Heather Baker
Lincoln,IL
Summary
Multidisciplinary Superintendent, Principal and General Education/Special Education Teacher with a 20-year background in teaching and administration. Qualifications in multiple areas of education. Passionate about Special Education practice and social/emotional needs of students.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Superintendent of Schools/Principal
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
Lincoln , IL
07.2018 - Current
- Established operational and educational plans with clear objectives and paths to achievement.
- Cultivated positive relationships with support staff and school leadership through regular communication.
- Developed courses for professional development to support enhancement of skills for system staff and faculty.
- Presented updates and reports measuring performance against benchmarks to school board.
- Evaluated student and teacher performance against trends to determine future needs and make appropriate plans.
- Directed school system operations with proactive and forward-thinking mindset to achieve goals.
- Kept school system compliant with regulatory requirements and oversight groups.
- Devised student achievement programs like intervention block programs and summer school programming.
Principal
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
Lincoln, IL
07.2015 - Current
- Developed positive relationships with school students, teachers and local community.
- Reviewed standardized test results to assess student progress and academic performance.
- Monitored student discipline actions and worked with teachers to standardize behavior requirements across school.
- Oversaw and guided school employees while giving friendly and focused feedback for performance improvements.
- Interacted positively with staff to demonstrate professional conduct expectations of teaching and administrative personnel.
- Managed school administration operations and organized teacher schedules, student registration processes and class orientation sessions.
- Encouraged and voiced positive feedback to mentor and motivate new teachers.
- Instructed teachers on classroom management, behavior and instructional strategies.
- Visited classrooms to evaluate teacher instructional techniques as part of annual evaluation cycle.
- Informed students and parents of policies and procedures regarding student behavior and disciplinary actions.
- Resolved various situations to cultivate strong student and parent relationships.
- Guided instruction by mentoring teachers to improve leadership and teaching effectiveness.
- Monitored and evaluated performance of school employees.
- Facilitated staff meetings to convey policy changes and hear employee input.
- Researched and wrote applications for educational grants.
Special Education Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
Lincoln , IL
08.2012 - 05.2015
- Worked with students with specialized needs to accomplish tasks and build practical skills.
- Collaborated with conventional education instructors across multiple departments to optimize student learning.
- Developed interesting and interactive learning methods tailored to help students with individual needs.
- Encouraged student empathy of others to build confidence and improve self-image.
- Delivered specialized classroom instruction to students with developmental disorders.
Kindergarten Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
Lincoln, IL
08.2009 - 05.2012
- Monitored, documented and reported students' progress and performance.
- Implemented focused lessons for reading readiness highlighting phonics, language comprehension and writing abilities.
- Guided reading aloud to spark imagination and foster reading comprehension and vocabulary development.
- Designed lesson plans based on comprehensive teaching of academic, social and personal skills.
- Monitored student progress to ensure cooperation and growth.
Middle School Social Studies Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
Lincoln, IL
08.2002 - 05.2009
- Created lesson plans focusing on world history, important historical figures and events that have impacted modern society.
- Integrated technology into classroom settings to engage students and diversify instruction.
- Assessed student performance, behavior and social development and devised improvement strategies for struggling children.
- Established and enforced clear class objectives and requirements to promote consistent education for students.
- Collaborated with other subject and grade-level teachers to build complementary educational frameworks for students.
- Studied and stayed abreast of current topics in education.
- Directed group activities to promote immersive, play-based learning.
- Used diverse technologies to help students grasp materials and enhance overall education.
- Administered standardized achievement tests and interpreted results to determine students' strengths and areas of need.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of social studies.
- Maintained accurate evaluation and grading records for students, entering scores and providing necessary documentation within established timelines and guidelines.
Education
Superintendents Endorsement -
Concordia University
Chicago, IL12.2017
General Administrative Endorsement - Principalship
University of Illinois At Springfield
Springfield, IL12.2013
Master of Arts - Teacher Leadership
University of Illinois At Springfield
Springfield, IL12.2006
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Illinois State University
Normal, IL05.2001
Associate of Arts -
Lincoln College
Lincoln, IL05.1998
Skills
- Key decision making
- Presentations
- Program implementation
- Project coordination
- Student performance data
- Social/Emotional Learning
- Student Counseling
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Google Education
Certification
- Licensed PEL - Elementary Education
- Superintendent Endorsement
- General Administrative Endorsement
- Language Arts Endorsement
- Social Science Endorsement
- Learning Behavior Specialist I Endorsement
- Teacher and Administrator Evaluator Retraining: Student Growth
- CPR/First Aid Certified
- Mental Health First Aid
Timeline
Superintendent of Schools/Principal
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
07.2018 - Current
Principal
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
07.2015 - Current
Special Education Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
08.2012 - 05.2015
Kindergarten Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
08.2009 - 05.2012
Middle School Social Studies Teacher
West Lincoln-Broadwell ESD #92
08.2002 - 05.2009
Superintendents Endorsement -
Concordia University
General Administrative Endorsement - Principalship
University of Illinois At Springfield
Master of Arts - Teacher Leadership
University of Illinois At Springfield
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Illinois State University
Associate of Arts -
Lincoln College