Maria F. Barragan

Dedicated School Administrator experienced in fostering relationships among students, families, and communities. Delivered high-quality support through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration to enhance students’ academic and personal development. Developed engaging curricula and trained educators to improve teaching effectiveness, achieving impactful results in diverse educational settings.

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
• IPT/WIDA Trained
• Clinical Supervisor Trained/Certificate
• International Baccalaureate- Spanish Certified
• Trained as a Flight Team member

Standard 1: Professional and Ethical Norms-Effective educational leaders act ethically and according to professional norms to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Directed and facilitated conflict mediation sessions utilizing various interventions during the implementation of corrective actions to ensure fairness, equity, and accuracy in assessing the situation.
• Conducted Professional Learning Community (PLC) presentations with the teachers of Language Arts (ELA) and English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to emphasize the rules and policies of the School Board of Broward County, as well as the procedures for executing everyday professional duties when teaching ESOL students.
• Modeled ethical and professional behavior for all faculty, staff, and students.
• Reinforced professional standards during department meetings and workshops to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students and staff.
• Achieved highly effective ratings on all Building Responsiveness, Innovation, Development, Growth, & Excellence in Schools (BrIDGES) instruments.
• Honored with nominations for the Broward County Public Schools, School Counselor of the Year, for the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 school years.
• Held conferences with parents and students to discuss educational and mental health programs to promote the students’ success, and effective communication between the school and the community.
• Supervised the collection of student funds for college field trips, ensuring adherence to established financial protocols, verifying timely deposits, and confirming funds were managed appropriately.
• Spearheaded and led the development of the Diversity Club, fostering a safe and supportive environment where students advocated for equity and inclusion and engaged in meaningful discussions on culture, identity, and belonging.
• Actively connected students to school support systems by collaborating with counselors, encouraging and fostering relationships with trusted adults, and sharing information about available academic and mental health resources in school and in the community.
• Planned and executed team-building events for the Mental Health Services Department, modeling ethical leadership and professional norms while promoting staff collaboration and well-being.

