Knowles Academy Courses Taught
Implementing Teacher Coaching to Improve Classroom Practice and Student Learning
Designing Lesson Sequences to Increase Student Engagement in Science Practices
Engaging Math and Science Students in Engineering Design
I might personally touch only a handful of students each year, but if every teacher has such an impact on a few students, we are reaching a generation.”
Jessica’s Story
Looking back on her years as a young student, Jessica recalls being driven to learn but uninspired by any particular coursework. This quickly changed at Rio Americano High School, when she came across a physics teacher with a contagious passion for education and science. “It is because of his example that I am where I am today. I hope that I can make a similarly profound impact on my students, both through physics and life lessons.” Jessica went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physics and economics and a master’s degree in education from the University of California Davis, where she conducted astrophysics research and taught labs. She always found her contact with students the most fulfilling part of her roles, so she decided to pursue teaching instead of research.
Jessica began her career at Jesuit High School, Sacramento. Later, she taught at Jesuit College Preparatory of Dallas. Over the course of 12 years, Jessica took on a has taken on variety of leadership roles: coaching early-career teachers, leading her school through a transition to standards-based grading, and consulting as an Advanced Placement Physics content expert. Seeking to have a larger impact on the teaching profession, Jessica enrolled in a doctoral degree program in educational leadership at St. Louis University. Her dissertation is focused on teacher retention. In addition to her coursework, she supports and mentors early-career teachers in the Billiken Teacher Corps as an assistant instructor at the university. The best part of her day is the time she spends working directly with passionate teachers in their classrooms on programs of practice. She is particularly interested in leveraging the use of science practices to support student acquisition of learning objectives.
She is a competitive powerlifter, a world traveler, and an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys snowboarding and rock climbing.