Keystone Policy Center Welcomes Abramson to Lead Its Education Work
Abramson Will Guide Keystone’s Growing Education Policy Practice, Expand it to New Issues, States
KEYSTONE, CO, September 19, 2017 — Keystone Policy Center President and CEO Christine Scanlan announced today that Berrick Abramson, a nationally respected public policy and education expert, will join Keystone to lead its education policy work. Scanlan said Abramson’s expertise will complement Keystone’s current work and expand it to new horizons.
“Keystone has worked with teachers, students, and policymakers — from classrooms to state Capitols — to improve public education,” Scanlan said. “We’re excited to bring Berrick’s expertise to Keystone to accelerate this work and help us continue to inspire leaders to reach common higher ground addressing the challenges students, teachers, and families face today.”
“I’m thrilled to join the team at Keystone. Their approach and track-record of bringing experts and stakeholders together to tackle complex policy and system issues is a model for collaborative action,” Abramson said. “With ESSA granting states greater autonomy, and the pitched debates over education in recent years, now more than ever we need leaders to do the hard work of building bridges and consensus. Those leaders, in my experience, need partners to help them navigate the challenges and effectively engage stakeholders. Keystone has a clear history doing just that and I’m excited to build on their 40-plus years of leadership as we grow the education practice.”
Abramson comes to Keystone with more than two decades of experience working in public policy and education. He most recently worked for TNTP where he led the Policy & Government Affairs practice, managed state and federal policy research and worked with state leaders and other stakeholders to research, craft, and implement scalable, sustainable systems and policy changes. Abramson has advised state officials, legislators and stakeholders on state policy relating to educator preparation, educator licensure, evaluation, accountability systems, school turnaround frameworks, career ladder structures and educator compensation systems. In 2016, he authored “Accountability Under ESSA: How States Can Design Systems That Advance Equity & Opportunity” and throughout 2016 and 2017, he managed research projects exploring educator workforce regulations and the role of states governing the rigor, quality and scope of academic offerings in public schools.
Abramson will start with Keystone in October.
From aligning state licensure systems with emerging educator effectiveness frameworks to finding better strategies to fully fund our institutions of higher education, Keystone has brought together policymakers, educators, and others to find better ways to prepare students for success and improve education systems. Keystone’s recent education work has included a statewide roadmap for Colorado on blended learning and helping Colorado, Louisiana, and Massachusetts find better ways to prepare teachers for success in the classroom.
About Keystone Policy Center
The Keystone Policy Center has worked at the forefront of public policy and dispute resolution for more than 40 years. From energy to education and health to sustainability, Keystone’s work has shaped public policy debates at local, state, and national levels. Keystone’s exceptional combination of experience and expertise have led to groundbreaking progress and lasting solutions when all other efforts have failed.
