Abby Andres, PhD.
Abby Andres, PhD., is the Head of Strategy and Communications at Marzano Research. With a diverse background spanning high school and college classrooms, university research, state government leadership, and education technology, her deep commitment to advancing educational equity and transforming systems to better serve all students is evident in her work.
Q: Why did Marzano Research first capture your interest?
A: At one point in my career, I was a deputy state superintendent of education. In my role I was in charge of all things data related in my state—assessment, accountability, accreditation, teacher quality, data systems and reporting to name a few.
One of the things I had the privilege of participating in was the Regional Education Lab (REL) and the Comprehensive Center work the state engaged in. I served as our state lead on both of those governing boards, and actually served as REL governing board president when Marzano Research ran the REL, and many of the staff here also served as support providers for the Comprehensive Center.
As a policymaker, I was very impressed with the team and the work that Marzano Research was doing. When it came time to decide what the next phase of my career was, I reached out to colleagues here whose work I had continued to follow to see whether there was an opportunity to contribute.
Q: Can you tell us about your current/recent work on a Marzano Research project or goal?
A: Recently I have had the pleasure of helping a state department of education examine their current assessment system. They have some assessment staff who are newer to the field, and recently went through some leadership transitions. They are dedicated to getting their next request for proposal (RFP) right and want to make sure that stakeholder voices from teachers, parents, administrators, and technical experts all inform what they ask for. They want the RFP to align with their vision for education in their state and to their recently adopted assessment theory of action.
Before they came to us for support, they collected a ton of qualitative data through formal meetings, focus groups, listening sessions and surveys; our team is helping them make sense of that. Lots of qualitative data analysis is happening and we are uncovering some compelling themes that are helping us identify elements they might consider. We’re answering questions like, “What is working well? What are pain points? When they dream big, what does the future of assessment look like in their state, and how is it different from today?” This will help them shape what they want to ask for as they seek a vendor who will support them over the next 3–5 years.
Our next step will be to co-create the RFP with them, help them gather feedback to edit the RFP, and then hopefully release it later this calendar year.
Q: What gets you excited about working on the Marzano Research team?
A: The team is a phenomenal group of humans who put doing what is right for teachers and students ahead of pushing any research agenda. I get to work with brilliant people every day who have a heart for kids and who understand how to help make a difference.
Q: What do you think sets Marzano Research apart in the realm of education research?
A: A lot of companies in this space are so focused on the research that they forget about the humans, which creates a little disconnect between research and service on behalf of students. That is not the case here! Our team is flexible and nimble, and works to co-design alongside the partners we serve in the field—whether at the national, state, district, school, or classroom level. We can support a high-level analysis that identifies our partners’ needs, help them transition seamlessly into the planning for what’s next to address those needs, help facilitate implementation of solutions, and then help them evaluate what is working and how to make mid-cycle improvements. It is rare to find an organization that can be as “boots on the ground” as we are and still support the robust evaluation and research that partners need to make decisions.
Q: What inspired you to pursue your career field?
A: I completely got into this field by accident—I wanted to be either a professional flute player in a John Williams’ orchestra or a rocket scientist. As a college student I even worked for a NASA space grant program at one point. But somewhere along the line, I started to reflect on the power of education to transform lives. It started as I took a job working with adults with severe disabilities and began working with a couple of my clients on communication tools, and began to see the “aha” moments when they drew connections and suddenly could communicate what they were feeling and what they wanted in ways that had been closed off to them for years. Eventually I was offered a position in a sociology master’s degree program that gave me the opportunity to work within a university system and understand the supports that faculty need to be great educators and create those “aha” moments in their own classrooms. The science and art of teaching really began to speak to me. Since that point, every job I have had has been about helping the adults in the system look at information and use it to make decisions about how to better serve the students in the system. From university research to state department policy work, to assessment and education technology, to now, my career has been about helping more people do the good work of expanding student horizons.
Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received?
A: When I first went to work in the state department, one of the first trips I had to take was to talk to the graduating teacher education class from one of the tribal colleges in the state about some initiatives and resources that the state was offering in public schools. I was so excited about meeting these educators, but having come back from out of state, I was woefully unaware and unprepared for some of the tough politics that I was walking into. There had been some internal political battles between the state and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) that were not great and had left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths, especially in our tribal schools.
So, a very young and naïve Abby went to give her presentation and was really caught off guard. I gave my spiel, opened it up for questions, and was confronted with a lot of hard questions I had no answers to about things in other areas of the education department that I had never heard about. I also heard a lot about the challenges educators had in navigating the public, private, and BIE systems within the same reservation community. All I could do was listen with open ears and an open heart. I did not get upset or defensive, but I had to tell people more often than I wanted, “I am so sorry that was your experience” or “I am sorry, but I do not know anything about that situation/program. Here is what I can offer…” or “Let’s connect after this session, I will get your information and see if I can find an answer to your question.”
When the session was finally over, I was struggling to not get emotional, and was walking out feeling a pretty beat up and questioning myself. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see one of the tribal elders (who later became a trusted friend and mentor who is still one of the most amazing educators I have ever met) who said, “Abby, I know today was hard, but you walk with purpose and speak what’s true. As long as you keep doing that, everything will be okay.” That has always stuck with me—whenever I am feeling unsettled at work, I ask myself, “Am I walking with purpose? Am I speaking what’s true?” and as long as I know that I am doing those two things, I know I will be okay.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: Hawaii—it is the ONLY state I have never visited, and I would love to go visit.
Q: What’s your go-to weekend activity?
A: Right now, dragon boat paddling! (Go Dragon Tamers!) Other times of the year, I do woodworking with my husband to build furniture for our home.
Q: What’s on your bookshelf right now?
A: I am revisiting both the Dark Tower Series (Stephen King) and The Endurance (Caroline Alexander). The first is something that I share with my mom—she’s always been a fantasy and science fiction fan, and ever since I can remember. If there was a Stephen King book coming out, I would get it for her for whatever the next holiday was, and we would both read it and talk about it. The Endurance by Alfred Lansing has been on my bookshelf for a long time, and I am just getting around to reading it. It is the story of Ernest Shackelton and his crew’s 1914 expedition to Antarctica where almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and how the crew persevered. It’s a good lesson about leading through hard times, staying positive, leading by example, and being flexible in how you meet your goals.
Read more about Abby and her role at Marzano Research.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
