SBOE Announces Members of #ESSA Task Force

Diverse Representatives Reside or Work in All Eight Wards

Washington, DC- Today, the DC State Board of Education announces the members of its new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Task Force. Under the leadership of Ward 4 representative Dr. Lannette Woodruff, the ESSA Task Force will help advise the SBOE over the next two years on implementation of DC's ESSA plan. The SBOE is committed to continuing to involve broad community input in the decision-making related to the Every Student Succeeds Act.

To ensure a balance of perspectives, the State Board has chosen task force members who represent a broad constituency and will contribute meaningfully to education policy recommendations related to the 2017 DC ESSA Plan. Task Force members include parents, community leaders, education agency leaders, students, teachers, school leaders, and nonprofit personnel who work in relevant fields.

“Through our open process, we received a remarkable 55 applications from a diverse swath of residents who work in all eight wards of the District,” said Dr. Woodruff. “We look forward to working with these key education stakeholders in order to implement DC’s ESSA Plan.”

The SBOE is excited to work with such a tremendous group of diverse voices. Below are the selected members of the Task Force.

Lannette Woodruff
Ward 4 Representative, State Board of Education
Chair, ESSA Task Force

Alexander Rose-Henig (n)
Dean of Students, BASIS DC

Allyson Criner Brown
Associate Director, Teaching for Change, Ward 7 Education Council

Amon Payne
Student, Columbia Heights Educational Campus

Anne Herr (n)
Director of School Quality, FOCUS

Daniel Rodriguez
Student, Benjamin Banneker High School

DCPS Designee
Chancellor, DC Public Schools

Deborah Williams (n)
Head of School, Inspired Teaching PCS K-8

Donald Hense
Chairman, Friendship Public Charter Schools

Elizabeth V. Primas
Program Manager ESSA, National Newspaper Publishers Association

Erica Hwang (n)
Instructional Coach - Math, Brightwood Education Campus

Faith Gibson Hubbard (n)
Chief Student Advocate, State Board of Education

Jack Jacobson
Ward 2 Representative and Vice President, State Board of Education

Jaque Patterson (n)
DC Regional Director, Rocketship Public Schools

Jhonna Turner
Parent Engagement Program Coordinator, Washington Lawyers' Committee

Joe Weedon
Ward 6 Representative, State Board of Education

Josh Boots
Executive Director, EmpowerK12

Julie Anne Green
Executive Director, New Futures

Karen Williams
Ward 7 Representative and President, State Board of Education

Laura Fuchs
Teacher, H.D. Woodson High School, WTU Board Member

Maya Martin 
Executive Director, Parents Amplifying Voices in Education

PCSB Designee
Chair, Public Charter School Board

Ramona Edelin (n)
Executive Director, DC Association of Chartered Public Schools

Richard Pohlman (n)
Executive Director, Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS

Samantha Brown
Special Education and Reading Teacher, Calvin Coolidge High School

Shana Young or designee 
Chief of Staff, Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Sheila Strain-Clark
Parent, Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan

Suzanne Wells
Founder, Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization

Yolanda Corbett
Co-Chair, Parent Advocate Leaders Group

Total: 21 voting, 8 non-voting (n)

The application period closed at noon on Monday, July 24, 2017. Each application was anonymized to ensure objectivity in selection. A panel appointed by Dr. Woodruff reviewed each application and strived to ensure membership was proportionately representative to the backgrounds of the students here in the District. In keeping with the SBOE’s commitment to transparency, all applications for the task force were open to public review. To view a list of the task force applicants, click here.

Over the course of two years, four subcommittees will address school report cards, an access and opportunity measure, a high school growth measure, and school climate pilots. Task force meetings begin later this month and will continue on a monthly basis for the duration of the members’ two-year commitment. For updated information regarding ESSA, please visit sboe.dc.gov/essa.