Alexandria's Design · Educational Leadership

Dr. Marie Martin

Ed.L.D., USC Rossier  ·  Creator of the LEVER Framework  ·  NSF Principal Investigator

15+ Years in Education
3x Teacher of the Year
Ed.L.D. USC Rossier
NSF Principal Investigator

Transforming Schools from Factory Model to Futures Model

Three Pillars of Transformative Work

Educational leadership scholarship, equity-centered frameworks, and AI literacy — rooted in a belief that every child deserves more than the factory model we inherited.

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Pillar 01

The LEVER Framework

An original, cyclical equity-centered roadmap for K-12 superintendent leadership. LEVER guides districts from Education 2.0 (the factory model) to Education 4.0 (human-AI partnership, culturally sustaining, justice-centered). Published by Alexandria's Design.

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Pillar 02

The Fourth Industrial Superintendent

A 15-chapter manuscript on leading school districts through the 4th Industrial Revolution with moral purpose, collective vision, and equity as the first question. Publisher proposals with ASCD, Corwin, and Harvard Education Press.

AI
Pillar 03

AI Literacy for All

NSF-funded research on how ModelIt (Boolean network modeling, 130+ peer-reviewed papers) develops AI literacy in grades 4-8 with equity and cultural sustainability at the center of the research design.

The LEVER Framework

A cyclical, equity-centered roadmap for K-12 district transformation. Not a checklist — a living practice of leadership grounded in moral purpose, collective wisdom, and reflective iteration.

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Lead with Moral Purpose

The Why That Drives Everything

Ground every decision in equity and justice. Moral purpose is not abstract — it shows up in budget allocations, hiring practices, curriculum choices, and how power is distributed. Who benefits? Who is excluded? Ask it every time.

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Envision Collectively

Vision is Not a Top-Down Document

Build shared vision through authentic engagement — especially with communities historically excluded from decision-making. Black and Brown families, immigrant communities, disabled communities carry wisdom that belongs in the room.

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Vitalize Professional Culture

Create Conditions Where Adults Thrive

You cannot build an Education 4.0 school with an Education 2.0 professional culture. Trust, collaboration, continuous growth, anti-deficit practice — these are the conditions that make transformation possible and sustainable.

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Employ Relationships

Relationships Are Infrastructure

Not a soft skill — infrastructure. Power, trust, and community are built through sustained, intentional connection. Leaders who transform their districts are those who invest in people first.

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Reflect & Iterate

Transformation is Not Linear

Inquiry-based leadership means cycling back. Examining data disaggregated by race, language, disability, and income. Asking what worked and for whom. Adjusting with humility. The LEVER is a cycle — not a finish line.

Where Theory Becomes Practice

Academic scholarship, policy-facing publications, and applied research — all oriented toward equity, transformation, and what leadership looks like on Monday morning.

NSF Research

Computational Modeling & AI Literacy

Principal Investigator on NSF grant (NSF 25-545): "Computational Modeling as Foundation for AI Literacy." How Boolean network modeling through ModelIt develops AI literacy in grades 4-8, with equity and cultural sustainability at the center.

Ask about this research →
Book Manuscript

The Fourth Industrial Superintendent

15 chapters, 65,000+ words. A manifesto for K-12 district leaders navigating AI adoption, workforce transformation, and the equity imperative. From the factory model's origins to a letter to the next superintendent.

Ask about the book →
Academic Publications

LEVER Literature Review & Journal Work

80+ page LEVER literature review submitted to ETR&D. JELPS submission under review. Six USC-linked articles in development for Hechinger Report, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, The 74, NAESP, and EdSurge.

Discuss publication strategy →
ModelIt K-12

Computational Modeling in the Classroom

VP of ModelIt / Discovery Collective — a STEM platform built on Cell Collective (UNL). Students build Boolean network models of biological, ecological, and social systems. NGSS-aligned. 130+ peer-reviewed papers.

Learn about ModelIt →

The Numbers Behind the Work

3xTeacher of the Year
15Book Chapters Written
130+Peer-Reviewed Papers Behind ModelIt
6USC Articles in Publication Pipeline
Ed.L.D.USC Rossier School of Education
NSFPrincipal Investigator, AI Literacy Research

From Jazz to the Doctorate

A career built at the intersection of music, multicultural education, computational science, and a relentless commitment to equity.

The Foundation

BA in Music / Jazz — USC

The first credential: a jazz musician's ear for improvisation, structure, and the way a room changes when you create something together. Culturally sustaining education requires the same listening.

International

Teaching in Abu Dhabi

International teaching experience that shaped a global lens on what Education 4.0 needs to be — not just for American students, but for learners navigating the 4th Industrial Revolution in different cultural contexts.

3x Recognition

Teacher of the Year

Not once — three times. Built on culturally sustaining practice, rigorous academics, and the conviction that every student brings knowledge worth building on. Anti-deficit wasn't a framework. It was a daily practice.

Graduate Work

MA in Multicultural Education — National University

The intellectual grounding for LEVER: Ladson-Billings, Django Paris, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Crenshaw's intersectionality. Multicultural education not as add-on but as structural, analytical lens for everything that comes next.

Doctorate

Ed.L.D. — USC Rossier School of Education

The highest practice-based doctorate in educational leadership. The dissertation that became the foundation for LEVER, The Fourth Industrial Superintendent manuscript, and six peer-reviewed articles.

Enterprise

CEO — Alexandria's Design

Founded Alexandria's Design as the home for LEVER, The Fourth Industrial Superintendent, and educational consulting for district leaders. LEVER is Alexandria's Design IP — not ModelIt, not anyone else's.

Now

NSF PI + Publishing + The Forge

Leading NSF-funded AI literacy research. Book proposals with major publishers. LEVER literature review under review at ETR&D. Six articles in the pipeline. And this — a digital twin to reach the leaders who need these frameworks most.

Consult Dr. Marie

Powered by the LEVER Framework, The Fourth Industrial Superintendent manuscript, and Dr. Martin's full intellectual universe. Ask about district transformation, equity in AI adoption, culturally sustaining pedagogy, or where to start on Monday.

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Dr. Marie Martin, Ed.L.D.

LEVER Framework Creator · Ask me anything about Education 4.0
What is the LEVER Framework?
How do I adopt AI equitably?
Tell me about Education 4.0
What is your consulting approach?

Publications & In-Pipeline Research

Academic publications, practitioner articles, and in-development manuscripts spanning educational leadership, equity, and AI literacy.

ETR&D — Under Review · 2026
LEVER Framework Literature Review

80+ page systematic review grounding the LEVER framework — synthesizing Ladson-Billings, Django Paris, Bettina Love, Fullan, Crenshaw, and Freire into an original equity-centered leadership model for K-12 superintendents.

JELPS — Under Review · 2026
Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Submission

Peer-reviewed submission on LEVER Framework application in equity-centered district leadership in the context of AI adoption and 4th Industrial Revolution transformation.

In Development · Hechinger Report
When Social-Emotional Learning Fails Black Students

A practitioner critique of SEL programs that center compliance over cultural sustaining. Argues for an equity-first reimagining of social-emotional learning in K-12 schools.

In Development · Phi Delta Kappan
The Data We Choose Not to See

On selective use of data in K-12 decision-making — and how disaggregated data by race, language, disability, and income exposes the equity gaps that aggregated averages obscure.

Book Manuscript · Proposals at ASCD, Corwin, Harvard Education Press
The Fourth Industrial Superintendent

15 chapters, 65,000+ words. A complete roadmap for district leaders navigating AI adoption, workforce transformation, and the equity imperative in Education 4.0. From the factory model's origins to a letter to the next superintendent.