Abby R. Weiss arrived at the Roundtable in November 2007 with over 15 years of experience in the family and community engagement field.

Most recently, Abby was a Project Manager at Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP). Abby was responsible for managing HFRP's family involvement research and activities, which focused on shaping a national dialogue about strategies for improving learning and development outcomes for all children. There she led a team that worked to inform practitioners, researchers, and policymakers about proven family involvement practices and the link between family involvement and student achievement. She was also the Co-Director of the National PIRC Coordination Center, providing technical assistance and training to Parent Information and Resource Centers across the country. In addition, Abby was a member of HFRP's evaluation team.

Prior to joining HFRP, Weiss worked for 8 years at the Institute for Responsive Education (IRE) in Boston. At IRE, she served as Associate Director and led the organization's research efforts on charter schools. She also managed projects that promoted family-school-community partnerships and provided technical assistance and training to schools across the country as they engaged in this work. After leaving IRE, Weiss was an independent consultant for 5 years. During that time, she conducted evaluations of family-school-community partnership programs, out-of-school time initiatives, individual charter schools, and a federally-funded charter school accountability program.

Weiss received her master's degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her B.A. in Political Science from Brown University.