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Jennifer Mitchell is currently the Staff Development and Assessment Specialist for Osseo Area Schools' online school, 279Online.  She began her work with online teaching when the district moved to distance learning in the spring of 2020.  She had been working at Rice Lake Elementary for two years (5th and 3rd grade) when COVID hit and changed the trajectory of her leadership journey.  The following year she continued her work in the Distance Learning Academy as a 3rd grade teacher and lead teacher.  After success with online teaching and leading a team of 15 teachers, Mitchell decided to continue leading the change and became the Staff Development and Assessment Specialist for K-12 staff at 279Online.  She is part of the school's Instructional Leadership Team and continues to impact professional peers, students, and parents.  Before her work in Osseo Area Schools, Mitchell was the founding principal at Minnesota Excellence in Learning Academy for 3 years.  After three years of establishing the school, Mitchell decided to make the move to Osseo Area Schools, in an effort to build her capacity as a leader. Previously, Jennifer Mitchell was a solutions-oriented leader at Sojourner Truth Academy in Minneapolis, MN, and was highly regarded for her impact on students, parents, and professional peers as a master teacher with TAP™: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. An expert at evaluating achievement and differentiating instruction to maximize comprehension for each student, Mitchell maintained direct contact with parents and helped fellow instructors with parent meetings. Additionally, Mitchell developed her own individual growth plan in the areas of student achievement, cultural responsiveness and collaboration and leadership—a strategy that has borne fruit for students and staff alike. Thanks to Mitchell’s zealous efforts, Sojourner Truth reported impressive achievement gains. When she started at the school as a third-grade teacher, students improved by 83 percent in reading and 80 percent in math on the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) exams. On the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, 54 percent were proficient in reading (36 percent the prior year) and 43 percent were proficient in math (21 percent the prior year). Just as admirably, the high-poverty school made AYP for math in the lower grades for the first time ever— recording a 16 percent increase in math proficiency in 2008–09 and an 11 percent increase in 2010. A member of the executive leadership team, Mitchell represented her school at the National TAP Conference sponsored by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). Mitchell was invited by NIET to speak about TAP to U.S. congressional members in Washington, D.C. With her burgeoning list of accomplishments, it’s no wonder Jennifer Mitchell caught the eye of her city, state and nation.

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