Jonathan Johnson
Rooted School Foundation
New Orleans, LA
Jonathan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation. Prior to his current role, Jonathan founded Rooted School New Orleans, a 9th-12th grade public charter high school located in New Orleans, Louisiana that provides its students a chance to earn a college acceptance in one hand and an entry-level career job offer in the other. Rooted School has been recognized by organizations like the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Transcend Education as one of the most innovative public school models in the U.S. Jonathan also manages "The $50 Study" in partnership with The University of Tennessee–Knoxville, The Center for Guaranteed Income, and school partners which is the first, only, and most extensive randomized control trial exploring the impact of direct cash transfers to youth using schools as the disbursement vehicle. Also an Aspen Economic Opportunity Program Fellow, Jonathan began his teaching career at KIPP Central Academy in New Orleans as an 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University in Religious Studies, and in his spare time, Jonathan enjoys skiing, winemaking, and cooking.
Overview
Founded in 2023, The Rooted School Foundation is a nonprofit organization encompassing several public charter schools and youth programs. We partner with forward-thinking companies and research institutions to test place-based strategies that will accelerate upward economic and social mobility for America’s most underserved students. Rooted School Foundation serves a diverse demographic of mostly Black and Brown high school-aged youth across four U.S. cities (New Orleans, LA, Indianapolis, IN, Vancouver, WA, and Las Vegas, NV).
The Rooted School Foundation is requesting funding for the second half of a randomized control trial exploring the impact of providing small, frequent cash stipends to teens while they're in school. Once completed, the project will establish statistical significance and causal evidence needed to advocate for a broader youth cash stipend policy across U.S. cities.
