Karla Baehr

Dr. Baehr has most recently served at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) where she led the team to design, develop, and launch the Department’s model system for educator evaluation. The model includes rubrics and protocols for evaluating teachers and administrators, and implementation guides for districts and schools. She was the Deputy Commissioner of Accountability, Assistance, and Partnership at DESE where she articulated key components of the state’s successful Race to the Top application, deepened engagement with stakeholders, and redesigned the state’s district and school accountability and assistance systems.

Baehr began her career in education as a high school social studies teacher and recently taught at the Lesley University School of Education Graduate Programs in Education Administration and Teaching, Learning and Assessment, where she was an Assistant Professor. She served as Superintendent of Lowell Public Schools from 2000 to 2008 and Wellesley Public Schools from 1986 to 1995.

Baehr earned her BA in history from Middlebury College. She holds an EdM from Harvard University and an EdD in Educational Leadership from Boston University. She completed the Executive Leadership Program for Educators at Harvard University. She is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service, awarded in 2012 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the 2011 Thomas P. (“Tip”) O’Neill, Jr. Award for Lifetime Contributions to Public Education.