Ashley Rieske

• U of A
• Education Reform
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• Ashley Rieske

Ashley Rieske

211 Graduate Education Building

College of Education and Health Professions

Fayetteville, AR 72701

adhill@uark.edu

Ashley is a Doctoral Fellow and Graduate Assistant at the University of Arkansas’s Department of Education Reform.  A National Board Certified Teacher, she served as a Gifted and Talented Facilitator at Rogers Public Schools where she developed a passion for identifying and nurturing exceptional student abilities, designing differentiated instruction, and providing professional development to fellow educators to ensure all students receive the support and challenges they need to thrive. As a former 4^th and 5^th grade teacher, she has insight into the importance of ensuring that all students are challenged daily, regardless of where their knowledge begins.

Ashley’s leadership extends beyond the classroom. She serves on the board of directors for Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE), where she has organized state-wide student contests and worked to ensure a top-notch professional development at the AGATE annual conference. She was recognized with the AGATE Educator Award 2022 for her significant contributions to GT education. She served as the President of the Rogers Education Association, where she led critical negotiations with educational leaders. Her advocacy for educational equity was further proven through her role as a Fellow with Teach Plus Arkansas, where she engaged in policy reform and teacher leadership initiatives. Her dedication to excellence in education was also recognized with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals District Teacher Recognition 2022 award, honoring her impact on the community.

Ashley has gravitated towards the EDRE program to be able to create data-driven research that will increase student achievement. Her background as an educator gives her a unique perspective on the field of educational policy. Because she understands first-hand the time-restraints educators face, she hopes to find ways to bridge the gap between researchers and educators, creating a pipeline where research is readily accessible and available to practitioners in a manner that makes it usable and easily digestible.