Dr. Maren Oberman serves as the Director of the Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP) MA program at the University of Michigan School of Education. A clinical assistant professor, she teaches both in the Educational Studies department and in the Elementary MA and Certification program. Oberman’s areas of expertise include: leadership growth & development, teaching & teacher policy issues, issues of equity & identity in education, coaching, mentoring, & instructional leadership.

Oberman’s research and practice has focused on increasing the status, respect, and value of teachers through preparation, meaningful professional development, and building leadership capacity. Her goal is to increase the quality and effectiveness of the U.S. K-12 educator force through reflective practice, inquiry-based improvement strategies, and personal leadership development. She is also deeply invested in promoting equity and justice in American education, through teaching, leadership, and community involvement.

Prior to joining the faculty at the School of Education, Oberman worked (in Massachusetts, Illinois, and California) as a K-12 teacher, an instructional coach, an administrator in schools and districts, and a teaching fellow at the graduate level. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership (EdLD) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, including a residency at the central office leadership level in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Through her work at LAUSD, Oberman completed her doctoral capstone, “Accountability, Coherence, and Improvement: Leadership Reflection and Growth in the Los Angeles Unified School District.” She is a certified Data Wise coach and she serves on the Advisory Board of the Data Wise Improvement Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.