About Rooted School
Our Mission
Rooted School’s mission is to rapidly reduce America’s wealth gap by connecting underserved and talented teenagers with career and financial pathways.
43%
of college-bound graduates are first in their family to go to college
1 in 4
graduates earn 4+ industry training credentials
$1,000,000+
in merit scholarships and grants earned by 2021 Rooted School graduates
$32,000+
yearly wage of Green Balloon Fellows right out of high school
100%
of graduates choose a college or jobs-related path
1 in 4 graduates
earn 4+ industry training credentials
The Future of Rooted School
We’ve laid the groundwork—and we’re just getting started
Since 2014, the Rooted School Foundation has fought to reduce America’s racial wealth gap by developing the roots of career and financial stability among underserved students through innovative approaches to education. Our goal is to accelerate upward mobility and lift children out of poverty by getting youth into good jobs sooner in their lives, providing the skills and resources needed for our high school students to achieve career and collegiate success.
We’ve achieved great things since our founding, and we have a lot more planned in the coming years. By 2024, we aim to open 2–3 additional schools in new cities, to grow the Green Balloon Fellowship to at least 2 regions supporting 50 fellows total, and to expand the Youth Cash Transfer Study to 230+ students in New Orleans and Indianapolis.
Timeline
2014 – Rooted School Foundation created
2015 – New Orleans charter approved
Fall 2017 – Rooted School New Orleans opened
2019 – Indianapolis charter approved
2020 – Youth Cash Transfer pilot launched
Fall 2020 – Rooted School Indianapolis opened
Winter 2020 – Vancouver, WA charter approved
2021 – Green Balloon Fellowship Pilot 1
2022 – Green Balloon Fellowship Pilot 2
Spring 2022 – Clark County charter submitted
Fall 2023 – Rooted School Vancouver to open
Fall 2023 – Rooted School Clark County to open
Our Team

Jonathan Johnson, Founder and CEO
Jonathan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Rooted School Foundation. Rooted School is a non-profit network of four schools across four states and other projects focused on increasing upward mobility for youth faster than local projections. Prior to his current role, Jonathan founded Rooted School New Orleans, a 9th-12th grade public charter high school located in New Orleans, Louisiana that provides its students a chance to earn a college acceptance in one hand and an entry-level career job offer in the other. Rooted School has been recognized by organizations like the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Transcend Education as one of the most innovative public school models in the U.S. Jonathan also manages “The $50 Study” in partnership with The University of Tennessee–Knoxville, The Center for Guaranteed Income, and school partners which is the first, only, and most extensive randomized control trial exploring the impact of direct cash transfers to youth using schools as the disbursement vehicle. Also an Aspen Economic Opportunity Program Fellow, Jonathan began his teaching career at KIPP Central Academy in New Orleans as an 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University in Religious Studies and in his spare time, Jonathan enjoys skiing, winemaking, and cooking.
Our Board of Directors







Our Foundation Team
Regional Executive Directors and Board Chairs
Every moment is a chance to build your reputation
We are unprepared to do something for the first time, always.
Contact
Motivation is for amateurs.
It's your turn to give a gift.

Frank Ingargiola
Chief Operating Officer
Frank Ingargiola is the COO of Rooted School Foundation. He is a founding member of Rooted School New Orleans and is a 40+ year veteran of education in New York and New Jersey. He brings a wealth of experience from multiple perspectives as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and interim superintendent.
Frank received his B.A. in English from Fordham University and his M.A. in English Education from Columbia University.

Talia Livneh
Director of Programs
Talia Livneh is the Director of Programs at Rooted School Foundation. She is also a founding member of Rooted School New Orleans and currently works as the Director of College and Career Transition and the Director of the Green Balloon Fellowship at Rooted School. In these roles, she supports students in finding individualized pathways to financial freedom, whether that be by enrolling in college, or starting a career.
Prior to joining Rooted, Talia taught for Teach for America in New Orleans and spent 7 years teaching High School Mathematics. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon and her M.A. in School Organization and Leadership from Teachers College and Columbia University.

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