Jonas Zuckerman has over 30 years of experience in education, at the classroom, district, and state levels. He spent 18 years as a classroom teacher in Oakland, California, evenly divided into 9 years as an elementary school teacher and 9 years as a high school teacher. The elementary school where Jonas taught fed into the high school where he later taught, so Jonas was able to make deep connections with the community and families. During this time, Jonas provided leadership to district-wide projects, including a redesign of elementary school report cards, developing district-wide history standards, and creating authentic assessments aligned with the history standards. His ongoing commitment to education is rooted in these direct experiences with students, families, and community.
Jonas then moved to Madison, Wisconsin and took a role as an Education Consultant on the Title I and School Support Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). As a consultant, Jonas led projects such as the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, Student Intervention Monitoring System (SIMS), and teacher fellowships. Jonas was promoted to the Assistant Director of the Title I and School Support Team and provided administrative leadership to these projects. He served in the role for 2 ½ years, and then became Director of the Title I and School Support Team. As Director, he was responsible for a team of approximately 30 staff members. He led the transition from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including being the lead writer for much of Wisconsin’s ESSA State Plan. Jonas led the administration of three COVID relief packages, overseeing approximately $2.5 Billion in funding for schools. Jonas was also an active member of the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators, first as a regional representative, then elected to a leadership position. Jonas served as a Vice-President, President-elect. President, and Past-President. As President, Jonas led the 2020 National ESEA Conference, with a theme of “Together for Equity” and navigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization. Jonas serves on the board of directors of Fund for Teachers.
Jonas is also the father of 2 school age children. His experience navigating the educational system as a parent informs his consulting practice. He understands the challenges facing families and helps SEAs, LEAs, Community, and Education organizations to make services and support accessible and meaningful.