Standard 2: Vision and Mission- Effective educational leaders collaborate with parents and other stakeholders to develop, promote and enact a shared vision, mission and core values to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Created a school-wide School Counseling plan to meet School Improvement Plan (SIP) goals and objectives. Mental health and academic support were introduced to reach each student, resulting in learning gains as demonstrated by improvement in the (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) PBIS model quarterly checks, the overall school climate, and the students’ academic performance.
• Facilitated and monitored “The Newcomer Learners for ESOL Students” professional development to support all teachers and administration and developed a “model classroom” that differentiated instruction. This training equipped educators with tools such as sorting activities and center-station rotation models to help them maximize individual students' growth in their course content and increase their flexibility and learning gains across all subjects.
• Created the ELA, Reading, and Math plan to develop a strategic master schedule using data from the Reading and Math Inventories, Growth Measure, and FAST. The students were grouped based on individual data and teacher strength, resulting in 100% accurate placement to enhance academic success.
• Developed and implemented policies and procedures as the Master Scheduler to ensure all students were coded and adequately funded through the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) process, resulting in funding being correctly allocated.
• Facilitated yearly presentations covering Exceptional Student Education (ESE), ESOL, and 504 accommodations, and promoted ethical and legal compliance while supporting teachers in accurately implementing accommodations and meeting certification expectations.
• Served as Department Leader (2016–2025), providing instructional leadership that strengthened collaboration, reinforced a shared vision, and fostered a caring and professional school culture.
• Coordinated and monitored Youth Mental Health Awareness (YMHA) training, ensuring 100% faculty participation and educating school personnel to recognize signs of mental health concerns and substance use disorders; and to take appropriate steps to connect students with resources and support.
• Facilitated relationship-building Professional Development (PD) with 6th-grade level teachers, school counselors, and administration, as the Guidance Director, to ensure students were supported during their first year of middle school and transitioned smoothly to the next grade level. This initiative helped the 6th-grade students be better equipped and well-informed to navigate the middle school environment, as evidenced by a 25% decrease in referrals from 6th to 7th grade.
• Developed data chat sheets for ESOL students and facilitated data chats with teachers on 15-day cycle periods to discuss test data, effective teaching strategies, lesson planning, and differentiated instruction, which resulted in data-informed instruction for students.
• Led the (Extended School Year) ESY Summer School program by collaborating with the Summer-School Leadership Team to plan schedules, facilitate faculty pre-planning meetings, debrief safety and evacuation procedures, and coordinate transportation logistics. These strategic efforts promoted a safe, efficient, and supportive learning environment, ensuring students and teachers were fully prepared to succeed throughout the summer session.
• Designed and managed the school counselors’ calendars to address key school-wide priorities identified during leadership meetings, including 504 compliance, ESOL IDEA Oral Proficiency Test (IPT) testing, safety and security, FAST testing, registration, iObservation, Common Core, and district/state reporting. Through collaborative decision-making and ongoing dialogue, teachers’ and school concerns were thoughtfully discussed, prioritized, and effectively resolved, supporting a unified vision and mission focused on student success and well-being.
• Served as a testing coordinator, which involved attending training for district testing coordinators, monitoring the progress of teachers and students, and facilitating state tests, resulting in 99% participation in every testing session.
• Created and facilitated PD for all teachers with ESOL students to infuse literacy strategies (concept maps and project-based learning) into all content to bridge the learning gap, resulting in student engagement and standards acquisition.
• Organized faculty safety and security meetings during my internship as an AP at Everglades Elementary, including running mock code secure/lockdown and fire drills to improve classroom and evacuation processes and procedures.
• Collaborated with the administrative team and served as assistant principal designee for the “Let’s SOAR Summer 2019” Summer experience. Created schedules for students and staff; created faculty meet & greet; created PPT presentation for student, staff, and faculty procedures; organized the transportation processes and procedures; organized faculty supplies; organized and facilitated faculty Ice-Breaker activity to build relationships among staff; learned and created documents using mail merge resource; Organized Evacuation drill and reviewed procedures with staff; communicated daily with faculty, staff, students, and parents regarding expectations to build relationships.
• Initiated and monitored Suicide Risk Assessments (SRA) and Behavioral Threat Assessments (BTA) to determine whether to close out or extend; conducted threat assessment monitoring plans to support administration, staff, parents, and students.
• Created, organized, and implemented Honor Roll, Kids of Character, and perfect attendance assemblies every marking period for students who showed academic improvement, perfect attendance, and good citizenship for the marking period. Along with the MOTM (Mustang of the Month), a superstar recognition wall was implemented to motivate and encourage students’ positive behavior, Character, and perfect attendance.
• As a result, the students’ behavior and attendance improved 34% from August to March 2021.
• Disaggregated data and led data discussions, as part of Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI), with school social workers, psychologists, school counselors, and community liaisons to evaluate student attendance and behavior issues and identify the students in need of review at the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) meeting.
• Organized Matriculation Days for students, families, and administrators by hosting feeder elementary schools on campus to orient incoming 6th graders to courses and program opportunities. Collaborated with elementary principals, guidance directors, literacy coaches, and parents to ensure meaningful and well-coordinated visits, resulting in consistent maintenance or a 5% annual increase in 6th-grade enrollment.
• Designed and led Resiliency Education Mandate training and instructional activities for more than 400 Broward Public Schools staff members, advancing a shared vision and mission focused on student resilience, academic success, and overall well-being through cohesive, system-wide professional learning.
• From 2022 to 2025, led the design and delivery of Resiliency Education Mandate training and activities across all South Region schools, aligning stakeholders to a shared vision and mission focused on student well-being and academic success. As a result of this coordinated effort, Resiliency Education data showed sustained improvement, with Tier 3 levels decreasing from 50% to 2% and Tier 2 performance consistently maintained.

Standard 3: School Operations, Management and Safety- Effective educational leaders manage school operations and resources to cultivate a safe school environment and promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Mentored teachers and coordinated a support platform to assist teachers with observations and feedback related to their performance and provided professional development opportunities by holding training and monitoring the process. As a result, teachers were receptive to seeking relevant and accurate feedback.
• Directed school counseling operations, overseeing scheduling, staffing, resources, and parent communications to ensure safe, efficient support and access to services for all students.
• Served on the Safety Team and conducted safe team table-top discussions to ensure that in an emergency, all team members were informed of plans, standard response protocols, and procedures to ensure safety for all students, faculty, and staff.
• Learned about, organized, and conducted P&I (Property & Inventory) for various rooms and areas to support fiscal responsibility school-wide. As a result, all property and inventory were accounted for.
• Established and led a cross-disciplinary team to design, implement, and monitor a comprehensive professional development plan, including required training on Child Abuse Reporting, Anti-Bullying, Suicide Risk, parent conferences, and Response to Intervention (RTI). This team-driven approach helped create a cohesive school-wide staff development calendar. It delivered targeted training to ensure all staff were equipped to maintain student safety, well-being, and compliance, resulting in consistent, relevant, and impactful professional learning.
• Oversaw annual 6th-grade student health screenings, ensuring referrals for medical or vision needs to support a safe and healthy school environment.
• Coordinated morning and afternoon transportation, ensuring all bus riders arrived safely at school and home. Developed and managed a transportation schedule to maintain safe, organized, and well-supervised bus station areas, promoting a secure and supportive environment for all students.
• Formulated, implemented, and monitored a testing team of teachers from various disciplines to assist with Broward Standard Assessments (BSA), Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), and Common Formative Assessment (CFA) results, leading to authentic student data discussions.
• Managed Resiliency Education implementation across all South Region schools, coordinating resources, training, and student support to ensure safe, practical learning and promote student resilience and well-being.
• Coordinated Lauren’s Kids presentations at multiple elementary schools, creating safe spaces with trusted adults while educating students on preventing child sexual abuse and empowering them to speak up.
• Managed logistics and operations for department events, ensuring safe, organized, and effective activities that supported a positive work environment and staff engagement.
• Served as Acting Supervisor with responsibilities for the Resiliency Education Program for one month.

