Lauren is a District and School Customer Success Manager with Goalbook. Prior to joining Goalbook, Lauren taught Kindergarten, 5th, and 6th grade before moving into leadership positions. She served as a Special Education Coordinator, a Director of Special Education, and an Assistant School Leader (like an Assistant Principal). In her current role, Lauren enjoys being on a team that supports special education teachers to help maximize their impact on students. Read more about Lauren’s work with Goalbook in this Q&A.
- What inspired you to go into teaching?
Growing up, I was inspired by my mom. She was involved with Goodwill Industries, which supports work for adults with special learning needs, and I did a lot of volunteer work there. I spent a lot of time with folks with a wide range of abilities, and I always looked forward to spending time with them. My mom was also a teacher and principal for a time, and it always seemed like a wonderful way to be in the community with kids doing something I loved: learning.
I did my undergraduate degree in social work and spent the first semester of my senior year doing an internship at a local elementary school where I worked with students who were receiving special education services or were identified as needing additional support. I loved working with students in small groups, and when it came time to decide where I’d go after finishing college, I decided teaching was a great fit.
As a teacher, I was excited about the opportunity to work with students who had additional needs and support because I was drawn to the idea of creatively solving ways for students to approach educational tasks that weren’t straightforward. I was also really motivated to support and help parents understand the really complicated parts of special education.
- Was there a specific moment when you first considered transitioning to the private sector? How did you determine what role in the private sector would be best for you?
I was excited by the opportunity to grow my impact and work with schools and districts beyond my own school community. After 15 years of working in one of the largest school districts in the country, I wanted to experience what other school systems across the country grappled with, particularly from the special education perspective.
I focused my search just on the realm of special education and my skill sets as a special educator, so I looked at EdTech companies and education-adjacent jobs in curriculum and customer success. As a career special educator, it was important to me to find a role where I was still having an impact on students with disabilities.
“I love being on a team of people responsible for shining a light on all the awesome aspects of Goalbook Toolkit that can be so supportive in teachers’ day-to-day work.”
- As a District and School Customer Success Manager, outside of building relationships, what is the most important task/activity you do in your job?
Helping educators access and maximize their use of Goalbook Toolkit! It’s such a transformational tool. I love being on a team of people responsible for shining a light on all the awesome aspects of Goalbook Toolkit that can be so supportive in teachers’ day-to-day work.
- How did you learn how to do this task? Did you know this was an important part of the role?
I had the opportunity to observe and learn from all of the brilliant people on the Success team when I first started, and watching my colleagues in action was an invaluable learning tool.
I knew that training was going to be a core component of my role, but being able to work with educators to support them has been a real “lightbulb” moment in discovering just how impactful support and training can be. It also draws on my own time in the classroom and leading adult professional development at my school — so it comes with lots of happy memories and connections to the work I did previously.
“Being able to work with educators to support them has been a real “lightbulb” moment in discovering just how impactful support and training can be.”
- As you were learning this task, was there anything from your teaching days that helped you? How did being an educator prepare you to be successful in your role at Goalbook?
So many things from my days in teaching help me now! Educators need to be able to think on their feet and adapt to new environments and situations as they arise. They need to know how to read a room, how to ask questions, and how to synthesize information with other people, and the same is true when presenting Goalbook Toolkit to an audience. I also think it’s incredibly valuable to be able to empathize with the folks I work with who are in schools daily about all of the expectations placed on their time and attention.
“My work with Goalbook and our partners centers around supporting teachers and educators to maximize their impact on students.”
- In your current role, when do you most feel your work is contributing to improve the education system?
I believe that my work with Goalbook and our partners centers around supporting teachers and educators to maximize their impact on students. When a teacher doesn’t have to spend hours looking for a strategy or resource to support a student, or is able to utilize a progress monitoring assessment that gives them effective data on where a student is in relation to their annual goal, they’re getting valuable time back and input on exactly how they can best be supporting the students in front of them every day.
There are still people-facing and relationship-building opportunities in my role since I meet with school and district leaders to ask about their priorities and how Goalbook Toolkit has helped them. The human connection is also very gratifying.
- How has being a former educator given you an advantage in the District and School Customer Success role?
I think the skills of being a District and School Customer Success Manager match well with having been an educator. I’ve been able to grow both the skills I built over 15 years as well as my impact in a way that matches some of the goals I set for myself. Presenting to people in a clear and relatable way, using data to guide your interventions and supports, and communicating effectively are all hallmarks of great teachers and great Success Managers!
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