Amanda Alexander Email and Phone Number

- Ensure the academic integrity and efficacy of programs and services- Lead the Research and Validation Department and Professional Learning Team- Support the leaders of the Curriculum, Collections, Magazines, Teacher Solutions and F.A.C.E. Literacy teams on learning science, pedagogy, curriculum, literacy, EdTech innovations, SEL, equity and assessments in districts, state agencies and national organizations

- Assisted with strategy development and overall direction of organization's growth- Led the Partnership Development Team's efforts to expand geographies and service lines- Built strategic partnerships to advance public understanding and support of a high-quality, well-financed system of education (birth through secondary)- Assisted with public policy efforts to ensure products and services in ECE and K-12 education were reflected and supported in federal, state and local initiatives - Supported colleagues' understanding of the dynamic political and public policy landscape to meet client needs

-Supported strategy and programmatic efforts of national organizations with a focus on the development of local school and district level leadership capacity-Locations included school districts and charters in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, DC

- Served on the Senior Management Team as a thought-partner to the new chancellor on issues related to budget, staffing, organizational structures, and stakeholder relations- Supported the chancellor leadership transition process with a focus on the selection of new school leaders, ECE/Head Start policies and other timely duties as assigned

- Galvanized the senior management team to revisit an extensive list of strategic initiatives, narrow the areas of focus, create project plans and identify key performance indicators- Stabilized the system during a tumultuous period to ensure the successful completion of the budget season, PARCC administration, graduation, summer school, construction projects and the recruitment and retention of staff for SY 18-19- Reorganized the central office to streamline duplicative functions and provide direct support to schools- Oversaw the development and implementation of 5 key policies (attendance, discipline, grading and promotion, graduation and credit recovery)- Broadened parent access to senior management by creating 4 new advisory boards (Social Emotional and Academic Development, Innovation and Systems Improvement, Special Education and School Design and Continuous Improvement) in addition to the Chancellor’s Cabinet- Obtained the support of elected officials, stakeholders and philanthropists to bring BARD Early College to DCPS- Co-developed the first cross-sector assistant principals’ trauma-informed learning community- Launched the inaugural Chancellor’s Summer Book Club to promote an appreciation for literacy and engage a diverse group of stakeholders in critical conversations about equity, race, and gender

- Led and managed a team of 6 elementary instructional superintendents to results as evidenced by improved outcomes across all 8 wards- Implemented the practice of departmentalization, looping, RTI and weekly data meetings to ensure schools were organized for success- Served as the lead senior administrator on the district’s early literacy initiative to improve core instructional practices, guidance to school leaders, professional development, data analysis cycles, and vertical alignment- Provided leadership for Head Start programming and site evaluations which resulted in a successful federal review and the awarding of a $13M grant for ECE curricula, resources, and staff- Recipient of the Reading Recovery Council of North America’s 2018 Excellence in Literacy Leadership Award

- Led and managed the city-wide departmentalization of elementary schools which resulted in an increase in teacher content expertise in mathematics and student outcomes on the PARCC (+6.4%, +2.2%, and +5.0%) in grades 3, 4 and 5 respectively- Redesigned the district’s recruitment, selection, development, and evaluation of all superintendents and was recognized by the Wallace Foundation as a national exemplar in the area of principal supervision- Petitioned senior management to rethink the annual goalsetting process for principals which resulted in the appropriate use of diagnostic and interim assessment data to evaluate their performance- Secured a Reading Recovery grant and provided graduate studies for teachers at Trinity University to address 1st-grade literacy deficiencies in 40/40 schools- Established a partnership with the University of Maryland to secure $3M in research grants to better understand and respond to 6th—12th-grade literacy deficiencies