Standard 4: Student Learning and Continuous School Improvement- Effective educational leaders enable continuous improvement to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Implemented ESOL Reading, Writing, and Math strategies for teachers 6-8 in the ELA and Math Departments. As a result, ELA learning gains scores increased by 3% for the 2021 school year.
• Created and facilitated Professional Development for all teachers twice per month to incorporate ESOL literacy strategies in all content. As a result, students' scores, as demonstrated by the 2022-2023 Mastery Connect data, showed 76% proficiency, an increase of 21% from the previous year.
• Coordinated, implemented, and monitored the FAST data program for all ELA, Reading, and Math grade students to support students with test-taking strategies. As a result, student learning gains increased from 36% to 48%.
• Developed and implemented testing schedules and protocols, ensuring smooth administration while continuously improving procedures to maximize student performance and well-being.
• Led professional development for staff on testing procedures and data interpretation, supporting educators in using assessment results to drive continuous improvement in instruction and student achievement.
• Designed and facilitated Resiliency Education Mandate sessions across multiple schools, using student feedback and performance data to continuously refine lessons and strategies, promoting both academic success and social-emotional well-being.
• Monitored and evaluated Resiliency Education implementation, identifying areas for improvement and providing targeted support to teachers, resulting in more consistent and effective student engagement and outcomes.
• Analyzed Resiliency Education data across the South Region, tracking student progress and using results to inform program adjustments that foster continuous improvement and greater student well-being.
• Developed action plans for Tier 3 schools based on Resiliency Education Mandate program evaluations, guiding targeted improvements in curriculum delivery, student engagement, and overall school climate to promote continuous improvement and enhance student academic success and well-being.

Standard 5: Learning Environment- Effective educational leaders cultivate a caring, rigorous, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Created and facilitated course recovery tutoring to monitor student progress and meet promotion requirements. This resulted in 99% of students being promoted to high school yearly.
• Developed a plan to ensure all teachers could assess using Mastery Connect every cycle period for instant results on topics related to the FAST standards and writing assessments. This process helped identify students for additional support to achieve mastery.
• Modeled, encouraged, and supported teachers to create a curriculum to meet the needs of students in grades 6-8, based on college and career readiness, Common Core, and FSA/FAST data; and used mastery checks to increase enrollment in advanced classes from 2015-2023.
• Organized Extended Learning Opportunities to meet the needs of all End of Year (EOC), FAST, Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (WIDA ACCESS) tests, consisting of pullouts, push-ins, and after-school and Saturday Sessions. As a result, student learning gains increased by 10% overall.
• Organized a team and created a club, S.E.E (Sister Empowering Everyone), that promoted women's sense of self-worth, confidence to make their own choices, and the right to influence social change for themselves and others. The club members served as ambassadors by modeling positive behaviors and celebrating cultural differences that fostered diversity.
• Coached and modeled for teachers with the support of NESS Liaison and Clinical Educators to assist with classroom management and content-based Instructional Delivery Strategies, which led to teacher efficiency and student success.
• Organized and facilitated “My Next Move” to assist students with high school readiness opportunities and ensure all 8th-grade students completed their high school course card selections and special program applications.
• Monitored and evaluated guidance programs, such as RTI, college readiness, and mental health supports, adjusting strategies to maximize student engagement, achievement, and overall well-being.
• Analyzed trends in academic and behavioral data to identify areas for improvement and implement targeted interventions to support student learning and personal growth.
• Led the implementation of Resiliency Education programs across the schools in the South Region, creating a caring and supportive learning environment that strengthened the students’ social-emotional skills and academic engagement.
• Collaborated with teachers, counselors, and families to address the students’ needs and promote resilience, creating a positive school culture that supported both academic success and emotional growth.

