As part of our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are spotlighting the accomplishments and contributions of NCE alumnus Dr. Efrain Martinez, principal of Northwood Middle School in Highland Park, IL.

In February 2021, Efrain Martinez (Ed.D. in Educational Leadership' 20) launched his podcast "Wisdom and Productivity" to capture, as he describes it, the "B-side" of school leadership stories. While the A-side of records features the most popular, marketable songs, the B-side frequently captures more visceral, personal, and often vulnerable tracks. "My podcast was born out of this idea of having 'B-side' conversations with people to hear about what makes them who they are, who has influenced them, and how they stay organized," says Efrain.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Efrain moved to the mainland United States to study Hispanic Studies at the California University of Pennsylvania, followed by University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Later, Efrain earned his Professional Educator's License through National Louis University.

After serving as principal of Chicago's Orozco Academy for six years, Efrain joined Northwood Middle School this academic year. As a school leader, Efrain focuses on building solid relationships with faculty and staff. He believes that acknowledging and praising every teacher's best qualities and skills is the best formula to encourage significant student learning.

Efrain learned about emotional intelligence, continuous improvement, intentionality, and what he calls "life-changing teaching practices" as a National College of Education doctoral student. "My goal is to be at least 1% better every day. I want to listen to students better, their families better, teachers better. The idea of improvement is what motivates me the most." Efrain credits his father for fostering his focus on social-emotional learning practices that his National Louis University coursework bolstered. "There is only so much a principal can do, but we cannot make a difference if we don't have an informed lens." Efrain abides by Orozco Academy's motto, "When you do good things, good things happen."

To follow and listen to "Wisdom and Productivity," click here.