Jonah Edelman facts for kids

Jonah Edelman, born on October 9, 1970, is an American who works to improve public education. He helped start and now leads an organization called Stand for Children. This group works across the United States to make schools better for all kids. Stand for Children has offices in nine different states.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up and Family

Jonah Edelman grew up in Washington, D.C. His parents are well-known for their work in public service. His mother, Marian Wright Edelman, was a civil rights leader. She worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and started the Children’s Defense Fund. His father, Peter Edelman, also worked for important leaders like Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Jonah's brother, Ezra Edelman, is a filmmaker who directed the documentary O.J.: Made in America.

College Years and Learning

Jonah went to Yale University and earned a degree in history in 1992. He focused on African-American studies. While at Yale, he received the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize. After Yale, he studied at Balliol College, Oxford in England. He earned two advanced degrees in politics there, finishing in 1995.

A Turning Point in Education

A big moment for Jonah happened during his first year at Yale. He volunteered at Dwight Elementary School and helped a six-year-old child named Daniel Zayas learn to read. This experience showed him how important it is to help children with their education. While still in college, Jonah also helped run programs for teens and middle school students. He worked with a program called Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP). Today, Jonah Edelman lives in Portland, Oregon, and has twin sons who are in college.

Stand for Children Organization

Starting Stand for Children

Jonah Edelman was a main organizer of "Stand for Children Day." This was a huge event held on June 1, 1996, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. About 300,000 people attended, making it the largest rally ever for children's rights in the U.S. Speakers included Geoffrey Canada, who later became the first leader of Stand for Children's board.

The day after the rally, on June 2, 1996, Jonah Edelman and Eliza Leighton officially started Stand for Children. They wanted to create an ongoing group to keep supporting children's education. Many follow-up events and rallies took place across the country in the years that followed.

What Stand for Children Does

Stand for Children's main goal is to make sure all students get a great education. They especially focus on helping students who might be overlooked. This includes children of different skin colors, those from certain neighborhoods, those who speak a different first language, or those with disabilities.

The organization works on several key areas:

• Helping more students graduate from high school.
• Preparing students for college and future careers.
• Improving reading skills for students from lower-income families.
• Making sure schools have fair and enough money to operate.

Achievements and Programs

Since 1996, Stand for Children has helped pass many laws that benefit students. They have also created programs to boost academic success. For example, in Oregon, they helped pass "Measure 98." This measure provides over $300 million to schools. This money helps schools prevent students from dropping out, offer career training, and provide college courses. In Washington, Stand for Children helped pass a law to make sure more students can take advanced placement (AP) courses. They also played a big part in getting funding for full-day kindergarten in Colorado in 2019.

In 2017, Stand for Children started the Center for High School Success. This center works with high schools across the country. It helps more 9th graders stay on track, reduces absences, and improves career and college pathways.

More recently, in 2022, a leading expert in early reading, Dr. Nell Duke, joined Stand for Children. She helped create the Center for Early Literacy and Learning Success. In 2024, after years of work, Dr. Duke and her team finished the Great First Eight curriculum. This is a new, complete learning program for children from birth to age eight.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonah Edelman led a project called Project 100. This effort, with partners Propel and GiveDirectly, raised and gave out $195 million. This money helped almost 200,000 families who needed support during that difficult time.

Honors and Awards

Jonah Edelman has received several important honors for his work:

• 1992: Rhodes Scholarship
• 1992: Alpheus Henry Snow Prize, Yale University
• 2005: Hunt Alternatives Fund Prime Mover
• 2007: Ashoka Fellow