Ashley Pennypacker Hill

Dr. Pennypacker Hill has served as a public educator in a variety of roles spanning several decades.  She has been a teacher in both the K-12 setting and at the collegiate level, an instructional coach, an educational consultant, and as an administrator.  She has been able to engage in this work because of her drive to  design systems that promote educational equity, connection, and conflict resolution for communities with the goal of enhancing students’ schooling experience.

Dr. Pennypacker Hill received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, her Masters in Special Education, and her Doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education with a specialization in leadership all from The University of Florida.  Prior to that, Dr. Pennypacker Hill  attended P.K. Yonge from kindergarten through twelfth grade, which is lovingly referred to by PK alums as being a “lifer.”  Having the experience of being a student, leaving for college, and returning as an employee of P.K. provides a unique perspective of P.K. Yonge for Dr. Pennypacker Hill.

Throughout her career, Dr. Pennypacker Hill has been nominated for Teacher of the Year, served in a variety of inaugural positions helping innovate educational programs, was awarded Rookie ESE Administrator of the Year by The Council of Administrators for Special Education (CASE), served on the Florida Council for Exceptional Children Board, has been Principal Investigator for grants such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act as well as Title 1 and been awarded close to $2 million dollars in funding overall.  Most recently, Dr. Pennypacker Hill co-wrote a chapter about education innovation in a book titled Engineering the Upswing:  https://www.engineeringtheupswing.org/

Examples of of Dr. Pennypacker Hill’s work are featured with The George Lucas Education Foundation: http://www.edutopia.org/school/pk-yonge-developmental-research-school, http://www.edutopia.org/practice/supporting-behavioral-needs-multi-tiered-approach, http://www.edutopia.org/practice/reaching-all-high-school-students-multi-tiered-approach and HarvardX Online Learning Module: https://www.edx.org/course/leaders-of-learning#.VCiSsFanPZc.  She has presented her work across the nation at conferences for the American Educational Research Association, National Youth Advocacy and Resilience, National Association for Multicultural Association, International Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium, International Literacy Association and others.  In addition, annually, she is requested to speak at various seminars for pre-service teachers at The University of Florida.  Recently during the pandemic Dr. Pennypacker Hill created a webinar series with her colleagues for P.K. Yonge to creatively share information with stakeholders in the height of the pandemic: https://pkyonge.ufl.edu/information/student-and-family-services/

Currently, Dr. Pennypacker is working on building student leadership opportunities, increasing positive family engagement, building systems of support for students, co-facilitating teacher learning communities, developing strategies to support school climate, and implementing restorative practices with students, teachers, and families.  One of Dr. Pennypacker Hill’s favorite current projects is collaborating with her colleague on the creation and production of The Morning Show for P.K.’s elementary school.

Dr. Pennypacker hopes that her work impacts people’s sense of connectedness and belonging to others. There are many opportunities to feel disconnected throughout a K-12 schooling experience, either as a student, a teacher, a staff member, or as a guardian. Her hope is that her work and research bring people together and help make bridges that allow for increased opportunities for connection between various stakeholders, ultimately increasing student achievement.

Outside of school, Dr. Pennypacker Hill loves spending time with her husband Adam and three children, Avery, Alice, and Abram. She also enjoys spending time with the rest of her family, traveling, and reading.

Home is a place we all must find. It’s not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we’re always home, anywhere. – Glinda the Good Witch