinforcement techniques.
- Certified CPI Trainer
Special Education Teacher
Hayward Unified School District
Hayward, CA
08.2002 - 08.2016
- Conducted small group and individual classroom activities with students based on differentiated learning needs.
- Developed IEP to leverage developmental practices and educational theories to achieve educational objectives.
- Collaborated with general education teachers to include students in classroom activities.
- Advocated for needs of the students with disabilities.
- Developed and maintained individualized skill-appropriate lesson plans to promote and build student confidence.
- Teamed with general education teachers to plan and implement curriculum, state and district-wide assessments.
Education
Clear Administrative Credential - Educational Leadership
Santa Barbara County Office of Education
Santa Barbara05.2020
Master of Science - Educational Leadership
California State University - East Bay
Hayward, CA06.2016
Clear Credential - Clear Education Specialist Credential
California State University, Sacramento
Sacramento05.2008
Skills
- Evaluated certificated staff
- Provided direct support to classroom teachers Led professional developments
- Oversaw private school students and IEPs
- Coached and mentored new staff
- Supported sites with student discipline
- Served as Extended School Year Principal
- Certified Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) trainer
- Responsible for creating Special Day Class classroom lists across all Special Education settings
- Processed intake paperwork to determine appropriate placement for students with special needs
- Facilitated IEP meetings
- Served as LEA for IEP meetings
- Participated in ADR facilitated IEP meetings
- Assisted with the implementation of core curriculum classroom settings
- Trained and assisted staff members with SEIS and SIRAS IEP information systems
- Managed the Special Education web page
Timeline
Vice Principal
Berkeley Unified School Dist
07.2024 - Current
Director of Special Education
Oakley Union Elementary School District
07.2023 - 06.2024
School Director/Principal
Anova Center For Education
07.2022 - 03.2023
Coordinator-Special Education
San Mateo-Foster City School Distrcit
07.2020 - 06.2022
Special Education Program Specialist
Santa Maria Bonita School District
08.2016 - 06.2020
Special Education Teacher
Hayward Unified School District
08.2002 - 08.2016
Clear Administrative Credential - Educational Leadership
Santa Barbara County Office of Education
Master of Science - Educational Leadership
California State University - East Bay
Clear Credential - Clear Education Specialist Credential
California State University, Sacramento
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