How Outcomes-Based Contracts Connect Spending to Results

About the Presenters

Dr. Christina Grant is the Executive Director for the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. Throughout her career as an educator, administrator, and executive in some of America’s largest school systems, Dr. Grant has worked to create evidence-based solutions that improve outcomes for students and communities. At CEPR, Dr. Grant brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to build transformative partnerships grounded in rigorous research that will benefit learners at every stage of life. Dr. Grant previously served as District of Columbia’s State Superintendent of Education and the Chief of Charter Schools and Innovation for The School District of Philadelphia. Dr. Grant has served as a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, teaching courses on educational leadership.

Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises is Vice President and Senior Fellow with The Council on Foreign Relations. She directs CFR’s Richard Haas Center for Education with a focus on promoting civil discourse and global learning in K-12 and higher education. She most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore City Public Schools for ten years and Chair of the Council of Great City Schools. A nationally recognized expert in urban education, Dr. Santelises serves as the Superintendent in Residence at the Yale School of Management’s Broad Center and was named Maryland Superintendent of the Year and one of Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs by the Maryland Daily Record. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University and holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University. She resides in Baltimore with her husband and three daughters.

Brittany Johnson is the Director of Programming for The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, where she leads the design and delivery of the Center's full programming portfolio. In this role, she works directly with districts, providers, and state agencies implementing outcomes based contracts, overseeing the professional learning, cohort programs, and coaching that prepare district teams to design contracts tied to measurable student results. She also leads the Center's work to build practitioner expertise in OBC through credentialing and capacity-building initiatives. Previously, Brittany served as a District Instructional Specialist for Duval County Public Schools and has spent 15 years in education as a teacher, interventionist, and instructional coach. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's in curriculum and instruction from the University of Florida, and began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member.

Karl Rectanus is CEO of Really Great Reading (RGR), an impact-centered leader driving measurable literacy outcomes for all students. An entrepreneur and advisor, he previously co-founded and led LearnPlatform, pioneering rapid-cycle evaluation and evidence-based decision making in K-12 education.

Really Great Reading has been leading the charge in effective Science of Reading strategies for over 18 years with our proven PK-12 curriculum in foundational literacy and intervention teaching methodologies. We turn reading research into classroom practice, ensuring teachers have cutting-edge strategies and tools in classrooms across the country. It is our unwavering commitment to students and educators that sets us apart from other Science of Reading curricula, and this is evident in the student outcomes and results that districts and schools see when using our products.