In her work with teachers, administrators, schools, and non-profit organizations, Dr. Robyn R. Jackson focuses on key principles of education rather than isolated strategies and canned approaches. Using these principles, she helps teachers and school leaders discover for themselves how best to meet the challenges they face.

Dr. Jackson founded Mindsteps Inc. in 2006 to help teachers learn how to help every students meet or exceed rigorous learning standards. Her unique approach to professional development shows teachers how to create units that meet the learning needs of every student in the classroom, supporting struggling students without sacrificing rigor. Her work with administrators helps them effectively train and support teachers and create highly rigorous school programs that ensure equitable access to college readiness for all students. She also works with school systems and non-profits to remove institutional barriers to equity, access, and rigor for all students, particularly students of color who are traditionally under-represented in advanced courses.

Accomplishments:

• Advocate: Dr. Jackson served as a teacher, administrator, adjunct professor, consultant, and speaker championing equity, access, and rigor for over 15 years.
• National Board Certified AP English Teacher: As a National Board Certified English teacher, she increased the enrollment of minority and non-traditional students in her AP Language and Composition classes and tripled her course enrollment within one year without a decrease in her students' test scores.
• Award winning administrator: As a middle school administrator in Montgomery County Maryland, she worked to revise the district's Gifted and Talented program to be more inclusive of under-represented students and better prepare students for rigorous high school work. She also compiled the final draft of the district’s Middle School Reform Report and helped lead one of the largest middle schools in the district to win the state and national Blue Ribbon.
• A nationally recognized presenter and consultant: Dr. Jackson has traveled throughout the United States sharing her unique approach to instruction. Most recently, she has worked with non-profits such as the College Board, The National Governors’ Association, and the Fulfillment Fund and with school districts in Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, and the District of Columbia to help develop the capacity of both teachers and school leaders help all students meet or exceed rigorous learning standards and become college-ready. She has also been featured in The Washington Post, a PBS/Annenberg television series,Lifetime Television's daily talk show Lifetime Live, and several times on WTOP radio.
• University Professor and Researcher: As an educator, she has served as an adjunct professor at Towson University and Bowie University and presented her own research on equity, access, rigor, and instructional strategies designed to help under-represented and under-served student populations meet rigorous learning standards at several national conferences including the College Board National Forum, The AP Annual Conference, CCCC, AERA, ASCD Annual Conference, The National Middle School Association Annual Conference, The National Staff Development Conference, and the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards National Conference. She is also a senior fellow of the Phelps Stokes Fund and the Chairperson of the Dupont Park Adventist Junior Academy School Board.

Dr. Jackson is the author of three books:

• The Differentiation Workbook: A step-by-step guide to creating lessons that help every student meet the standards
• The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversations
• Never Work Harder than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching.