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William R. Johnston

william johnston, j0288, william johnston, j0288
Associate Policy Researcher
Santa Monica Office

Education

Ed.D. in culture, communities, and education, Harvard University; M.S.Ed. in Secondary English Instruction, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. in English, The Ohio State University

Overview

William R. Johnston is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. His research explores how local, state, and national political and social contexts relate to educational opportunities and outcomes for youth. Johnston recently completed a study of racial preferences underlying kindergarten school choice patterns in Boston, Massachusetts, and is currently engaged in a large-scale analysis of divergent population trends in high-poverty neighborhoods between 1970 and 2010.

A former high school English and history teacher, Johnston is also interested in studying school turnaround policies and family-school engagement in high poverty communities. He holds a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University, an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Ed.D. from Harvard University.

Research Focus

Publications