Adam Ingersoll

“I enjoy learning new tools and methods to create more compelling policy positions in both my professional life and in non-profit contexts. I’m worried about the proliferation of mis/disinformation in our public discourse and would like to be more meaningfully engaged in pushing back on these malevolent forces. I’m also always interested in analysis that supports improved policies and practices in education.”

NATIONAL LEADER IN ADMISSION TESTING ARENA

Adam is a co-founder and principal of Compass Education Group, a leading provider of test prep and academic tutoring for hundreds of thousands of students as well as a trusted partner of hundreds of schools. Adam has worked in this field for nearly 30 years, beginning when he was an undergraduate at USC in Los Angeles, where he also worked in the Office of Admission. He is recognized as a leading voice in college admission testing and is a frequently requested speaker at schools and conferences. Adam also often consults on standardized testing policy and practice for university admission teams and faculty, including those at Caltech, Rochester, TCU and USC.

EXPANDING ACCESS TO COLLEGE AND ENSURING THAT STUDENTS SUCCEED

Adam’s professional interests lie in ensuring that access to college is more equitably distributed and that all students have the support they need to be successful. He recognizes that the ongoing debate in higher ed about the proper role of high-stakes admissions tests must increasingly be conducted in a fraught political environment as our public schools and universities have become the latest front in the culture wars. Challenges include remediating the ongoing effects of learning loss during the pandemic, alongside the arrival of increasingly powerful AI tools with the potential to cloud the assessment of the legitimacy of students’ independent work and abilities. Adam seeks insight into how next-gen standardized assessments of ability and preparedness can help higher ed identify and unlock the learning potential of students of all backgrounds and identities.