Standard 6: Recruitment and Professional Learning- Effective educational leaders build the collective and individual professional capacity of school personnel by creating support systems and offering professional learning to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Organized school-wide staff development and PLCs for professional study days and planning days, enabling teachers to work collaboratively in recurring inquiry and action research cycles to achieve better student results.
• Facilitated support sessions and monitored completion of professional growth plans (PGPs). Ensured that all mentees were creating goals related to their individual teacher data. As a result, teachers successfully completed PGPs and achieved either an Effective or a Highly Effective rating through the BrIDGES system.
• Interviewed and hired quality personnel (instructional and non-instructional). Conducted interviews in person and virtually, which resulted in hiring two school counselors, reading teachers, and science teachers for the 2020-2024 school year.
• Created and facilitated ELA and Reading department PLCs to ensure the process was followed for best practices as they relate to areas of need based on teacher/student data. As a result, all teachers developed a rigorous, relevant curriculum aligned with state and local educational standards and initiatives.
• Created support systems for new and existing counselors and teachers, providing mentorship, resources, and ongoing coaching to strengthen their professional practice.
• Collaborated with school leadership to identify staff development needs, designing targeted training programs that promoted both educator growth and student achievement.
• Supported the recruitment and development of high-quality staff, ensuring professional learning aligned with school goals and student well-being.
• Supported staff in Resiliency Education, creating data charts, instructional videos, Canvas lessons, and communications to build professional capacity and enhance student resilience and learning.

Standard 7: Building Leadership Expertise- Effective educational leaders cultivate, support, and develop other school leaders to promote all students' academic success and well-being.

• Served as the Tier coach and mentored two new school counselors. Supported them with in-person PLCs to build their capacity to ensure the students’ social, emotional, and academic goals were achieved district-wide. As a result, these school counselors returned to their school sites better equipped and more comfortable with their role.
• Organized and facilitated a high school Magnet program fair where over 20 representatives from different schools spoke to the 8th-grade class about acceptance criteria and scholarship opportunities. As a result, all attendees were better informed about applying to their preferred high schools and dual enrollment programs.
• Collaborated, created, and facilitated an interactive session for Secondary School Counselors, which developed and shared tips, tricks, and tools for balancing the many roles of the school counselor at the middle school level. As a result, school counselors were better equipped with tools to be efficient and effective in supporting staff and student achievement.
• Mentored new and emerging school counselors, building their leadership skills and enhancing their ability to support the students’ academic and social-emotional growth.
• Coached counselors and support staff in data analysis and program implementation utilizing BASIS, CANVAS, FOCUS, OFFICE 365, CPALMS, RETHINK, XELLO, ELLEVATION, POWER BI, to assist with student intervention planning and strengthen their leadership capacity for better student outcomes.
• Empowered teachers and counselors to take leadership roles in Resiliency Education initiatives, cultivating a culture of shared leadership that promoted resilience, engagement, and academic success.

Standard 8: Meaningful Parent, Family and Community Engagement- Effective educational leaders utilize multiple means of reciprocal communication to build relationships and collaborate with parents, families, and other stakeholders to promote the academic success and well-being of all students.

• Organized and facilitated quarterly Literacy Family Nights, collaborating with the Literacy Coach and ESOL Coordinator to equip families with testing information and literacy strategies, resulting in a 9% increase in student reading proficiency.
• Developed communication plans via parent link, testing coordination, the School Counseling section of the school website, and the Sawgrass Springs Middle School's Twitter page. As a result, all faculty, staff, parents, and stakeholders were kept informed and up to date with school activities as well as district information.
• Created, monitored, and implemented the Wall of Fame, highlighting our student and teacher accolades.
• Coordinated a collaboration with the district ESOL department for “ESOL Parent Information Nights” for each grade level, which allowed parents to come and meet with teachers and other ESOL parents to learn strategies to assist the students and remain informed on literacy strategies, technology, promotion requirements, and FAST and EOC information.
• Organized family events and counseling programs, creating opportunities for reciprocal communication, thus strengthening partnerships between families and school staff.
• Presented at multiple schools to engage parents and students in understanding the Resiliency Education Mandate, fostering meaningful communication and collaboration to support student academic success and well-being.
• Organized multiple Mental Health Fairs for parents and students to promote awareness of the significance of mental health in our lives.
• Organized the district-wide Kids of Character program, recognizing 50 students and 50 staff members for exemplary character, thus fostering positive relationships and community engagement to promote a supportive school culture.

My commitment to education and student well-being has been recognized through two nominations for School  Counselor of the Year, the Elise Rush Award, and a nomination for the City of Coral Springs MLK Monument Award.  This year, I was also honored to receive the One Broward Champion Award, recognizing district staff who dedicate  their personal time to volunteering, mentoring, and supporting local schools and communities. These recognitions  reflect my dedication to serving students, families, and school communities with compassion, equity, and care.