Our Story

Founded in 1996, Public Impact® aims to contribute to dramatic improvements in the quality of public education.

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When Bryan Hassel and Emily Ayscue Hassel considered their own educational histories, they knew too many students in the U.S. did not have access to the great educations they received. With backgrounds in policy research and cross-sector human resources consulting, they founded Public Impact^® in 1996 to research, evaluate, and try new solutions to improve education for all students, especially those who were historically underserved.

We now have dozens of team members, both working directly with schools and continuing our research and data focus, all while keeping the mission—improving education for students whose needs have historically not been well met—at the center of the work. Many of these team members focus on our flagship Opportunity Culture^® initiative, led by a team of former educators and administrators, including senior vice presidents Shonaka Ellison and Stephanie Dean.

Staying Focused on Solutions

From the beginning, our team worked to develop solutions that were grounded in research, boosted student learning dramatically, and could be scaled up to reach all students. The organization’s work on professional learning, education talent, charter school accountability, and school funding equity helped education leaders nationally craft policy and practice aimed at improving student learning.

In 2009, with 10 employees, we entered a new phase. Our firm’s quest for impactful, scalable solutions led to the publication of 3X for All, envisioning a path to “extend the reach” of excellent teachers to more students—for higher pay, sustainably.

Although 3x for All was well-received as a thought exercise, we knew the potential impact on students warranted significant effort to put the idea into action nationwide. The firm began to develop the 3X for All ideas into detailed job models, financial models, and school schedules—now known as the national Opportunity Culture^® initiative, which we lead by helping schools plan and implement their new designs.

Dozens, and eventually hundreds, of teachers provided input to shape the early school models and roles—and that commitment by our team to seeking input and feedback from educators continues today through an annual survey and in-depth interviews.

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