Project Description
Dr. Jason Major, Fellow
William E Dever Elementary School
Chicago, IL
Dr. Jason Major is in his 7th school year as principal of Dever Elementary School in Chicago. He leads with the guiding principle that strong relationships are key to building a positive school culture, as well as providing students experiences that are not traditionally found in public schools. He encourages risk-taking in his staff through inquiry, experiential "learning by living," and action projects. Dever was the elementary school winner of the inaugural Obama Foundation Award for Civic Action in 2019. He previously has been an assistant principal, math instructional coach, data strategist, and middle school mathematics teacher, and served on the board of the Math Circles of Chicago and the Illinois Association for Gifted Children. He also helped to start more than 20 math clubs in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois between 2010 and 2012 using high school students as lead teachers, some of which still operate today. Jason holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from National Louis University and recently completed the Chicago Principal Fellowship through Northwestern University. He also serves as a Lead Mentor for new principals in Chicago Public Schools. He is thrilled to be a part of Cahn as his passion is connecting and collaborating with fellow educators.
Kellyann Martinez, Ally
Assistant Principal
William E Dever Elementary School
Chicago, IL
Kelly Martinez is entering her third year as assistant principal at William E. Dever Elementary School on Chicago’s Northwest side, where she taught for 20 years. Prior to becoming assistant principal, Kelly was the lead math teacher, problem solving teacher and taught all grades from third to seventh. As lead math teacher, she and her math colleagues developed goals for each grade level that aligned with the standards. In their classrooms, they engaged in tasks to allow students the opportunities to engage in activities that deepened their understanding of math concepts. When she became the problem solving teacher for Dever, she had to develop her own curriculum that enhanced the students’ understanding of concepts as well as built their confidence in approaching problems with an open mind. Students discovered different ways to solve problems that could result in multiple solutions by defending their results with their math reasoning skills. Kelly’s teaching philosophy is to build relationships with students and guardians by creating a safe learning environment. Kelly believes a student learns best in a positive, trusting classroom that provides students with multiple opportunities to grow, reflect and develop leadership skills. She leads Dever with this same philosophy. Building opportunities for teachers to reflect and develop their teaching abilities in a safe, trusting environment.