Soljane Martinez, EdD
Consultant, Faculty, Educator, Mom
The education field demands daily, often hour-to-hour flexibility in an effort to serve all students holistically. I’m a driven and positive professional whose first priority is always the interests of my clients; providing capability, adaptability, and scalability.
With more than 20 years of experience in both media and education, I know what it takes to engage all stakeholders when it comes to decisions regarding the equitable education of ALL students.
My experience as an educator includes:
Classroom teacher of grades 3-12
Urban education
History Department Chair
Civics Education teacher leader
Social & Restorative Justice
Dean of Culture & Students
Principal
Education Coordinator at the higher ed level
Lifelong learner!
I hold a BA in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island ('98); Masters in Education from CUNY-Staten Island ('03) and an Educational Leadership Doctoral degree from Johnson & Wales University ('20).
In addition to loving all things education, I am the proud mother of two boys--middle school and high school-aged. I fill my days with fun by dancing while cooking alongside my loving husband.
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Recent Work
My experience over the past 20 years has led me to my current work with two prominent universities in RI. I'm able to use my classroom, leadership and community experiences in my role as Education Coordinator at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. It is an honor to coordinate all of Brown University's K-12 programming and initiatives with local schools.
Immediately upon completing my Educational Leadership Doctorate degree, I was offered an adjunct faculty position in the Teacher Education Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at Johnson & Wales University, to teach future educators what is near and dear to me--how to be culturally responsive educators.
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Throughout the years, I’ve participated in a variety of on-going professional development opportunities as well as taken leadership roles in educational organizations.
In 2008 I was chosen as a Freedom Writer Teacher, learning from Erin Gruwell, how to implement the Freedom Writers Methodology, a progressive teaching philosophy with curricula designed to achieve excellence from all students.
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In 2013, I was appointed to the iCivics Educator Network by (retired) Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. My then 8th grade students and I had the pleasure of hosting her in our classroom that same year to display our unrelenting commitment to civic education and social justice.
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In 2014, I was chosen as one of 24 educators worldwide, to be a part of the USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education's The Past is Present. I joined other educators, students and Holocaust survivors for a week in Poland to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
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In 2017, I was featured in Edutopia's Schools That Work series for my diversity work with students including my work with English language learners.