Dr. Marilyn Elgart Birnbaum

Superintendent, North Plainfield Public Schools

Background

Marilyn Elgart Birnbaum has been involved in education for 39 years. Beginning as a substitute teacher in 1970, Dr. Birnbaum became a high school English teacher in the North Plainfield school system in 1971. Ten years later, she became a supervisor/administrator in the district in 1981 with the main charge of developing, implementing, and supervising the first adult high school for the district. (The North Plainfield Adult High School is currently the second largest program in New Jersey.) As an administrator, Dr. Birnbaum also worked on various district-wide efforts. She collaborated on the development of district objectives and staff training activities, and assisted in coordinating and restructuring the ESL/Bilingual and Basic Skills programs, K-12.

In August 1992, Dr. Birnbaum became Assistant Superintendent in North Plainfield. In this role she directed curriculum development, improvement, and evaluation; organized, directed, and supervised the district-wide subject area supervisors to provide a comprehensive educational program of instruction and services; planned and implemented in-service training and professional development programs; coordinated all funded programs and grants throughout the district and secured appropriate funding resources; coordinated pupil assignments; served as Affirmative Action Officer; and coordinated and monitored the district-wide testing program.

In February 1995, Dr. Birnbaum became Superintendent of Schools in North Plainfield. In this capacity, she has encouraged the development of curriculum and programs that meet the needs of all students; administered fiscally sound budgets; monitored the implementation of the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards; directed and supervised a cohesive administrative team; coordinated personnel-related tasks; advocated comprehensive in-service training and professional development programs; explored and nurtured collaborative relationships with outside sources, such as Rutgers University, the Somerset-Hunterdon Business Education Alliance, IBM, and Chubb; opened lines of communication and established linkages with parents and community members; developed and implemented a comprehensive public relations plan; developed and facilitated a $32,000,000 building project, including the coordination of five referenda; and encouraged the development and implementation of a comprehensive technology plan, allowing for 21^st century access and learning.

Dr. Birnbaum's experience also has crossed over to business and industry. She has been a training and development consultant for Concept Training Seminars, Inc. in New Jersey and Lockheed Corporation in California. She has designed, developed, and implemented a variety of effective writing programs along with manuals for diverse employee groups and developed and collaborated on various other human resource development programs.

Professional Associations/Honors

Dr. Birnbaum has been affiliated with various professional associations including the American Association of School Administrators; New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), member, curriculum and instruction committee; Somerset County Association of School Administrators, past president; Kappa Delta Pi Educational Honor Society; American Educational Research Association (AERA); Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; New Jersey Association for Lifelong Learning, past president; and National Center for Education Research and Technology. She is also past president of the NJ School Development Council and past vice chair of the Somerset-Hunterdon Business Education Alliance. In addition, Dr. Birnbaum is active in the community. She is a member of the North Plainfield-Plainfield Rotary and also serves on the North Plainfield Education Foundation, Municipal Alliance, and Crisis Management Team. In fact, the Commission on the Status of Women in Somerset County honored Dr. Birnbaum in 2002 as an Outstanding Woman in Education in Somerset County.

Theory and Practice/Honors

Moreover, Dr. Birnbaum and the North Plainfield school system have been involved in research, activities, and programs associated with Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education (GSE), including a five-year research study with Rutgers University, University of Georgia, and Georgia State University to find out how young readers learn to read smoothly and effectively, under the coordination of Rutgers University literacy/reading professors Drs. Lesley Morrow and Melanie Kuhn. The district also worked with Drs. Clark Chinn and Rick Duschl on a National Science Foundation Grant entitled "Promoting Conceptual Change in Reasoning." Dr. Birnbaum also shares her knowledge and experience with prospective teachers by serving as a part-time lecturer in the GSE's Departments of Teaching and Learning and Educational Psychology. Dr. Birnbaum was recognized as an Honored Faculty Member at the Kappa Delta Pi, Mu Rho Chapter, Rutgers University Initiation Ceremony in April 2003 and was honored with the 2007 Distinguished Leader in Education Award at the Rutgers University GSE Convocation in May 2007.

Publications

Interested in parent/community involvement as well as assessment, Dr. Birnbaum also has co-authored several papers and articles:

• Birnbaum, M.E., Smith, J.K., and Smith, L.F. (2007). Student Perspectives on Classroom Assessments, Paper, AERA.

• Smith, L.F., Birnbaum, M.E., Waszkielewicz, I. and Smith, J.K. (2005). Home Influences on School Achievement and Decline, Paper, AERA.

• Smith, J.K., Smith, L.F. and Birnbaum, M.E. (2004). Connecting with Diverse School Communities, Paper, AERA.

• Smith, L.F., Smith, J.K. and Birnbaum, M.E. (1997). Measure Specific Assessment of Motivation and Anxiety, Paper, AERA.

• Wolf, L.F., Smith, J.K., and Birnbaum, M.E. (1995). Consequence of performance, test motivation and mentally taxing items. Applied Measurement in Education, 8, 341-352.

• Birnbaum, M.E. (1992). Predicting Persistence in Adult High Schools: Motivational, Situational, and Demographic Influences, Paper, AERA.

And she has published several articles in On Target, A Publication of NJASA:

• “A Balanced Approach to Assessment, January 2009.

• “Gathering Insight and Support with a Community-Wide Survey,” October 2004.

• “Reading Instruction—It's all in the Approach,” June 2002.

• “Implementing Limited English Proficient (LEP) Educational and Outreach Services,” July 2001.

Other

Dr. Birnbaum received her Bachelor of Arts, 1970 in English from Queens College, City University of New York; Master of Education, 1984, and her Doctorate of Education, 1990 in Educational Administration, Supervision and Adult Education from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.