Charlottesville, VA – Teachstone®, a leader in the field of quality early childhood education, announced that Dr. Jennifer Park has joined the company as the Director of Applied Research and Public Policy. In this role, Park will lead collaborations in research and evaluation, and will design and drive all public policy initiatives.

“We are thrilled to welcome a nationally established, senior member of the early learning policy research community to our team,” said CEO Brad Groff. “Jennifer brings extensive experience in research, state, and federal programs, as well as knowledge from the commercial early learning space. Under Jennifer’s leadership, we will continue investing in our research foundation and further deliver on the promise of CLASS—improving teaching and driving outcomes for children.”

Cofounder and Board Member, Bob Pianta added, “Over the past six years, Teachstone has transformed the market’s approach to understanding early learning quality, moving from a regulation- and credentials-based model to one that prioritizes supporting teachers’ interactions with children. With Jennifer leading our research and public policy efforts, Teachstone will take a more proactive approach to both areas, including data analysis and sharing, the development of strategic partnerships, and product development further steeped in research principles.

Park has served as a preschool teacher, researcher, evaluator, school administrator, and education policy consultant. She served as the first research director for Teaching Strategies, developing a strategic plan for research in response to the growing demands for efficacy-based funding in early childhood programs. More recently, Park led a groundbreaking, statewide effort in Florida to improve early childhood program quality that was unanimously adopted by the 31 local school readiness governing bodies throughout the state. Throughout her career, Park has developed expertise in translating early learning concepts for diverse stakeholders and in receiving buy-in to execute complicated program plans to better serve young children and the professionals who care for them. Park holds a BS in Health Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an MS in Family and Child Sciences from Florida State University, and a PhD in Child Development from Florida State University.

“I’m thrilled to join the Teachstone family at such a pivotal moment,” said Park. “There’s such an opportunity to shift the discussion in the early childhood field from one of compliance to one of supporting teachers in honing their craft, building relationships with children, and, ultimately, transforming the way our children learn.”

About Teachstone

At Teachstone, everything we do is about improving the ways teachers interact with their students. We offer training for coaches and observers, deliver online programs, design professional development—all of it grounded in one proven fact: classroom interactions have a lasting impact on children’s academic and developmental success. We help teachers improve those interactions with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS®). This proven observational measure takes the guesswork out of determining what is—and is not—effective teaching. When paired with powerful professional development resources, the CLASS system gives educators the insights they need to make lasting changes in the ways they connect with children.

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Contact Info:

Lisa Rogoff
Director of Product Marketing, Teachstone
434.244.5414
Lisa.Rogoff@teachstone.com