Jonathan Ryan Davis, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Secondary Education and coordinates the Urban Secondary Education Program at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Jonathan’s research emphasizes strategies for preparing new teachers, including: culturally responsive teaching, classroom management, and diverse pedagogy. He is the author of the Palgrave Studies in Urban Education Series book, “Classroom Management in Teacher Education Programs,” which re-envisions classroom management and how to best prepare teachers to engage in creating positive learning environments. Their “Building Your Teaching Toolbox Series” provides 30 strategies for ALL school contexts in each of four focus areas: (1) classroom climate; (2) planning; (3) instruction; and (4) professional development. Every teaching strategy throughout the book series includes tips on how to adapt the strategy based on grade-level, type of learner, and different school assets and needs like class size, technology, and cultural diversity.
Jonathan’s research and teaching philosophy are drawn from his years working as a public high school social studies teacher. His teaching career began as a high school social studies teacher at Lloyd Memorial High School, a low-income, public high school in northern Kentucky, where he taught for three years. There, Jonathan was honored as a Colonel of Kentucky for his partnership with a local state legislator who sponsored legislation written by some of his students. He then moved to teach in New York City for four years in two separate, Title I, public schools: Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction (Manhattan high school) and Eagle Academy for Young Men at Ocean Hill (Brooklyn 6-12 school). During his decade-plus of teaching before becoming a professor of education, Jonathan served as a department chair, instructional coach, and field supervisor for student teachers.
Jonathan has dedicated his career as an educator to fostering strong youth-adult partnerships, enhancing college-career readiness, and developing the leadership skills of students and educators, which he has presented on at local, state, regional, and national conferences and workshops. He has worked tirelessly to support students becoming college and career ready through integrating project-based learning into his practice and by providing professional development and giving workshops for in-service teachers in various urban school contexts in strategies for creating positive classroom learning environments, enhancing unit and lessons plans, and ways for teachers to improve their shared leadership with students.
Jonathan holds a Ph.D. in Sociology, with a focus on education, from The Graduate Center, City University of New York and an M.A. in Social Studies Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He received his B.A. in History and African/African-American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Jonathan currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Becca and children Zola and Kai.
Building Your Teaching Toolbox 