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Legislative Policy Analyst Picked as First Director of Education Reform Oversight Board

Screenshot of AIB meeting
Rachel Hise speaks during a November meeting of the Accountability and Implementation Board. On Tuesday, she was named as the education reform oversight panel’s first executive director. Screenshot.

Maryland’s education reform oversight board announced Tuesday that it has hired Rachel Hise, a legislative policy analyst, as the organization’s new executive director.

The Accountability and Implementation Board is responsible for ensuring that the state and local jurisdictions fully implement the multi-billion-dollar Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reforms, which aim to close student achievement gaps and transform Maryland’s education system over the next decade.

Hise, a long-time policy analyst with the Department of Legislative Services, was the lead staffer to the Commission on Innovation and Excellence, known as the Kirwan Commission, whose policy recommendations make up the foundation of the reform plan.

Isiah Leggett, the chair of the accountability board, said the panel was “quite fortunate” to have Hise as the new director. “Rachel is a highly talented and insightful leader with invaluable knowledge of virtually every aspect of public education across the State of Maryland,” Leggett said in a statement.

The seven-member board was formally created in October. Hise was chosen after a national search, according to a press release.

Hise, who has worked as a policy analyst for the last three decades, has also served as the main staffer to other education reform study groups, including the Task Force to Study College Readiness for Disadvantaged and Capable Students and the 21st Century Public School Facilities Commission.

“I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to helping to implement the Blueprint and transform Maryland’s public schools to provide a world-class education to every child in the State,” Hise said in a statement.

The General Assembly’s presiding officers applauded the appointment of Hise, given her deep experience with education policy in the state.

“Rachel has been an integral part of every legislative effort to ensure Maryland students can maximize their potential,” Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said in a statement.

Ferguson said Hise’s leadership of the accountability board would allow her to continue shaping state policy for generations.

“I’ve worked closely with Rachel for decades on education policy, funding, and reform,” House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) said in a statement. “I am confident she is the right leader for the Accountability and Implementation Board and will ensure the success of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.”

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Legislative Policy Analyst Picked as First Director of Education Reform Oversight Board