Hope that the course is going well so far! As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any concerns or comments. I am not having office hours today, but I’m happy to meet in-person or over Zoom by appointment. My next office hours are tomorrow 4:00 – 5:30.
The main takeaways of this email
- Read tomorrow’s speaker bios and changes to the Professionalism Reminders page of our course website.
- Read today’s email(s) from Sarah DeVellis
- Be at the Washington Center by 10:25 tomorrow for our first speaker at 10:30.
Schedule
Attire: business casual
8:00 – 9:00 Optional breakfast (hotel folks only)
Washington Center (901 4th St NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001)
10:30 – 11:30 Speaker visit: Patrick Rooney
Washington Center
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch
For those who ordered lunch, Washington Center
1:00 – 2:00 Speaker visit: Jacqueline Rodriguez
Washington Center
2:30 – 3:30 Speaker visit: Julie Packett
Washington Center
Things to complete by tomorrow
- Read the bios for tomorrow’s speakers, which can be found on our course website or at the bottom of this email, and brainstorm some questions you might want to ask. Have at least one question for each speaker you are confident asking.
- Read the Professionalism Reminders page of our course website, which I’ve updated based on our speaker visits so far.
- If you have photos from today or yesterday, upload them to the shared drive sent out today by Sarah DeVellis.
- If you signed up to write the thank-you note for our capitol tour guide, please give that to me by the end of the day tomorrow! And if you signed up to write the thank-you note for Patrick Rooney, Jacqueline Rodriguez, or Julie Packett, be prepared to get their address tomorrow. If you don’t remember who you signed up for, please reference this sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wdjJkBxRTQ5oX69iDCzbCN9CmXizs2EVd9i8apg202E/edit?usp=sharing
Materials mentioned today
- Bipartisan FAFSA letter mentioned by Rebecca Howard: https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-grassley-and-murray-lead-bipartisan-push-for-clear-guidance-on-the-new-free-application-for-federal-student-aid
As usual, let me know if you have any questions, and I will see everyone by 10:25 for our 10:30 speaker at the Washington Center!
Speaker bios
Patrick Rooney
Patrick Rooney is the Director of School Support and Accountability at the U.S. Department of Education. He oversees several key components of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), including 21st Century Community Learning Centers; Title I, Part A; Title I, Part D; Title II; Title III; State Assessment Grants; Competitive Grants for State Assessments; McKinney-Vento Homeless Education; Well-Rounded Education through Student-Centered Funding; and 21st Century Community Learning Centers Out of School Time Career Pathway programs. Together, these programs award more than $20 billion annually to states and districts. Prior to this, Patrick was the Deputy Director in the Office of State Support from 2014 to 2018, where he oversaw many of these same programs. Patrick previously helped lead the work of the Reform Support Network, providing technical assistance to states implementing comprehensive Race to the Top reforms, and the Race to the Top Assessment program, which provided grants to groups of states to develop new assessments aligned to state’s college and career ready standards. Patrick also worked in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education supporting states implement their accountability and assessment systems. Patrick previously worked in the DC Office of State Superintendent of Education, where he was a senior policy advisor and worked on a variety of K-12 issues in the District of Columbia. He started his career as a statistician in the National Center for Education Statistics, analyzing education trends for a variety of topics in the Congressionally mandated annual report, The Condition of Education.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-rooney-5a93391/
Jacqueline Rodriguez
Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez is CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, supporting and leading a team at the forefront of the learning disabilities rights movement.
She joined NCLD from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), where she serves as vice president for research, policy, & advocacy overseeing the strategy and content development for the association’s research, programs and professional learning, state and federal policy, and advocacy initiatives. Prior to her tenure with AACTE, Rodriguez served as a special education teacher and university faculty member, preparing future special and general education teachers for K12 classrooms.
Rodriguez has a PhD in education with a focus on exceptional education from the University of Central Florida, where she was a McKnight Doctoral Fellow and an Order of Pegasus Awardee. Rodriguez earned an MA in special education with a learning disabilities specialization from American University and her BA in international affairs and Latin American studies with a concentration in international development, culture, and society from The George Washington University. She worked at W&M as an assistant professor for five years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-rodriguez-phd/
The National Center for Learning Disabilities works to improve the lives of children and young adults nationwide with learning and attention issues—by empowering parents and young adults, transforming schools, and advocating for equal rights and opportunities.
They’re working to create a society where everyone possesses the academic, social, and emotional skills needed to succeed in school, work, and life.
https://ncld.org/
Julie Packett
Julie Packett is a Data Scientist / IT Specialist at USAID. There, she helps build a data community for USAID, sells the vision for modern analytics across the organization, and leads education and advocacy on data use and governance. Before this role, she was an Education Research Analyst at the U.S. Department of Education.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmwp/
USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience.
https://www.usaid.gov/