Jonah’s interest in and passion for educational improvement emerged in college, where he studied education and democratic participation and served as an assistant teacher in a school that endeavored to prepare its historically underserved students for civic life and gainful employment. As a graduate student, adjunct faculty member, and academic researcher at Columbia Teachers College, Jonah studied, taught about, and researched the strengths and weaknesses of school choice policies, with a focus on their potential to improve student achievement and civic engagement for all students. With an intense curiosity, passion for research and large data, and desire to make a difference in kids’ lives, Jonah joined the NYC Department of Education central office, where he led data analysis and research across several teams. His work inspired citywide task management dashboards for principals, as well as a committee headed by the chancellor’s office to streamline the administrative tasks assigned to DOE schools and principals.
As the Deputy Director of Data Analysis & Research Design, Jonah leads Great Oaks Foundation data analysis efforts and designs the research that will be conducted as part of our continuous improvement process. This entails managing external evaluations of the Great Oaks fellowship program and designing qualitative and quantitative studies to understand when, why, and how our pilot programs work to improve student learning and well-being.