Jean Johnson

Jean Johnson is a senior fellow at Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research and engagement organization More

Johnson is the author of You Can't Do It Alone: A Communications and Engagement Manual for School Leaders Committed to Reform. The book reviews opinion research on the views of parents, teachers, students, and school administrators. Johnson is also the co-author, with Scott Bittle, of Where Did the Jobs Go--and How Do We Get Them Back?, a guide to the national debate over jobs and unemployment; Where Does the Money Go?, a book designed to help typical Americans understand the debate over the national debt; and Who Turned Out the Lights?, a citizen's guide to the energy debate, all from Harper Collins.

Johnson has served on the Research Committee of The Ad Council, and is currently a member of the board of the National Issues Forums Institute, an organization which convenes citizens nationwide for non-partisan discussions on vital public issues.

Prior to joining Public Agenda in 1980, Ms. Johnson was Resource Director for Action for Children's Television in Boston, where she authored a number of articles on television and children. In addition to her work at Public Agenda, Johnson is a director of Sugal Records, a small, New York-based classical music recording company. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and holds master's degrees from Brown University and Simmons College.

Are Lawmakers Asking Too Much of Our Schools?

National Apr 19 2012, 11:22 AM ET

Mandates have tied down educators' hands for too long. Maybe we should re-examine the expectations of what schools should even accomplish in the first place. More »