Institute for Student Achievement Announces New President to Succeed Retiring Gerry House

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PRINCETON, N.J., July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for Student Achievement (ISA), a division of ETS, announced today that Dr. Stephanie Wood-Garnett, Vice President for Policy to Practice at the Alliance for Excellent Education, has been appointed ISA's next president. Wood-Garnett succeeds Dr. Gerry House who announced her retirement earlier this month after nearly two decades of leadership. Wood-Garnett assumes the presidency July 25.

"Gerry House and ISA have done remarkable things for so many educators and young people in this country," says ETS President Walt MacDonald. "We are fortunate to have had the benefit of Gerry's skills, experience and passion for the ISA mission." 

ISA, whose mission is to partner with schools and districts to transform public high schools so that students who are traditionally underserved and underperforming graduate prepared for success in college and careers, has been part of ETS since Jan. 1, 2013. House has been ISA's president since 2000.

"My work at ISA has truly been the highlight of my professional life," House says. "I am going to miss the work and the people, but I am so encouraged that Stephanie Wood-Garnett is taking over the leadership. The mission could not be better served."

MacDonald adds, "For nearly 25 years, Dr. Wood-Garnett has helped teachers and school leaders support the academic, social and emotional needs of underserved students. Through her leadership in delivering systemic, programmatic and cultural change to underperforming schools and districts, Stephanie has opened new doors to learning and achievement. That's an excellent description of ISA's mission, which makes her the perfect successor."

"I've had the fantastic opportunity to collaborate with Gerry House and ETS working on key education initiatives. The mission of ISA reflects my personal commitment and drive for equity and improved outcomes for underserved students. I'm honored to join the ETS team and the talented professionals at ISA," says Wood-Garnett. "We have a solid institutional foundation to build on — I'm looking forward to the work!"

Wood-Garnett has been at the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for Excellent Education since August 2015. The Alliance is a national education policy, practice and advocacy organization. Its mission is to promote high school transformation so that students, particularly those from underserved groups, can graduate prepared for college, life and careers.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Wood-Garnett was a Managing Director at the NewSchools Venture Fund, an Oakland, California-based nonprofit that helps find, fund and support entrepreneurs committed to innovative practices in education. Before that, she served by appointment as the Assistant Commissioner of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness at the New York State Department of Education. Her additional roles in the field of education include: Associate Director/Director of Teacher and Principal Evaluation at the University of Washington's Center for Educational Leadership; Executive Director of Exemplary Programs for the Bellevue, Washington School District; and Executive Director for the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Wood-Garnett earned a BA in English literature, with a minor in women's studies, from Dartmouth College; an MA in education and human development, with a focus on higher education administration, from The George Washington University; and a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. She has served on the ETS Advisory Committee on Equity in Student and Teacher Assessments.

About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

About ISA
The Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) partners with schools and districts to transform public high schools so that students who are traditionally underserved and underperforming graduate prepared for success in college. Through a close partnership, ISA provides the organizational and professional development supports that schools, principals and teachers need to succeed, giving students the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve to their fullest potential. To learn more about ISA, visit www.studentachievement.org/.

SOURCE Educational Testing Service

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