About Janet Johnson

The Counselor Was Wrong

I grew up in Galesburg, Illinois—a factory town where expectations were set early and rarely questioned. I had great grades and strong ACT scores, but my high school counselor told me I was “not the kind of person who goes to college.” She wouldn’t allow me to enroll in any classes I hadn’t been recommended for.

Fortunately, someone had recommended me for advanced math. No one recommended me for advanced sciences.

I learned to navigate the system myself. I went to college anyway—Knox College, in that same factory town—and earned a degree in mathematics. Then a master’s in mathematics from Northern Illinois University, concentrating on non-commutative ring theory. Then a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education with a Statistics minor from North Carolina State University.

The counselor was wrong about me. But she wasn’t unusual. And she wasn’t the last gatekeeper I would encounter.

Seeing the System from the Inside

Years later, as a middle school math teacher in Champaign, Illinois, I watched very bright, high-scoring students get steered away from advanced math. The sorting had nothing to do with what they could do—it had everything to do with who someone thought they were.

I got MathCounts curriculum and used it with my students who weren’t in the top math track but clearly had the ability. These were kids the system had overlooked. They won first place in the local competition and went to state.

That opened my eyes. The system I had navigated as a student was still operating the same way in the 1980s. Capable kids were being sorted by something other than their capabilities.

A Mentor and a Mission

At North Carolina State University, I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Lee V. Stiff, a nationally recognized leader in mathematics education who would later serve as President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. I was his first Ph.D. student.

Together, we saw the same problem from different angles—he as a researcher and advocate for equity in mathematics education, and I as someone who had lived it and later witnessed it as a teacher. We became partners in promoting data use and access to advanced math. Our research documented what the numbers revealed: that students were being sorted by race and income rather than achievement, and that high-scoring minority and low-income students were routinely locked out of the courses that would open doors for them.

We created tools to help educators see what they were actually doing when they claimed to use “data” for placement decisions. We published research showing that when capable students were given access to advanced math, they succeeded. The evidence was clear. Changing the system was harder.

Following the Data

I became an education researcher and program evaluator. For over 32 years, I’ve seen entire school systems’ data—the pre- and post-scores, the enrollment patterns, the placement decisions. When No Child Left Behind required measurable objectives, I watched what happened when programs that had operated on assumptions were suddenly asked to show evidence.

What I found confirmed what I had seen as a student and as a teacher: students were being sorted by demographics, not by what they had demonstrated they could do. Programs designed to help struggling students were filled with students who were already succeeding. High-achieving low-income and minority students were locked out of advanced courses while their equally-scoring peers walked right in.

The language has changed over the decades. Some progress has been made. But we’re not there yet. I still see the same patterns in the data.

A Career in STEM Program Evaluation

Through EDSTAR Analytics, Inc., I specialize in evaluating STEM education programs. My background in mathematics, statistics, and mathematics education gives me a unique perspective on what rigorous STEM instruction looks like—and what it doesn’t.

Over the past 32 years, I’ve evaluated more than 150 federal grants representing hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. This includes seven National Science Foundation ITEST grants focused on innovative technology experiences for students and teachers, six Math/Science Partnership grants, three NSF NOYCE grants preparing STEM teachers, and three Department of Defense STEM and Literacy grants. I’ve evaluated NSF grants for community colleges, undergraduate STEM education initiatives at HBCUs, and programs designed to build the STEM workforce pipeline.

Beyond STEM, my work spans the full landscape of federal education funding: two statewide GEAR UP grants totaling over $50 million, thirteen 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, ninety-three dropout prevention grants for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and programs funded by AmeriCorps, the U.S. Department of Education, and others.

This breadth of experience means I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t across every type of education program—from after-school tutoring to teacher professional development to college readiness initiatives. And I’ve seen the same fundamental questions arise again and again: Are the right students being served? Are the services connected to the intended outcomes? Is anyone checking?

Making the Invisible Visible

My work focuses on making educational systems visible to the people who need to understand them—parents, educators, and policymakers. I’ve analyzed data for school districts across North Carolina and helped educators understand the difference between serving students based on who they are versus what they actually need.

I write books that translate complex research into accessible stories. I create videos and podcasts that bring academic findings to life. I believe that when people can see how the system works, they can change it.

Credentials

Ph.D., Mathematics Education (Statistics minor), North Carolina State University
M.S., Mathematics, Northern Illinois University
B.A., Mathematics, Knox College

President and CEO, EDSTAR Analytics, Inc. (1993–present)

My published research appears in journals and books from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the American School Counselor Association, the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and others.

Why This Work Matters

Every student who gets told they’re “not the kind of person” who belongs in advanced classes—and believes it—is a loss. Every bright kid sorted into the wrong track because of assumptions about their background is a waste of human potential.

I was lucky. Mr. Kessler and Mrs. Dunn recommended me for advanced math. I figured out how to navigate the rest. But luck shouldn’t be the system. Data should be.

That’s what I work toward: an education system that responds to what students have demonstrated they can do, not assumptions about who they are.