Melissa L. Jones
Experienced Education Professional
400 Page Street #102 | San Francisco, CA 94102
mljones@collegesummit.org | 347.624.9318
http://representqueens.com/melissa
PROFILE
10+ years of service in high-needs schools and communities. Expert classroom educator and school
change agent with proven track record of driving significant gains in student achievement.
Information literacy specialist with a solid background in collaborative technologies. Emerging leader
in non-profit project management, product development and program evaluation.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Literacy Education Curriculum Development
Professional Development Project Management
Instructional Leadership Product Development
Assessment User Research
Evaluation Writing and Editing
Youth Development Experience Design
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
College Summit, Inc. 2008-Present
Interim Director of Educational Design (2010-Present)
Primary responsibility for conceptualizing, designing, piloting and bringing to market innovative educational
products designed to help partner high schools develop and maintain effective college-going culture.
Built the Educational Design department in response to organizational need for a streamlined and
sustainable product innovation process
Managed a highly productive team of specialists and project managers
Redesigned the role of regional program support teams to drive more effective school implementation
Developed logic models and a theory of change for on-going program evaluation
Project Manager, Education Research and Development (2008-2010)
Developed new products, tools, support and training for a national college-access non-profit. Served as an
organizational expert for regional staff, end-users and external organizations around curriculum, instruction,
and assessment.
Developed and articulated the organization’s educational and pedagogical philosophy for internal and
external stakeholders
Authored a radical revision of the organization’s core product offering, the Navigator, a 36-week senior
year college access curriculum with a readership of over 20,000 students nationwide
Wrote, piloted and brought to market Launch, a three-year, six-title curriculum product suite designed to
develop core understandings necessary for high school and postsecondary success
Pioneered the use of innovative user-centered research and evaluation methodologies in the development
of classroom tools and products
Integrated CSNav -- the organization’s online college and career planning portal -- into existing curriculum
and professional development products
Developed and facilitated professional development for internal and external stakeholders
Digitized curriculum resources and created an online digital resource library for educators
Managed external vendors in the design and publication of textbooks
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, CONT.
New York Harbor School 2003-2008
Key Accomplishments: Served as a founding staff member and educational leader at a new, small inner-city
high school dedicated to experiential and hands-on learning. Produced significant gains in student
achievement, resulting in a 225% increase in the community’s graduation rate over the school’s first four years.
Authored a successful $25 million RFP to relocate the school to Governors Island.
Literacy Coach and Professional Development Coordinator (2005-2008)
Led school and district-wide initiatives to utilize instructional technologies in the classroom including
hardware, software, and web applications
Developed a successful new teacher on-boarding and mentorship program
Created and led whole staff and small group professional development around literacy and curriculum
planning
Led a school-wide effort to map and align curriculum across grades and disciplines
Teacher (2003-2007)
Planned, delivered and assessed highly effective literacy instruction for educationally and economically
disadvantaged students in grades 9-12 aligned with state standards
Served as an Advisor and developed Advisory curriculum in career exploration, college planning and SAT prep
for 11th and 12th graders
Served as English Department Chair with responsibilities including collection and analysis of standardized and
anecdotal assessment data
Community Intermediate School 166 2000-2003
Teacher and Teach For America School Leader
Selected as a member of a competitive national teaching corps dedicated to educational equity to teach in one
of New York City's lowest performing middle schools. Supported and mentored new teachers.
CONSULTING EXPERIENCE
Empowering Work Practices (2010)
Developed a series of day-long professional development workshops for non-profit organizations
around human resources topics including decision making, conflict management, performance dialogs
and career coaching.
Barnard College Library Zine Collection (2008)
Managed a series of projects designed to improve access to a zine collection at a small academic library.
Designed and built Barnard's first digital web-based collection, an online exhibition of image scans
entitled, "Elections and Protest: Zines from the Barnard Library Collection."
Museum of the Moving Image (2007)
Served as a museum educator at a small museum in Queens, NY. Developed and led learning
experiences for visitors around museum collection of artifacts and films.
Educational Policy Improvement Center (2006-2007)
Designed criterion-referenced assessment tasks for English Language Arts which integrated grade-level
content with college-level higher order thinking skills following trends in current educational research.
Computers for Youth (2007)
Contributed to a user design study and developed curriculum for a physics game in partnership with
Games for Change.
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION
Masters of Library and Information Science – Pratt Institute, New York, NY
Masters of Science in Education – Pace University, New York, NY
Permanent New York State teacher certification in Secondary English
Bachelors of Arts with Highest Honors, English – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
SELECTED HONORS
College Summit “Be All Three” Values Award (2010)
An organization-wide award recognizing the individual who best embodies its values: innovation, data-driven
pursuit of results, and commitment to teaching and learning.
Best Buy TEACH Award in Interactive Technology (2007)
A grant for $2,500 awarded to educators for creative use of interactive technologies in the classroom.
Fund for Teachers travel and research grant (2004)
An award of $4,500 awarded annually to a small group of educators. My project focused on an interdisciplinary
curriculum unit that combined ancient seafaring and navigation technologies and Homer’s Odyssey.
University of Michigan Hopwood Essay Award (2000)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Real World Digitization (2010)
Published “DIY Digitization: Creating a Small-scale Digital Zine Exhibition,” a peer-reviewed academic
study of the development of Barnard Library’s first digital collection.
Available: http://metroblogs.typepad.com/files/ditrw_01-1.pdf
Waterkeeper Magazine (Fall 2005)
Published a summary of an interdisciplinary curriculum project in which 10th grade English Language
Learners corresponded with environmental activists around the world and created websites
summarizing their learning using simple HTML.
Available: http://www.waterkeeper.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/9903
Wall Street Journal Online (2003-2004)
Published a series of first-person teacher accounts around educational reform and the small school
movement. Available: http://www.wsj.com/school