Jocelyn Pickford, HCM Senior Affiliate
Jocelyn Pickford brings nearly two decades of experience executing strategic research, analysis, project management, and communications initiatives in public education. She has developed policy and communications strategies informed by qualitative and quantitative research and broad stakeholder engagement for the United States Department of Education, state education agencies, local districts, and leading foundations. Previously, Jocelyn served as the education director of Hope Street Group, a public policy non-profit organization, where she developed the strategic plan for the group’s education platform. She also served as a White House Fellow and in senior positions at the United States Department of Education. Jocelyn began her career in education as a public high school English teacher in a regular and special education inclusion classroom in West Springfield, VA. She now lives outside Philadelphia and is a proud public school parent and recent member of her local school board.
HCM Strategists is a mission-driven consultancy whose K-12 team represents decades of experience at the highest levels of government and philanthropy leading public opinion research, policy research and analysis, as well as strategic communications. HCM brings decades of expertise in developing research-based messaging, materials, and strategies to reach key audiences. A core focus of HCM’s work has been supporting states in their efforts to improve performance reporting and support key messengers, including teachers, principals, and district-level leaders, in communicating data in an easy-to-understand way. HCM supports an extensive body of research leading state technical assistance on behalf of the national nonprofit Learning Heroes, including more than 125 qualitative sessions (in-depth interviews and focus groups) and multiple state-specific and national surveys on how to effectively communicate complex student and school-level data to families, educators, and other stakeholders. HCM has also worked with partners to find promising COVID-19 school district reopening plans across the country and has a long history of advocating for the effective use of formative and summative assessments accompanied by parent-friendly results.