The Work I Do
Cynthia Robinson-Rivers is the managing partner at Transcend, where she works with a team to share the Whole Child Model with partner schools in Washington, DC, Tennessee, and Texas. Previously, Cynthia served as the founding Head of School at Van Ness Elementary, where the model was developed and codified. Before Van Ness, Cynthia worked in the DCPS central office as the Director of Teacher Retention and Recognition, where she led initiatives to improve the retention of highly effective teachers, including LIFT: Leadership Initiative for Teachers, a career ladder system for teachers. Prior to that, she contributed to the development of IMPACT, the district’s teacher evaluation system, and taught PK3 through 2nd grade in public and charter schools in DC, Oakland, and East Palo Alto.
My Connection to the Work of Student Achievement Partners
Cynthia’s passion for the work of Student Achievement Partners dates back to her role as an Assistant Principal for Literacy, when DC Public Schools adopted the Common Core State Standards. In this role, she supported ELA teachers in implementing a curriculum aligned with the standards’ instructional shifts. Later, at Van Ness, she collaborated with teachers to align the curriculum to authentic, real-world projects focused on equity and social justice. Cynthia is excited to join the board of Student Achievement Partners, seeing a strong alignment between her commitment to equity and Student Achievement Partners’ renewed investment in equity and inclusion.
The Perspective I Bring to this Board
Cynthia’s primary areas of expertise include socio-emotional learning, early childhood education, teacher retention and evaluation, elementary literacy instruction, and maker-centered learning.